Our Team
Charlotte Harris
Founder & CEO
+46 73-650 37 79 | charlotte@athletesabroad.se
Charlotte co-founded Athletes Abroad Management after running the college program and volleyball agency at Connect Management Group from 2015-2019. A 2012 graduate of Mercer University, Charlotte was a first team All-Conference player and 3-year starter on the women’s volleyball team.
After her college playing career was over Charlotte coached college volleyball at the Division 1 and 3 levels, most recently working at North Carolina State University. In Sweden Charlotte played in the Swedish Elitserien (top division) for Sollentuna VK and has also coached for Sollentuna VK’s Division 1 team (second division). As a coach Charlotte has won the U18 Swedish National Championship as well as the Youth Grand Prix Championship.
Charlotte holds a Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Goucher College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Mercer University.
Charlotte oversees all aspects of Athletes Abroad and works directly with college and volleyball clients.
Kathleen Gates
Advisor – Media & Athlete Support
kathleen@athletesabroad.se
Kathleen Gates works as an advisor at Atheletes Abroad after a seven-year pro volleyball career with various clubs in France (2013-2020). Notably in 2016, she helped Quimper 29 win the DEF French championship and was a finalist for the Coupe de France. The next season, she joined the VBCC (Chamalières) and led them to a Coupe de France title as well as winning the DEF league; a first for a club to win both titles in the same year. Prior to taking a one-way flight to Italy to launch her pro career, she competed at the University of Georgia (2008-2011) and still ranks 3rd for all-time career assists and was named to the All-Freshman SEC Team (2008). Kathleen has a B.S. Ed in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in Public Health from the University of Georgia.
Kathleen currently resides in France and focuses on the development of Athletes Abroad’s professional volleyball agency. As Development Manager Kathleen will use her various experiences to enrich client services while actively working on projects to further promote women’s professional volleyball in Europe and abroad.
Whitney Turner-Alexandersson
Client Relations Manager
whitney@athletesabroad.se
Whitney works as a Client Relations Manager at Athletes Abroad. Originally from California Whitney played NCAA Division 1 college Volleyball at North eastern University. After graduating in 2008, Whitney headed to Europe to embark on her career as a pro athlete starting with OK Luka Koper, in Slovenia. Whitney played 8 years professionally in Slovenia, Sweden, and Finland.
Following her pro retirement in 2016, Whitney assumed the role of coach at the Swedish National Volleyball High School (RIG Falköping). Over the course of three years, she oversay the development of women’s teams across various levels, from Elite, B and C. Notably, Whitney took on the U19 Women’s Swedish National Team as head coach for consecutive seasons, leading the squad to commendable finishes in NEVZA competitions and U19 women’s European Championship Qualifications.
Complementing her athleic career, Whitney holds a Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Gothenburg. Currently based in Gothenburg, Sweden, her background as a former professional athlete, coach, and athlete manager equips her with valuable insights to guide and support Athletes Abroad players in their pursuit of success.
Philip Thorén
Founder
philip@athletesabroad.se
Philip was an NCAA Division 1 athlete at Mercer University where he was a 2-year captain and 4-year starter on the men’s soccer team. Philip played for Vallentuna BK in division 2 before heading to the US for college. He has also played in both pojk- and juniorallsvenskan and has won the youth tournament S:t Eriks-cupen. He has experience coaching at the junior level for Täby FK Academy and has a coaching certification C from the Swedish Football Association.
Philip holds a Bachelors Degree in Business from Mercer University and a Masters Degree in Finance from London School of Business and Finance. Before co-founding Athletes Abroad Management Philip worked in Finance in Stockholm.
Philip oversees all business operations with Athletes Abroad.
Priscilla Tallman
Mental Performance Coach
Priscilla’s journey has uniquely prepared her to coach other high performers in sport and life. She earned numerous accolades as a college athlete, including SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Player of the Year and NCAA First Team All-America honors two years in a row. This led to a professional volleyball career in Geneva, Switzerland, a role as a member of the USA National Extended Team in 1994 and the World University Games Team in 1995. After her career she shifted to coaching at a collegiate level, where she worked to train her athletes to work through the mental obstacles and barriers holding them back to reach their full potential on and off the court. She now leverages that success to leaders and teams of all kinds. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. She has worked with athletes, coaches and teams at the high school, club, collegiate and professional levels.