Twila Carter enters her fourth season as Executive Director of the Astros Foundation and Senior Vice President of Community Relations for the Astros. She made the transition to baseball in 2011 with Jim Crane’s purchase of the Astros franchise and has worked with The Crane Group in various capacities since 1998.
Carter oversees all fundraising, community outreach and volunteer efforts of the Astros and the Astros Foundation. Cornerstone programs include the Community Leaders Program, a multi-million-dollar partnership with the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Astros MLB Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park in Acres Homes. Under Carter’s leadership, the youth baseball and softball program participation has grown to over 40,000 participants, 23 fields at 9 Houston area parks have been refurbished and are currently maintained by the foundation and over 15,000 free baseball and softball uniforms have been donated to participating youth. The Astros Foundation Volunteer Program was established in 2014 and now has over 2,500 volunteers participating on behalf of the organization through many different outreach programs.
Carter also heightened the Astros partnership with the Houston Independent School District through many efforts such as instating the Fun At Bat program in elementary schools and launching the Astros Foundation Literacy Bus in partnership with the Friends of the Houston Public Library and sponsored by Phillips 66, created to encourage family reading in Houston-area communities by distributing free books to children in grades K-5 at various city-owned baseball and softball parks, summer and after school programs and other local youth initiatives. Since March 2017, over 5,000 books have been distributed by the Astros Foundation Literacy Bus.
Prior to her current role, Carter served as the project manager for many of the recent Minute Maid Park renovations, including the Diamond Club, Union Station, Astros Team Stores and the Astros Clubhouse. Carter has overseen the development of numerous projects for Crane Capital Group, including the construction of the Crane Worldwide headquarters which opened in April of 2012.
Carter has held numerous elected and appointed positions with several service and community organizations. She was named2016 Inspire Women’s Business Woman of the Year, 2014 Kingwood Women of Achievement for Community Service and received the 2013 State Community Service Award from the Texas Daughters of the American Revolution.
Twila Carter
Executive Director
Astros Foundation
501 Crawford Street
Houston, TX 77002
Ph. 713.259.8904
tcarter@astros.com
