Ownership

Jim is a seasoned executive with significant experience in the biopharmaceutical, life sciences, medical device, diagnostics and pharma services industries. Over the course of his career, Jim has occupied successful CEO, director, and executive positions in companies throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, including at Dendrite International, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the Isuta Holdings Group of companies, Baxter and other companies. Jim previously served on over 30 Board of Director roles including several public and private companies along with the Advisory Board of Marshall University School of Business since 2013 and the board of North Carolina Biotechnology Center as a member since 2017.

Jim formerly served as president and CEO of BioAgilytix, a leading provider of contract bioanalytical testing services with specialisation in bioanalysis, driving industry leading customer satisfaction and supporting industry experts in delivering innovative solutions for clients across the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

During his time as CEO of BioAgilytix the company was recognised by the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies for 7 years between 2013 and 2020. The company also boasted award-winning customer service and enjoyed one the highest employee retention rates in the industry.

Jim has completed more than 40 transactions including venture investments, buyouts, acquisitions, mergers, IPOs, licensing and partnership agreements and has now transitioned to funding and working with private equity and venture-backed companies to further their success.

Jim received a B.B.A. at Marshall University, an M.B.A. at the University of New Haven and an Advanced Management Degree at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Naomi Osaka is one of the most explosive and influential tennis players of all-time. She is the first Asian player to hold the No.1 ranking in singles and the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam. Her extraordinary tennis triumphs combined with her off-court activism make her one of the biggest global names in all of sports. In 2013, Osaka entered the WTA professional circuit as a rising star quickly gaining fans and media attention through her powerful serve and strong forehand. Soon thereafter in January 2016, Osaka qualified to enter her first Grand Slam, progression into the third round. That year, Osaka won “Newcomer of the Year” at the 2016 WTA Awards. Two years later in 2018, Naomi has one of the strongest seasons to date, winning 2 Grand Slams. In 2020, Osaka won her second US Open title capturing the world’s attention against the backdrop of a pandemic and social unrest. In 2020, Osaka was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, Ad Weeks Most Powerful Woman in Sports, Forbes Highest Paid Female Athlete of all Time, and one of Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People, while gracing the cover of The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Ad Week, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, High Snobiety, Harpers Bazaar Japan and Vogue, to only name a few. Her name also became known as a voice in activism on and off the court with bold statements publicizing the names of victims of police brutality and shining a light on social inequality in our nation. 2020 also highlighted Naomi’s love for all things fashion as she appeared at New York Fashion week for the first time, showcasing a collation she co-designed with Adeam. The show garnered positive reviews from fashion publications such as Vogue and WWD. In addition, Osaka continues to pursue her love of art, fashion, and design with a second collection with Adeam and Mastercard based on the cities in Japan. Osaka has appeared in publications such as Allure, Harpers Bazaar, i-D, InStyle, The New York Times, Vogue, and has appeared on talk shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CBS This Morning, TODAY, and GMA. Her various brand partnerships include Nike, Mastercard, Beats, Nissan, PlayStation, Louis Vuitton which make her the world’s most marketable athlete. Naomi is the proud daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother and was born in Osaka, Japan. She moved to the United States with her family at the age of 3. She represents Japan in competition and will be the face of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Osaka currently resides full-time in Los Angeles, CA

Jabeur, who reached the world No. 2 ranking in 2022, is the highest-ranked and most accomplished African and Arab player in WTA and ATP history. She is one of the most popular players in tennis and is affectionately known by her nickname as “The Minister of Happiness.” Jabeur has a passion for both soccer and empowering women in sport, which led her to seek opportunities to get involved with NWSL clubs.

Jabeur has been a professional tennis player since 2010. A four-time singles champion, she reached the finals at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023 and was a 2022 US Open finalist.

Michael and Ashlie Bucy are both from North Carolina and share the club’s commitment to ensuring North Carolina women’s soccer remains synonymous with world-class excellence. Michael is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and leads the Firm’s Global Rapid Transformation Practice. He was an All-ACC soccer player for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and a State Champion with the Raleigh Caps and Sanderson High School.

