The name Nora Carter is synonymous with volleyball across the state of New Mexico and most of the Southwestern United States.  A native of Albuquerque, NM, Nora has been involved with volleyball as a player, coach, and official for over 40 years.  Her dedication to the sport recently landed her in the New Mexico Officials Association Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024.

Nora has officiated high school volleyball for the New Mexico Officials Association for 26 years.  She worked during the 1982 season and then rejoined the association in 1999 and has been a member of the NMOA ever since.  During her tenure as a volleyball referee, she has been selected to work the New Mexico Activities Association State Volleyball Championships 15 times, working the championship match a dozen of those trips to the event. 

While Nora is one of the most respected referees in the state, it is her off-the-court leadership that has set her apart.  At her local level, she served terms as clinician, Supervisory Committee member, and President of the Central Region Volleyball Officials Association (CRVOA).  At the state level, she served as the NMOA Alternate State Clinic Volleyball Clinician from 2011-2021, the NMOA State Clinic Volleyball Clinician from 2013-2024, the NMAA Volleyball Rules Interpreter from 2007-2024, and has been the Referee-in-Chief for the NMAA State Volleyball Championships from 2007 through 2024. 

Nora was selected as NFHS Volleyball Official of the Year for New Mexico in 2005.  She received the NFHS State Award for Outstanding Service to the NMAA in 2019 and also received the NFHS Section 6 Distinguished Active Official of the Year in 2019.  Nora currently represents Section 6 on the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee.

Outside of interscholastic volleyball, Nora has been a certified USA Volleyball National Scorer since 2010 and a USA Volleyball National Referee since 2013, both out of the Sun Country Region.  She also officiates NCAA volleyball.  Nora has also coached adult women’s, men’s and co-ed teams, and has coached at the high school level in Las Cruces, NM, Santa Fe, NM, and Albuquerque, NM.

When speaking of Nora Carter, former NMOA Commissioner of Officials and current NFHS Director of Officiating Services, Dana Pappas, said:  ”When I think about volleyball officiating in the state of New Mexico, I think of Nora Carter.  In many ways, she IS high school volleyball officiating in New Mexico.  While her career on the court as a player, coach and referee is impressive, her body of work as a trainer, clinician and evaluator of interscholastic volleyball is unsurpassed, and spans over 40 years in total.

One of my favorite memories about Nora took place at the 2018 NMAA State Volleyball Championships. She had revealed to me that in her years of involvement with the State Championships, she had never had the opportunity to serve as a line judge, so we made sure that happened. The referees on staff, as well as the coaches at the event, were stunned to see “THE” Nora Carter, working the lines as though she was working her first ever state championship as an R1.  This is the essence of Nora.  No assignment has ever been too big or too small for her, to spite her many successes on the court.  She treats every assignment, whether it is line judging a middle school match or refereeing a college match, with the same professionalism and diligence.  She is the referee coaches and partners want to see assigned to their matches and she is the person the NMAA always calls upon when they need guidance as to volleyball rules, mechanics, philosophies, or best practices.”

Nora is a graduate of Sandia High School (Albuquerque, NM), where she was a standout track and field athlete. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New Mexico State University.  Nora is the daughter of George Sr. and Evelyn Carter.  She has two brothers and two sisters, of which she is the middle child. 

Congratulations to Nora Carter on her induction into the NMOA Hall of Fame!