Flinn-Brown Fellow Nate Rhoton

Fellows Spotlight

Nate Rhoton

(Phoenix, 2015)

Chief Executive Officer at one•n•ten

“Flinn Brown’s approach is really to look internally and decide, based on what we’ve learned in Flinn-Brown, ‘How can we benefit our community?’ And I love that. Now more than ever, folks on both sides of the aisle need to be looking at that and looking at it with a critical lens. Not just staying in your own echo chamber and listening to what aligns with your beliefs, but really seeking to understand and have those conversations so that we can work together to create a better Arizona.” – Nate Rhoton 

Nate Rhoton, a member of the 2015 Flinn-Brown cohort, initially applied with the goal of running for public office. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on Arizona’s future and contribute to the state’s growth, he saw elected office as a natural path. However, through the course of the Fellowship, he came to realize that making a difference doesn’t solely depend on holding political office—there are many ways to influence and shape Arizona’s progress outside of electoral politics.

After serving as CFO of a construction company for 12 years, Rhoton decided that the next chapter in his life needed a big change. Drawing on his fundraising experience, he transitioned to the role of Director of Development at one•n•ten in 2015.

Founded in 1993, the nonprofit one•n•ten was founded to provide LGBTQ+ individuals in Arizona a supportive place to find resources, build friendships, and find empowerment. The organization serves youth and young adults between the ages of 11 and 24.

In January 2018, Rhoton became the CEO at one•n•ten. Although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running for office, he is confident that his current position allows him to deliver the support and drive the change he has always aspired to make.

“I feel like the spark that was ignited in me through Flinn-Brown enabled me to create this pathway and trajectory to make selective change in our state, albeit in a different way than what is typical for a Flinn-Brown Fellow to take.”

Growing up in Flagstaff, Rhoton realized early on there was a need for LGBTQ+ resources throughout Arizona, irrespective of geographical location. Now, with 52 employees and 21 sites across the state, one•n•ten offers Rhoton the opportunity to make a broad and meaningful impact on the lives of countless individuals.

The leadership skills Rhoton developed at one•n•ten are notable, and he still has a strong ambition to eventually run for office. His admiration for Arizona leaders on both sides of the aisle has sharpened his focus on what he wants to accomplish in an elected position.

“It’s not for the faint of heart or the weak. I think you can look at both of those leaders [Governors Doug Ducey and Katie Hobbs] and see how each of them had to lead through their own values and their own strengths and persevere against a lot of criticism.”

Rhoton believes Arizona needs to take specific steps to create a healthier political climate and prepare a generation of youth ready to assume leadership roles. By improving policies focused on civic engagement, he sees the opportunity to inspire future leaders to engage meaningfully in public service.

“I look forward to a day when we can have someone that doesn’t agree with the far right but can still run as a Republican; someone that doesn’t agree with the far left can still run as a Democrat; or someone who can run as an Independent can actually make it onto the ballot and stand a chance for getting elected.” 

Rhoton believes that increasing funding for schools, along with the responsible use of ESA vouchers, could significantly benefit Arizona. Last year, one•n•ten successfully opened a junior high school funded through ESA vouchers.

“By creating a safe space, our students excel. Even though we’re not required to in private school settings, we do the state-mandated testing for the public-school students. So, we have good quantitative and qualitative data about simply how miraculous this program was for so many of our students.”

Rhoton says that one•n•ten’s school has support on both sides of the aisle, with many citing it as a great example of how ESA vouchers were meant to be used. one•n•ten was so pleased with the eighth-grade graduation rate, they opened a high school classroom as well.

“Through all of this, when a young person can see themselves in the curriculum, particularly in politics, history, or civics, it really helps them to come alive to their future. I have seen first-hand how this has really changed people’s lives. At the quarterly project demonstrations where we show what we do and I have a parent come up to me and tell me that we have given them back their child because they thought they were forever lost, I have to wipe away tears half of the time.”

Even when one•n•ten and its programs receive pushback, Rhoton believes that the best way to react is to understand. He says that extending the olive branch to people who criticize the programs is the most important reaction to have. 

He believes that giving everyone the space to grow and embrace new ideas is essential for developing support around these new educational systems. This is something one•n•ten actively promotes through the training programs it provides to companies and other organizations.

“I think that something Flinn-Brown also helps with, is to develop your own internal value structure so you can step into that when you have difficult decisions to make. Whether that’s in elected office, as a CEO of a nonprofit, out in the community, or working on a campaign.  I think all of that is where that core value system … is so critically important.”

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Book Recommendation

The Potentialist: The Pursuit of Wisdom

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If you missed a Fellows Spotlight, you can find them here. View all Flinn-Brown Fellow profiles here.