Ashlie, also a UNC grad, has spent her career working at the intersection of the technology start-up, political and nonprofit communities. Currently, she is leading an initiative through The Bucy Foundation in partnership with StreetSoccer USA, North Carolina FC, the NC Courage, and local community organizations to bring urban soccer fields to Triangle neighborhoods to provide better access to safe, unstructured play. The couple have three young children who are all engaged in affiliated NCFC Youth soccer programs.

Dr. Milan DiGiulio and his wife Stephanie are local Raleighites with three school-aged children.  Milan is a leading orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries.  He founded his medical practice, Performance Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine, over a decade ago.  Stephanie is a former federal law enforcement officer and is a founding member of In-Kind Friends (“IKF”), a local non-profit that provides interim time and talent to established non-profits looking to amplify their impact in the Triangle.

“To be at a game and watch our daughter and her teammates light up when these awesome women take the field is incredibly inspiring.  The dream many of them have to be just like these players doesn’t feel out-of-reach; in fact, it motivates them to work harder in practice and push harder to be the best they can be.   We consider this investment an honor and want the best for these phenomenal female athletes and the young local soccer players who look up to them.” – Stephanie DiGiulio

“We are so lucky to have these world-class female athletes in our community and are committed to supporting them in any way we can.  We want the momentum for this incredible team to continue to grow.”  – Milan DiGiulio

Jay is the CEO/Owner of Marissa Collections, a family-owned and -operated luxury fashion boutique headquartered in Naples, Florida. In addition to owning Marissa Collections, Hartington owns/co-owns four other companies in the consumer products space, including RumbaTime, MakeupDrop, and Topanga Project LLC. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Naples Zoo and has a daughter that plays competitive youth soccer.

Torry Holt is a bona fide North Carolinian, born in Greensboro, raised in Gibsonville and lives in Raleigh with his wife and three kids.

Torry attended North Carolina State University and was a record-setting consensus first-team All American wide receiver for the Wolfpack football team. At NCSU, Torry met his wife, a fellow student-athlete on the women’s soccer team and his life-long connection with women’s soccer began. After leaving NCSU, Torry was selected sixth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. In his rookie season, Torry’s leadership and relentless work ethic was integral to the “Greatest Show on Turf’s” record breaking Super Bowl Championship season. Torry would go onto play in the NFL for over a decade racking up All-Pro nominations, Pro Bowl selections, leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards and named to the 2000’s All Decade Team.

Never forgetting their roots and where they came from, Torry and brother Terrence (also a Wolfpack and NFL alum) teamed up once again and have been successfully operating Holt Brothers Construction and the Holt Brothers Foundation in Raleigh. For over 20 years, the Holt brother’s youthful energy, discipline, commitment to teamwork and determination has served the community with their best interest at heart.

Not one to stray too far from sports, Torry was proud to be on the Heritage Husky coaching staff for his son’s high school football team. However, it would be his two daughters and their participation in NC Courage Academy youth program that would rekindle Torry’s relationship with women’s soccer. With his son already attending NCSU, the two girls will be following mom’s footsteps and playing varsity women’s soccer for the Wolfpack.

Torry is living proof of the possibilities that involvement in youth sports can have on kids and their ability to learn life skills. “I believe my investment with the Courage is also an investment in the youth and my community. The Courage are one of the best professional soccer clubs in the world, on and off the field. The Courage principles of winning, growing the game, equity, diversity, and investing in our community are all things that I believe in. I am honored to be a part of the team.” Investing in the largest youth-to-pro club in the nation is the perfect fit for this community minded North Carolinian.

