Rhonda Mattingly is a seasoned nonprofit leader with nearly 45 years of executive management experience and more than 18 years specializing in nonprofit development and grant writing. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Bridges to Hope, a Lincoln-based nonprofit organization that supports individuals transitioning from incarceration—a position she has held since 2015. She is also the founder of Bud’s Thrift Shoppe and Hope Village, both established to address unmet needs within the community.

A native of Norfolk, Nebraska, Rhonda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Wayne State College. Her early professional background includes service as a Child Protection and Safety worker for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and as Executive Director of a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault organization in Norfolk. Rhonda also held the role of Director of Operations for the Bureau of Sociological Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she led a federally funded longitudinal study examining how the loss of language and cultural identity impacts substance use and violence on Native American reservations. She later served as Budget/Business Coordinator for the University’s College of Education and Health Sciences before returning to her passion for direct service and nonprofit leadership.

She is actively engaged in local and statewide collaborative efforts, including serving as a member of the Realtors Association of Lincoln Housing Committee, Give Nebraska, the Homeless Coalition, the Reentry Alliance of Nebraska, and the Clinton Neighborhood Organization. She is also a current member and past president of Cause Collective, a nonprofit network supporting human service organizations in Nebraska.

Outside of her professional work, Rhonda enjoys outdoor walks, golfing, and exploring Nebraska with her husband of 17 years, Dave, and their two Morkies. She is the proud mother of five children and grandmother to six.