About The Work

And how I came to it

What Does Arida Mean

Growing up in Arizona, I have always been aware of the question people ask when they visit the desert for the first time. How does anything grow here?

The answer is that it does. Just not in obvious ways. And when the conditions are right, it can be extraordinary.

I have seen the same thing in the organizations I have worked with.

What can look sparse or strained from the outside is often full of potential. The work is there. The people are there. What is missing is the structure to support it.

Arida is rooted in that understanding. Creating the conditions for growth that is not just possible, but sustainable.

A true leader doesn’t create followers, they create more leaders.

– Tom Peters

Hi, I’m Heather

Nonprofit leader, Strategist, and fractional Executive Director

I built my career by following curiosity, saying yes to opportunities, and figuring things out along the way.

I did not take a traditional path into leadership.

My academic background started in computer technology and web design, and somewhere along the way I racked up more than 200 college credit hours across a wide range of interests. I never quite settled on one thing, because to me, everything was interesting.

At different points, I considered becoming an author, a doctor, a teacher, or a photographer. Instead, I built a career that lets me be a little bit of all of those things at once.

I started in communications and marketing, working in internal communications and promotions before moving into freelance work during the 2009 economic downturn.

From there, I helped build a digital marketing agency in the early days of social media, working with clients across education, healthcare, restaurants, small businesses, and creative entrepreneurs.

That was where I really started to understand how organizations function, and how quickly things can become misaligned as they grow.

In 2011, I stepped into what was supposed to be a short-term, three-month interim Executive Director role. Fifteen years later, I am still doing the work.

Over time, that role expanded into long-term leadership of one organization, while also stepping into fractional Executive Director roles for others.Somewhere along the way, this stopped being something I fell into and became the work I was meant to do.

What I have come to understand is that I naturally see both the big picture and the details that make organizations run.I tend to stay calm in situations that feel overwhelming, and I have a way of helping people make sense of what is happening so they can move forward.

My work often sits at the intersection of strategy, communications, operations, and people. It is less about any one area and more about how everything connects.

At the core of it, my work is grounded in a belief in fairness, justice, and making sure people’s needs are met. That is what drew me to nonprofit and association work, and it is what continues to drive me.

Most organizations are full of people who care deeply. They are doing meaningful work. They just need the structure, clarity, and support to keep up with it.

Through my consulting work, I partner with organizations that are ready to grow and evolve. Together, we move from reactive to intentional, and from overwhelmed to aligned.

Outside of work, I am a mom of five in a blended family, which means I am very comfortable managing chaos, strong personalities, and constantly shifting priorities. I live in Arizona with my husband and our three dogs, Malcolm, Wally, and Mochi.

In my free time, I love traveling, hiking, reading, cooking, gardening, and sitting outside with a glass of wine, occasionally wondering how life became both this busy and this fulfilling.