Beth’s journey with Special Olympics began the way many meaningful stories do, unexpectedly, and with a simple ask.
At the time, she was working as a teacher when someone approached her with a question, did she know anyone who might be interested in volunteering to help start a local Special Olympics Program? Instead of pointing to someone else, Beth stepped forward herself. “Talk about diving in headfirst, that’s exactly what happened,” she recalls. That moment marked the beginning of a decades-long commitment to a movement that would shape her career, her perspective, and her purpose.
From those early days, Beth quickly immersed herself in every aspect of the work. She became a local Program Director, while also coaching athletics and basketball, roles she still describes as some of the most meaningful of her experience. Coaching, she says, offered a front-row seat to the heart of Special Olympics, the relationships, the growth, and the joy that comes from sport. It’s why her advice to others remains simple and direct, if you have the opportunity to coach, take it. And even more, if you have the chance to play Unified, do it.
That early hands-on involvement laid the foundation for a career that would span local, national, and global levels of the movement. Beth went on to serve in leadership roles with Special Olympics Virginia, Special Olympics International, and Special Olympics North America, ultimately concluding her professional career as Vice President for Region and Program Operations. Along the way, she helped guide organizational development, support regional growth, and strengthen Programs around the world.
But when Beth reflects on her career, it’s not titles or milestones that stand out most, it’s the people.
“I got to work with some of the best, most talented and passionate leaders in our movement,” she says. The lessons she learned from colleagues across regions and roles have stayed with her long after retirement, continuing to influence how she leads, supports, and shows up today.
Ask Beth what makes Special Olympics truly special, and her answer comes without hesitation: passion. “We need your skills,” she says, “but it’s the passion for this movement that is going to drive you with joy and gusto, and help you become the changemaker that we know you can be.” That passion, she believes, is what fuels not only individual contributions, but the collective impact of the movement as a whole.
It’s also what keeps her connected.
Through her involvement in the Alumni Leadership Network, Beth continues to give back in ways that reflect both her experience and her strengths. One of her primary areas of focus is governance, helping Programs build strong, effective boards that can guide and sustain long-term success. From clarifying roles and responsibilities to strengthening the partnership between board members and executive leaders, Beth brings practical insight to an area that is critical, but often complex.
At the center of that work is a principle she holds deeply, ensuring that athlete voice is present at every level of leadership. “The most important thing we can do is listen to our athletes,” she says. For Beth, that means not only creating space for athletes to be heard, but embedding their perspectives into decision-making from Programs to boardrooms.
She has already helped advance innovative approaches, including initiatives that pair board members with athletes as mentors, creating deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and more inclusive leadership structures.
Beth is also a steady presence for staff across the movement, someone who can offer perspective. Whether it’s strengthening governance, supporting leadership development, or simply providing guidance, she approaches every interaction with the same mindset that has guided her from the beginning, stay focused on the mission, and center the people who make it possible.
As she looks back, Beth hopes her legacy is not defined solely by what she accomplished, but by what continues after her. She wants others, especially those who have been part of Special Olympics, to remain connected, to stay involved, and to recognize the value they still bring. “If we continue to volunteer,” she says, “it’s going to keep moving everything forward in a much better, faster way.”
Because for Beth, Special Olympics has never been just a role or a chapter. It’s a lifelong commitment to the athletes, to her colleagues, and to a movement built on inclusion, respect, and possibility.
And perhaps most of all, it’s about care.
“I care deeply about this movement,” she says. “But I still care so deeply about you. Because we are the changemakers.”
Through the Alumni Leadership Network, Beth continues to live that belief by ensuring that her experience, her passion, and her dedication remain part of the movement’s future, not just its past.
