ASA Spotlight: Matt Rice
ASA’s Community Manager
ASA SPOTLIGHT
Join us each month as we interview and feature members of the ASA Community! This month, we’re shining the spotlight on the newest addition to our staff team – Matt Rice, ASA’s new Community Manager.
1. Tell us more about yourself. What would you like readers to know?
I grew up in New York and Pennsylvania and went to a small college near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to study International Business. My wife (Aimee) and I moved to Baltimore City in 2019 and have been there since. We have a chocolate lab (Hudson) who is about to turn 7 this year and he loves joining us on all types of adventures!
2. What drew you to ASA? When did you start?
Since graduating college, I have worked in two very distinct fields: commercial printing and commercial real estate financing. I really enjoyed both of these job opportunities, but I have always felt compelled to find work that has a more direct engagement with the community. I have had a few volunteer opportunities in the past, and as I was looking for an organization that has a stronger impact on its community, I discovered ASA and had signed up to be a Wingman in January. After learning more about ASA’s mission, I decided to apply for the open Community Manager position because I believed this was the perfect opportunity for me to align my work with my personal values. I started running with ASA in March and my first day on staff was April 8th.
3. What do you love most about ASA?
There are countless groups of people that are not fully embraced in society for a number of reasons. I am a firm believer that people are meant to care for others, so ASA’s specific vision of providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to feel an overwhelming sense of belonging is fundamentally important to me. But that progress can’t be made without significant investment from people in the community. I’ve only been involved with ASA for a couple of weeks, and I can already see the dedication of so many volunteers to help bring ASA’s vision to life. It is really meaningful for me to see firsthand how many people believe in ASA’s vision and want to give more of themselves to make a meaningful and lasting difference.
4. Why are you excited to be the Community Manager?
I am excited to be in a role that will have a strong presence in the community and am really looking forward to meeting so many of ASA’s volunteers. I am excited to be in a position that directly supports the implementation of ASA’s program.
5. What are your hobbies?
Certainly love running and several other outdoor activities like cycling, rock climbing, hiking, and skiing. I really enjoy traveling and have been fortunate to have visited 20 different countries. A bucket list item for me is to visit every national park in the United States. My wife and I own a small pop-up camper that was built in 1963 (and it still works!) so we’ll go camping whenever we can. I also love drumming – I was in the Baltimore Ravens drumline for 4 years, and was a section leader for 3 of those years.
6. What was your first race like with ASA?
My first race was Celtic Canter on Team Molly, which was a very cold, rainy, and windy day. I didn’t know anyone except for Dave, but the entire group made me feel welcomed and everyone had a great race, despite the bad weather. It was my first time (and sounds like not my last time) running in a green skirt – it was a great introduction to ASA!
