Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Rowe.
Hi Angie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a family where public service and giving back were important values. We weren’t wealthy, so it wasn’t about a lot of monetary donations to charity. It was more about what could we do by volunteering in our community. My dad really role-modeled this for all of us. He has given back to others his whole life. He served in the military, then worked as a teacher and coach and eventually as a school principal. He always made time to help others whether in the school or sports setting or whether it was driving military veterans to their medical appointments. He still does this today and he’s in his 80s!
Given that background, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in my career. After graduating with a Master’s in Public Policy, I worked in public affairs for an environmental services firm and got involved with the Junior League of Orange County. I can’t say enough about the value of being part of the Junior League. For more than a decade, I held various leadership positions including President and I’m still involved today. In addition to meeting and working with other wonderful women to positively impact nonprofit organizations in your area, the Junior League is an incredible training ground for business and leadership.
It was during my leadership tenure with the Junior League of Orange County that I developed a relentless advocacy for kids, it became my purpose and continues to drive me forward in my work. Working with numerous nonprofits addressing the needs of kids in our communities really drove home the importance of this for me. Kids are our future and we have to double down on programs, support, enrichment, health and wellness — you name it — for them.
My work as CEO for Beyond Blindness reflects this relentless advocacy for kids. Beyond Blindness is a nonprofit whose mission is to build bright futures for children with visual impairments and other disabilities, and their families, through comprehensive services and support including Early Intervention, Education + Enrichment and Family Support. In just a few years since I started to lead this 60+ year-old organization, I’ve led the team in innovating new programs and services, expanded the number of kids and families we serve by more than 200 percent, and have set an audacious goal — that we will achieve — to serve more than 2,700 kids and families by 2027.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’m relentlessly optimistic — so I tend to see obstacles and challenges as opportunities for evolution and growth. Some common challenges you see in the nonprofit sector are capacity and sustainability issues within organizations. All nonprofits are on the cusp of growing…or not. I tend to enter at an inflection point and am called to apply big creative and innovative thinking to take the nonprofit from stagnation or possible extinction to record growth. Granted, this is never easy and you have to not only formulate a vision and plan but then bring that vision and plan to life for your team, board members, donors and the community at large. I have found that, in order to do this successfully, you have to be a disrupter. It’s really disruption via the ripple effect. I serve as the pebble that you throw into the pond that starts as a ripple and becomes a large wave as it gains momentum. If you believe and are passionate about the mission of the organization and can manage your disruption appropriately, I believe you have a high probability of success.
Founder’s syndrome can be a challenge for many leaders. And in a lot of ways, I am the founder of the new Beyond Blindness, however, I always remember that the organization doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the community; it’s held in public trust. My goal is to ensure that the nonprofit can stand on its own regardless of who is in the leadership role. That’s why I’m big on developing the people on my team. You always need to have the succession plan in mind.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work and Beyond Blindness?
I’m is determined that kids throughout Southern California and across the state…and eventually nationally…will get eye exams at earlier ages (well before they reach three years old) so that visual impairments can be diagnosed sooner, and children’s eyesight can be maximized and preserved in order to live their best, most rewarding lives. I’ve begun this effort at
Beyond Blindness,to ensure that children with visual impairments and other disabilities, and their families, get the world-class services and support they need. We haveformed the nonprofit’s first Ophthalmic Advisory Board, bringing prominent medical professionals, academics and firms into the fold — a move that not only has secured an impressive amount of additional funding for Beyond Blindness but also has brought leading-edge medical and scientific perspectives to the organization, helping to guide our move to focus on Early Intervention programs.
I also serve on numerous boards and councils — including the Orange County Disability Collaborative, California Association of Private Special Education Schools (CAPSES), OneOC’s Non-Profit Advisory Council, and California Agencies for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CAABVI) — so I can help drive forward services, access and inclusion for children with visual impairment and disabilities statewide.
What are your essential qualities? What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Did I mention I was relentless?! I think that is critical to success as a leader. You have to be okay with people not “getting” you or your vision – don’t take it personally. When you are relentless in your vision and pursuit of change, good things will start to happen and people will get on board. When I started a Kids Run at the OC Marathon, people never thought it would be more than a small “nice to do” type of program. I knew it was more important than that. It was letting kids be a part of something big, exciting and healthy for them both physically and mentally. I took that program from 27 participating schools to more than 100 participating schools with thousands of kids running. The program won a national award and has been a model for other programs internationally, including in Mexico City. That’s the ripple effect and the larger wave in action. I’d also say that you have to have patience in your relentlessness. Big disruption and change is a long game like chess. If you can be relentless AND patient and you likely will succeed.
I also think it’s essential to be a strong leader and part of that is developing and trusting your team. No one is ever going to do the things the way you do – welcome that and set your vision for where you want the organization to be in five years. I may take a different path to that goal than my team will, but that is when the magic happens, seeing how we will all get there in our own way but collaborating together. Let go of how to get there, as you will learn important things from the process of acknowledging and celebrating everyone’s journey along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beyondblindness.org/
- Instagram: @beyondblindness
Image Credits
Noel Besuzzi
