Director of Community Relations, Houston Airport System
Rhonda C. Arnold is the Director of Community Relations for the Houston Airport System and is a dedicated and compassionate civic leader. Arnold promotes Houston Airports and their economic importance to the region by maintaining positive, collaborative relationships with the business community, area chambers of commerce, local government, economic development agencies and community organizations with emphasis on Diversity and Inclusion.
Prior to joining the Houston Airport System, Arnold held management positions in the areas of law, campaign financing, fundraising, government relations and public affairs in Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Washington, DC. Arnold has also developed challenging public affairs strategies for national and international clients, educated and transitioned bilingual students, managed immigration for a Fortune 500 corporation and advised corporate clients on public and government public affairs issues, third party coalitions, and communication strategies in the energy sector.
A native of Houston, Texas, Arnold earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. She also earned a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston. Arnold is married to Bruce Arnold and they have one pet-child: a cocker spaniel named Bentley.
This International Leadership recipient was also part of the Corporate Brass in the 2013 Edition of Who’s Who in Black Houston. She works enthusiastically on several community and civic organizations, including the Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Corporate Community Relations Council, American Association of Blacks in Energy, Women in Government (DC) and the past chair of the Airport Minority Advisory Council Economic Forum. She is a member of the Links Incorporated, Port City Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Continental Societies Incorporated, Houston Metropolitan Chapter.
Arnold enjoys writing and is an avid lover of various types of music. She sings and is in the process of writing a book about life lessons which she plans on getting published in the future.
The person who has influenced Arnold the most is her late father. He always helped others and if he wasn’t at church or at home, he was at work. She has the highest admiration for him. Arnold’s greatest female influence is her mother Almeta Crawford because of elegance, intellect, and grace.
A quote Arnold uses daily at work is by Thomas Carlyle: “No pressure, no diamonds.” For her, the quote means in life, in order for you to achieve great things, sometimes you have to go through tough times to get there.
