Meet Rhonda Carlson of Arizona Disabled Sports

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Carlson.

Rhonda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As with many people that live in Arizona, I am a transplant. I moved to the Phoenix area from Cleveland, Ohio, in June of 2018 for the position I currently hold as Executive Director for Arizona Disabled Sports. I had previously worked for over ten years in several different administrative roles within the healthcare industry – mainly business development, operations, and account management. From those experiences, I became aware of several nonprofit organizations in the greater Cleveland area that specifically focused on serving vulnerable populations and creating a healthier community and I decided to volunteer my time to support those causes. Specifically, I served on the advisory boards of the Carmella Rose Health Foundation (where I found an incredible mentor in their Executive Director, Ginny Pate, who I give a tremendous amount of credit to for getting me to where I am today) and the United Way of Greater Cleveland. As I continued to volunteer my time, I came to the realization that working in the nonprofit sector was the right path for me.

Ten years after I completed my undergraduate degree, I decided to go back to school and receive my master’s degree in public administration, with a specific focus on nonprofit management, so that I could better position myself for a leadership role with a nonprofit organization. From 2015 – 2018, I worked full time while attending evening classes as part of my master’s program. As challenging as it was to have such a hectic schedule and miss time away from my family, I always knew I was doing the right thing and would one day be in a position where I could truly make a positive impact on my community. I received my degree on May 11, 2018, and the next day flew out to Arizona for my second interview with Arizona Disabled Sports. A few days later, I was offer the position! When I initially applied for the role, I was beyond excited at the opportunity – I could not only do good and help those with disabilities but I could also blend my love of sports at the same time! It was truly a blessing to be selected as the new Executive Director for Arizona Disabled Sports as the past couple of years have allowed me to be in a place where I not only love what I do every day but am actually making a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a challenging road for sure! Some of the biggest struggles I had came from the time spent away from my family while I pursued my graduate degree. They were and continue to be my biggest motivator in all that I do professionally, so I just had to keep telling myself that once the chaos of working and going to school ended, that we would all be in a better place. Another struggle came when I was offered my current role and had to leave behind my family and friends in Ohio. Saying goodbye to my parents, who I had lived only five minutes from and saw on a very frequent basis, was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

Again, I knew I was doing it to create a better life for my immediate family and, despite the shared tears, knew how proud they were of me to pursue this dream. As far as struggles once in my role, just the doubt that can often come from being in a leadership position and hoping I was and still am doing all I can to make an impact. Also, wearing multiple hats as an Executive Director of a relatively small nonprofit has its ups and downs. I knew I wanted a position and career where each day looked a little different from the one before and while I am thankful to have my hands in a lot of different pots each day, there are times when shifting from HR to IT to Operations to Grant Writing can be a bit challenging.

Please tell us about Arizona Disabled Sports.
Arizona Disabled Sports is a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals with disabilities through adaptive sports and recreation. By creating opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities to participate in activities they love, we are able to improve physical, emotional and social skills and create a more inclusive community. We serve people with physical and visual impairments through our Arizona Heat program, which consists of adaptive air rifle, archery, boccia, bowling, cycling (long and short distance), kayaking, power soccer, rock climbing, swimming, track & field, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair & amputee tennis. We partner with the City of Mesa Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities to serve individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities through our Team Mesa Bulldogs program, which consists of aquatics, archery, basketball, bocce ball, bowling, cheerleading, cooking, dragon boat, floor hockey, golf, hiking, off-Broadway, soccer, and track & field.

In addition to the weekly adaptive sports opportunities mentioned, we also host a TGIF social club for our Team Mesa participants, numerous socials and a handful of special events for our Arizona Heat participants, including the Desert Challenge Games, a World Para Athletics Grand Prix. We believe that the number of programs, events and socials offered as well as the quality coaches, staff and volunteers that we have to execute these opportunities really sets us apart from other organizations. We can not only work with those that have dreams of being a future Paralympian but also make sure those that are participating from a purely recreational standpoint are getting the most out of their experiences as well.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I think any chance where I could hang out with my grandmother was especially memorable for me. My grandmother passed away when I was 12 years old and I still miss her everyday. I wish I could have had many more memories to share with her. Spending the weekend with her, going to the movies, playing with these very old Barbie dolls she had and always having her come over to our place on Sundays for some Cleveland Browns football… torturous, I know, but so much fun considering the company. She always brought cupcakes decorated with orange and brown icing and her famous sausage cheese balls! She was the rock of our entire family and made every day so enjoyable.

Contact Info:

• Address: 59 East Broadway Road
  Mesa, AZ 85210
• Website: www.arizonadisabledsports.com
• Phone: 4808356273
• Email: rhonda@arizonadisabledsports.com
• Instagram: azdisabledsports
• Facebook: azdisabledsports
• Twitter: AZDSPrograms

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