Kay Carter not only played an instrumental part in establishing athletic opportunities for UW-Stout female athletes, but she also played an integral part in the creation of the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC), a predecessor of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

Carter came to Stout State University in 1966 where she served as a coach, instructor and athletic administrator in the athletic and physical education departments until retirement in 1996.

Carter began Stout’s women’s gymnastics program in 1966 and advocated for gymnastics as a WWIAC sport. Carter was the women’s gymnastics head coach through the 1977 season, but was an assistant coach with the program through the 1988 season. During the early years of conference gymnastics, she served as the sports chair. Throughout her career, she co-directed several WWIAC gymnastics championships, as well as two men’s gymnastics national championships and one women’s national gymnastics championships.

Carter served as Stout’s athletic representative to state, regional and national organizations for women’s athletics from 1966-1982, and worked to establish in the WWIAC in 1971. She received the WWIAC Special Recognition award for her contribution and service to the conference in 1989.

Aside from the commitment to inclusion of women’s sports and her contribution to the start of the women’s gymnastics program, Carter was involved in the enhancement of Stout’s physical education curriculum and took on the duties of women's athletic director. In addition to developing a variety of physical education courses with a major emphasis in areas of first aid, skiing and horseback riding, Carter served as a departmental representative on the curriculum committee for the School of Education and Human Services. Carter also coordinated several National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebrations in the UW-Stout and Menomonie communities.

In addition to her work at Stout, Carter was actively involved as a member of the Dunn County American Red Cross Board of Directors, primarily serving in the area of first aid and safety programs.