# Nicole Lauchaire

> Nicole Lauchaire is the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Retail/D2C at Varsity Spirit, the Memphis-based company at the center of competitive cheerleading and dance. A former high school and Florida State cheerleader who drove to Memphis in a Honda Civic to take a lower-paying camp-adjacent job, she has spent roughly 24 years full time (29 counting her camp-instructor years) building the brand: the 2007 re-brand, the launch of Varsity TV, the St. Jude partnership, and the company's social and PR presence. She is one of the rare women to hold a C-suite title in sports, a TEDxMemphis speaker on reinventing your life, and a marathon-running, mountain-hiking adventurer who preaches saying yes.

- **Role:** Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Retail/D2C at Varsity Spirit
- **Organizations:** Varsity Spirit, Varsity Brands, Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA)
- **From:** Hollywood, Florida, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school; cheerleader, Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory (Hollywood, FL), Undergraduate; cheerleader, Florida State University, Executive Education: Chief Marketing Officer Program, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Executive education program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Leadership program, New Memphis Leadership Development Intensive (LDI)
- **Known for:** Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Retail/D2C at Varsity Spirit, one of the ~8% of women holding a C-suite title in sports., Instrumental in Varsity Spirit's 2007 re-brand., Helped launch Varsity TV.

## Career timeline

- **~1996** — Cheerleads at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood, Florida.
- **~age 22** — Attends a UCA summer camp, is invited to apply for staff, and chooses UCA over a Cirque du Soleil summer position.
- **~age 22** — Drives from Florida to Memphis in a Honda Civic to take a lower-paying role with Varsity Spirit.
- **2006-2016** — Works in the marketing department as an office neighbor of mentor Kris Shepherd.
- **2007** — Instrumental in Varsity Spirit's re-branding.
- **2010s** — Helps launch Varsity TV and the Varsity Brands partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; leads social media and PR activations.
- **2018** — Completes an executive education program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
- **2021** — Delivers TEDxMemphis talk 'Burn the Boats: How to Ctrl+Alt+Delete Your Life' (published Nov 18, 2021); coaches Chaminade-Madonna to a national high school cheer title; first cheerleader inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
- **2020-2021** — Leads Varsity Spirit's pivot to virtual formats after roughly 60% of the business (live events) is disrupted by COVID-19.
- **2023** — Completes the Kellogg Executive Education Chief Marketing Officer Program at Northwestern.
- **current** — Serves as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Retail/D2C; involved in launching a Pro Cheer League and the first National School Spirit Championships.

## Achievements

- Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Retail/D2C at Varsity Spirit, one of the ~8% of women holding a C-suite title in sports.
- Instrumental in Varsity Spirit's 2007 re-brand.
- Helped launch Varsity TV.
- Helped build Varsity Brands' partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
- Led the brand's social media and PR activations over a 20+ year tenure.
- First cheerleader inducted into Chaminade-Madonna's Athletic Hall of Fame (2021).
- Coached Chaminade-Madonna to a National High School Cheerleading Championship (2021).
- TEDxMemphis speaker: 'Burn the Boats: How to Ctrl+Alt+Delete Your Life.'
- Guided the company's rapid virtual pivot when ~60% of the business was disrupted in 2020.

## Latest updates

- **2024-07** — Took a last-minute trip to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- **2023** — Completed the Kellogg Executive Education Chief Marketing Officer Program at Northwestern.
- **2021-11** — Delivered TEDxMemphis talk 'Burn the Boats: How to Ctrl+Alt+Delete Your Life.'

## Links

- Website: https://varsity.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolelauchaire/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/NicoleLauchaire
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qGqhoFGoSI

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicole-lauchaire
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-25