Rhonda Blanford-Green formally introduced as CHSAA’s next commissioner
AURORA — Rhonda Blanford-Green was introduced as CHSAA’s next commissioner on Thursday, appearing before the Legislative Council during its April meeting.
Blanford-Green was hired to be the ninth commissioner of the Association in March. She called her career — which took her to Nebraska and Louisiana after 16 years at CHSAA — a “circular journey” as she readies to return to Colorado.
She then spoke about her predecessor, Paul Angelico, who mentored Blanford-Green when she previously was associate and assistant commissioner at CHSAA.
“I want to thank Paul, because through your leadership, Colorado serves as model nationally for some of the things that you do,” Blanford-Green said. “It really resonates across the country that we get in front of issues. We aren’t reactive. We don’t allow people on the outside dictate what we need to be doing for our student-athletes and our programs.
“So I want to thank Paul,” she continued. “It will be hard to fill your shoes, but I just wanted the membership to know that our visions align. I know that, under my leadership, we will continue to do what’s best for kids in the state of Colorado.”
The two spoke on Wednesday night, “and he left with with three pieces of advice,” Blanford-Green said.
“The first is to keep kids first,” she said. “(The second:) ‘If you try to be perfect in everything, you will fail at this job.’ And, ‘Don’t cuss as much as I do.’
“So, I’ll address No. 1 first: My history and my advocacy for kids across the nation, especially in Colorado, speaks for itself. That doesn’t change now,” Blanford-Green said. “When it’s part of your core values, it’s who you are. I know that will be something that won’t be hard to accomplish.
“Second,” she continued, “perfection, I know, isn’t attainable. I will make mistakes, but they won’t be because I and our staff are not prepared, and we will always be led by the mission and the vision of the CHSAA to make the decisions on behalf of the membership and the kids.
“No. 3?” she said. “No promises.”
Blanford-Green also thanked the Board of Directors for the opportunity to become CHSAA’s commissioner.
“I want you to know that I don’t take your trust in me, or your faith in me, lightly,” Blanford-Green said.
She closed by saying that she felt “blessed, I’m humbled, and I’m honored to serve and work for the CHSAA staff, the Board of Directors, the membership, the student-athletes, our educational partners, CASE, CASB, school boards, and the state of Colorado.
Blanford-Green will attend the NFHS summer meeting in Rhode Island at the end of June as CHSAA’s commissioner, then begin her role in Colorado at the start of July.
