Ali Rhodes

Ali is Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Boulder. Her two key responsibilities as Director are to ensure the community is experiencing a high-quality parks and recreation system and that BPR's teammates have the support and skills they need to operate that system. Beginning her professional career in Finance, Ali soon realized that she had a public service heart and passion for greenspaces, health equity, and people leadership – she joined the city in 2002 and has never looked back. Ali holds a bachelor’s degree in History (cum laude) and Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.

My advice to students...

Recognize that leadership is not knowing all of the answers, but instead knowing how to ask good questions and to listen hard. Our department has expertise in forestry and yoga and soil and turf and so much more – I could never master it all but my teammates can and do.
Focus on enabling greatness and not just being great yourself. When you create great leaders, the potential is a tidal wave.
Remember that as a leader, your words and actions cast a far greater shadow than you might prefer or realize. Be thoughtful about what you say and how you act always – people are watching carefully to follow your lead.
Be yourself! There is no one way to be a leader and by leaning on what makes you you, you can create an atmosphere where others do the same and open the door to diverse backgrounds and opinions.