An investment group of Kane Realty executives, led by John Kane, is thrilled to invest in the nationally acclaimed NC Courage. The Kane Realty team is excited about the future of women’s soccer and in particular the incredible outlook for the NC Courage team. They support the visionary leadership of Steve Malik and the other owners and coaches that lead our Raleigh community’s passion for soccer. They believe the local community is a tremendous beneficiary of the work and commitments by all the fantastic accomplishments of each NC Courage player. They are grateful and excited to assist in cheering louder for them in the seasons ahead.

Kane Realty Corporation (KRC) is a full-service real estate development and management company focused on office, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use properties in the highest quality. Based in Raleigh, N.C., since 1978, KRC is dedicated to the goal of creating irresistible places where people will naturally want to gather. Through meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the property, from design and construction management, to leasing and property management, Kane’s mission is to build places that improve the quality of life of businesses, their employees, residents, and visitors.

John and Teresa Karaffa are excited to join the ownership group of the NC Courage and embrace the winner’s mentality. John, a graduate of Butler University and former professional basketball player, founded ProSport CPA in 2009 after stints as a Tax Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sports & Entertainment leader at Genworth Financial (formerly a General Electric company). ProSport CPA, an accounting firm based in Quinton, Virginia, is known as the leading tax firm in sports and entertainment, serving more than 1,000 athletes and entertainers worldwide.

John, who holds a Doctorate of Business Administration, also serves as a college professor at Liberty University and Southern New Hampshire University. Teresa, a Radford University graduate, has spent her career working in various roles in Human Resources, including formerly at General Electric and currently as the Vice President of ProSport CPA.

John and Teresa are avid sports fans and parents to three boys and a daughter, all of whom have competed or currently compete in youth soccer programs in Virginia. Their oldest son is an officer in the Marine Corps who will be soon heading to his next assignment in Hawaii. John and Teresa are excited to become strategic partners with the NC Courage and embrace the opportunity to further women’s sports in the region

Howard has more than thirty years of experience in the financial and energy businesses. In 1997, he Co-Founded Yorktown Partners LLC, a private equity fund focused on the energy industry. From 1975 to 1997, he was in the Corporate Finance Department of Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. and active in the private equity and energy areas. Howard holds an B.A. degree cum laude from Harvard College and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University. He currently serves as a director of four public companies and multiple Yorktown portfolio companies.

Henry is an entrepreneur and executive based in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He has more than 15 years of experience as a finance professional in the entertainment and technology space. Earlier in Henry’s career, he worked on Fox Sports Media Group’s Regional Sports Network’s Media Rights deals and helped organize their finances. As an executive, he has helped companies raise over $550M in capital (debt and equity) over the last five years of his career. As an instructor, he has taught accounting, finance, and human resources courses over eight years at various community colleges and universities. In his spare time, Henry enjoys traveling and learning new subjects – currently beverage hospitality and flying planes. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration  and Master of Public Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Dominguez Hills, respectively.

Jin is the Treasurer of MediaLab, a digital media and advertising company based out of Los Angeles. Prior to that, he was the Director of Treasury at Regent LP, a multi-sector private equity firm based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on investments in the software, technology, consumer products, retail, and media space. Jin has more than 10 years of experience working and consulting in finance. He is an avid fan of soccer and looks forward to the continued growth of the sport in the US. Yang holds a BA from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as an MBA and MPA from Georgia State University.

James is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in traumatic, degenerative and sports-related foot & ankle disorders. His notable career in the medical field includes treating victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings to providing care in his birth country, Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake. Leveraging previous finance roles, James is also an angel investor in a number of startups. The Toussaints’ diverse personal and professional backgrounds combined with their passion for the game will be incredible assets to the future of the club.

Brooke Woody is excited to join the North Carolina Courage and support the mission of growing women’s soccer and supporting positive social change. She and her husband are dedicated to investing in organizations that lift up women and build up communities. Brooke, a Wake Forest grad, started her career in the financial services industry in North Carolina. She is now working at a nonprofit that is focused on human and social capital and employee care. Brooke is currently living in Colorado with her husband and their two children who are actively involved with local soccer programs.