Meet a Colleague: Missy Carter Missy Carter serves as the office manager for Public Safety.

W&L News Office
June 25, 2026

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I have worked at W&L for 8 1/2 years.

Q. What is the favorite aspect of your job at W&L?
My team. They’re what make the work enjoyable. Their humor and wit are contagious and even on stressful days, we find ways to make each other laugh and keep things in perspective.

Q. If you chose a different path, what other career would you have?
I would be a professional tenor saxophone player in an orchestra that records movie scores.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I’m from a military family, so I grew up primarily on the West Coast in Arizona and California until my parents settled in Virginia.

Q. What was your favorite subject in school?
Band — especially after-school jazz band.

Q. What three words describe you best?
Dedicated, insightful, reliable.

Q. Name one person from history you would like to spend a day with and why.
Danny Elfman. His music has such a recognizable personality and creates entire worlds before anyone even speaks. I’d love to spend a day seeing how he approaches composing and bringing those ideas to life.

Q. Who is the most famous person you have met and where did you meet them?
I met Pauly Shore at a comedy show a few years ago.

Q. What do you like to do away from work?
I enjoy spending time at home with my kids. I don’t venture out often, but I do enjoy visiting museums and taking drives on the parkway.

Q. What is your least favorite chore at home?
Laundry.

Q. What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
Hosting Christmas each year for my whole family. We’ve had Christmas morning in my home for the last 16 years.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
Growing up in a military family meant moving and adapting to new places fairly often, so while I wouldn’t consider myself adventurous, learning to start over and find a sense of home in new environments probably counts.

Q. What do you pretend to hate but secretly love?
Being around people. I’m not big on small talk or feeling like I need to be “on” all the time, but I really enjoy good company and genuine conversation. I especially enjoy being able to just exist in a room with someone else with no pressure to fill every moment with conversation.

Q. What is your all-time favorite food or food dish?
Anything with sourdough. My favorite is toasted sourdough with butter, pepper and garlic. Or, a grilled cheese with pepperoni on sourdough.

Q. Where would you choose to build your dream home?
At the end of a long driveway in the country, surrounded by trees and quiet. Close enough to civilization for groceries, but far enough away to enjoy the peace.

Q. What is your all-time favorite book?
I can’t say I have a favorite book, but a few of my favorite authors are Brandon Sanderson, Darcy Coates, Jennifer McMahon and Shari Lapena.

Q. If you could choose one series to binge-watch, what would it be?
I would choose “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Q. What is your all-time favorite movie?
“My Cousin Vinny.”

Q. What song or artist could you play on repeat?
According to my Spotify, my top played song this past year was “All My Life” by Falling in Reverse and Jelly Roll.