A varied path led Rhonda Blanford-Green to become CHSAA commisioner.
Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman caught up with new CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green, who is in her first month on the job. Before being named CHSAA’s ninth commissioner in March, Blanford-Green was the assistant executive director at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, the executive director at the Nebraska School Activities Association from 2012-15 and a CHSAA assistant commissioner/associate commissioner from 1996-2012. The Honolulu native is a 1981 graduate of Aurora Central and was an All-American in track at the University of Nebraska. Blanford-Green discussed her upbringing in a military family, her career journey, her administrative philosophies and more.
On the influence of her welltraveled childhood …
“I moved my freshman year from Fairbanks, Alaska, and attended Aurora Central my sophomore through senior years. I’m an army brat, so I’ve been around — we lived in many states growing up, including Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Alaska and also Japan. Every three years or so, we moved. When you’re a child in a military family like that, one of the ways I always connected and became a part of the whole community was through athletics. Every state I was in, I did cheerleading; every state I was in, I did track — it made me realize athletics are an instant connector to other kids and the culture of a school. Because of that involvement, I never felt that isolation piece from all the moves.”
On her championship track career at Nebraska …
“I was recruited by several Division I schools, and I signed with Nebraska, sight unseen. I had never been to the campus, but it was one of the best decisions I could have made in terms of my athletic career as well as growth as an individual. We had a lot of young and talented athletes there, but the coaches had the mind-set of creating champions, so from my freshman year through my junior year, we were the national champions each year as a team. … All I know was at that time, Nebraska felt good, and I knew that it was close enough to Colorado so that I could come home if I was homesick or for holidays.”
On her experience coaching college track …
“I coached at the University of Wyoming before I ever went into the high school space, where for three years I was the assistant cross country coach and assistant track coach in charge of men’s and women’s sprints and hurdles. And that time, through being placed on administrative committees and being part of different sides of administration in that job at Wyoming, made me know my career path was going to be on the administrative level more so than on the coaching level. After that, I coached in both Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek Public Schools and from then on, it was never going to be a question of whether I was going to be in athletics. It was just whether it was going to be on the interscholastic or intercollegiate level.”
On the roots of her prior 16-year stint at CHSAA …
“Bob Ottewill, who was the commissioner at the time, had over 100 applicants for two positions in 1995. And of the retirees, one was a female and one was a male. It was just starting to be accepted that women could lead in the state association offices, and so it was understood within the membership that they were absolutely going to hire a female because of the different sports being offered, and it was the right thing to do for representation within the office. When I was offered the position, I knew that Bob was taking a chance on a pretty green administrator — I was only 32 years old, which was pretty unheard of back then — and that was the opening of the door for me to not only prove myself, but to have a chance to move forward. From that day to when I left for Nebraska in 2012, all those experiences pre- pared me for the opportunity to be commissioner, as I got to work a lot in different areas with legislators, marketers and corporate partners with my strength of building those relationships.”
On being CHSAA’s first female and first African-American commissioner …
“Out of all the candidates that interviewed, there’s no question that what I bring to the table surpasses what the job expectations require. To be able to complement the skill set and the competency with a diverse combination of gender and ethnicity speaks to how I can represent what leadership looks like in the state of Colorado. It’s always important for me for people to understand that I’ve paid my dues over the course of my professional journey, especially if you look at where I’ve been and my consistent dedication to keep kids first and to education-based athletics.”
On the driving factor throughout her career …
“When I took the job at CHSAA in 1996, my thought process wasn’t that I’m doing everything to eventually be the commissioner one day. I took this job and became passionate about this job and became impactful in this job because it’s what I love to do.”
On what she brings to the table …
“CHSAA is one of the most respected state associations, nationally, so the association doesn’t need sweeping changes. What I bring to the table is that diverse perspective of having had multiple experiences outside of Colorado, and also understanding and having been involved in Colorado. I’m going to bring a lot of energy and passion — anyone who knows me knows that — and a responsibility to do what’s right for all kids.”