A longtime Memphian, Rhonda has been a business/technical writer for local and national corporations and nonprofits for almost 40 years. Her writing portfolio includes business and strategic plans for start-ups and expansions, proposals and cost volumes, quality audit documents, training and operations manuals, union-certified apprenticeship programs, and a variety of corporate communications.

For more than 20 years, Rhonda has served the Memphis nonprofit community through program design and execution, and grant writing and administration, with more than $17 million awarded. Her grant experience includes securing and stewarding funds from local and national foundations and all levels of government. As an employee of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Rhonda designed and led multiple high-profile community initiatives, including Leading From Every Chair®, the Opus One Series, the Symphony Soul Project, Family Tunes & Tales, Orff-Orchestra Concerts, and more.

Rhonda is responsible for all aspects of the grantee life cycle at the Foundation. She also administers the Foundation’s grantmaking, including awards for fellowships and community-based cancer research. She manages program assessment, metric design, data collection, and evaluation for grants received and awarded and also supports the leadership team in strategic initiatives and planning.

An active community volunteer, Rhonda currently serves on the executive board of the Hot Springs Musical Festival and is a past chair of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program. Each year she participates as a volunteer with United Way of the Mid-South and the Tennessee Arts Commission in panel review and grant allocation processes. Rhonda is an ambassador for the Mid-South Transplant Foundation and an advocate for youth programs throughout the community.