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CHSAA commissioner, associate commissioner announce retirements

Blanford-Green was national federation’s first African-American female to lead an association
Blanford-Green was national federation’s first African-American female to lead an association
Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green.

Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green and Associate Commissioner Tom Robinson both announced during the board of directors meeting Wednesday they would retire at the end of the school year.

In 1996, Blanford-Green became assistant commissioner and was CHSAA’s first minority hire. She also became the first African-American female commissioner to lead an association in the National Federation of High Schools’ 103-year history. In 2017, she became CHSAA’s ninth commissioner and the first woman to lead the association.

“I love my job, this staff, and the membership, and I have been proud to serve the students and member schools of Colorado, and to lead one of the best associations in the nation,” Blanford-Green said.

Before joining CHSAA in 1996, she was executive director at the Nebraska School Activities Association from 2012-15 and was an assistant executive director at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association 2015-17.

Since returning to Colorado, Blanford-Green has introduced several digital platforms to improve education, operations, outreach and communication. She also created the handbook committee, which helped facilitate collaborative discussions statewide prior to the passage of bylaws. Blanford-Green also led Colorado high school sports during the pandemic.

Blanford-Green is a graduate of Aurora Central High School, where she starred in track and field and participated in spirit, volleyball and student leadership. She became an 18-time All-American in track and field at the University of Nebraska. After college, she qualified twice for the U.S. Olympic Trials and coached at Aurora Central, Eaglecrest and the University of Wyoming before joining the CHSAA.

Colorado High School Activities Association Associate Commissioner Tom Robinson.

Blanford-Green is a member of the CHSAA Hall of Fame, Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Robinson, a graduate of Regis Jesuit, attended Colorado State University, where he competed in football, basketball, and track and field. After graduating in 1969, he began officiating that summer and started his first full teaching contract at Regis Jesuit in 1969. Robinson taught math coached multiple sports – head basketball coach from 1983-93 – at the same school for 31 years before becoming a CHSAA assistant commissioner in 2001.

For all 20 years at CHSAA, Robinson has overseen officials, the sportsmanship program, as well as boys and girls golf.