Pontious lives in Hamilton with her husband, Mark, and their three children. She relocated to southwest Ohio in 2014, and she most recently worked for Miami University with the school’s Opening Minds through Art program and the Center for Career Exploration and Success.
But Pontious wanted to give back to her Hamilton community and sought the Boys & Girls Club of Hamilton position. She wanted to work in nonprofit management, work with kids, and give back to the community in which she resided.
“I saw this as an opportunity to check a lot of boxes,” said Pontious, who has a music education degree from Ball State University and nonprofit arts administration degree from Florida State University.
The Boys & Girls Club serves between 55 to 65 children and their two facilities collectively, but pre-novel coronavirus pandemic it served 60 to 75 at each location, one on East Avenue and one on Grand Boulevard.
“We have a chance to meet with kids on their level and to just help them grow, whether that’s academically or building their character,” she said. "Every kid is important and we want to help that.”
Pontious said she really knew the Boys & Girls Club of Hamilton was the right job for her when she got into the interview process.
“In one of the interviews, one of the board members said, ‘This is a chance for us to dream and to grow and to really see what we can do for these kids in our community,'" she said. "That’s the type of people I want to work with. That excites me and I saw this as an opportunity to partner with those board members to benefit our kids.
"I’ve always enjoyed being a part of something where I can really impact the kids, and make them see the greatness that they have inside them and what they can do to grow up and be successful.”
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