Rhonda “Rho” Pollard: Not Your Average Birdie

Rhonda “Rho” Pollard moves through the world like a quiet spark. Part boardroom strategist, part golf-course disruptor, and part fashion muse with a mission.

By day, she’s the Business Development Leader for PCL Construction’s Seattle office, representing one of the most respected construction firms in the Northwest. Off the clock, you’re just as likely to find her walking 72 holes at Chambers Bay (marathon event) to raise money for girls’ golf, mentoring young athletes, or styling a golf look that turns a fairway into a runway.

Ask Rho what ties it all together, construction, sports, philanthropy, fashion, and she doesn’t hesitate.

“For me, the thread has always been people and purpose,” she says. “When you mix what you do with what you love, magic happens. It stops feeling like work and starts feeling like joy.”

Photo by Zero Five Photography; styling by Polly Cocilobo

From “Temporary Job” to Industry Leader

Rho’s path into the built environment wasn’t linear. Labeled early as both gifted and at risk of dropping out to support her family, she graduated high school at sixteen and finished her degree in communications and journalism by nineteen.

“I was willfully underprepared for what came next,” she admits with a laugh.

With bills to pay and no roadmap, she did what a lot of us did in that era: opened the newspaper classifieds. A customer service role at a commercial interiors firm caught her eye, and quietly changed the trajectory of her life.

“I’d always loved fashion and design, and suddenly I was in a world where both collided with business and brand storytelling,” she says. “It was the perfect fit.”

That “temporary job” grew into a fifteen-year career at a boutique firm where she became the owner’s right hand and helped build one of Louisville’s most sought-after interiors businesses. Eventually, she moved to the West Coast, bringing her experience into a larger market and working alongside architects, designers, and builders.

That’s where construction entered the chat.

“Seeing the construction side opened my eyes to an even greater sense of purpose,” she says. “Helping shape spaces and communities from the ground up felt powerful.”

Her philosophy is simple but sharp: show up like you mean it.

“In our world, that means knowing your client, understanding their brand, and yes, looking the part,” she says. “I didn’t just find a career; I found a way to blend creativity, connection, and purpose and make it my own.”

Golf as Access, Confidence, and Calling

Rho talks about golf the way some people talk about falling in love.

“Golf changed everything for me,” she says. “Not just because I love the game, but because of what happens around it. The conversations, the access, the confidence. It’s all next-level.”

For her, golf isn’t about perfection or scorecards. It’s about being physically present in spaces where decisions are made and relationships are built.

“Half the people out there are playing business more than they’re playing golf anyway,” she jokes. “The game gives you four hours of uninterrupted time with people you might never get a meeting with otherwise.”

But the impact runs deeper than networking. Golf has made her more patient, grounded, and resilient. It keeps her active, clears her head, and has become a place where purpose, wellness, and joy all intersect.

Her personal tagline, “Not Your Average Birdie,” says it all: show up boldly, break barriers, and do it with humor, heart, and a great outfit.

Fixing the System That Failed Her

Rho’s passion for mentoring girls in golf comes from a deeply personal place.

She grew up in a financially struggling household, raised by a single mother who rebuilt their lives after immense hardship. Opportunity was scarce; representation even scarcer.

“Most of the kids I grew up with didn’t make it out of our neighborhood,” she says. “I did, thanks to kindness, timing, and maybe a higher power watching out for me.”

As a child, the only powerful women she regularly saw were the anchors on the evening news who appeared smart, polished, advocating for people who needed a voice. That’s what pulled her toward communications and journalism. It also planted the seed for the woman she would eventually become: a voice for others.

Later, with the help of a close friend, she crystallized her personal why:

“To fix the system that was broken for me and advocate for those without a voice.”

She shares a statistic that still breaks her heart: if little girls don’t see someone they identify with in a role they aspire to by age five, 98% lose hope that it’s possible.

“That’s why I show up,” she says. “I want girls to see that you can come from anywhere, be the first in your family, and still build a life that looks nothing like what you were born into.”

Partnerships with Purpose

From the Seattle Sports Commission to First Tee of Greater Seattle and The Pro Shop HQ, Rho chooses her partnerships with intention.

“For me, partnerships must start with a purpose,” she explains. “I say yes when it feels like we’re building something bigger than ourselves.”

One of her greatest joys is acting as a connector, spotting alignment between people and organizations and bringing them together to amplify impact.

“I’m a big believer that when the right people come together with shared purpose, one plus one doesn’t equal two; it creates something bigger,” she says. “That’s when the real magic happens.”

A perfect example: Beyond the Bus, an initiative that began as a simple idea, funding transportation so kids could access First Tee programs, and evolved into a full movement. It inspired a fashion collaboration with her friend Christine (“Mama Birdie”), founder of Pacific Bogey Club, and led to the creation of the Golf Girls Club apparel line.

Each piece from the line blends fashion with purpose, championing confidence and space-taking for young girls in the game. The signature sweater carries this statement:

“Sorry Not Sorry I’m not afraid to make space for myself. To shatter expectations and forge my own way.”

“What a dream,” Rho says. “To have a clothing line that makes a difference.”

Style, Storytelling, and the Little Girl at the Mall

Fashion isn’t an afterthought for Rho; it’s part of her language.

“Even when I didn’t have much growing up, I loved expressing myself through style,” she says. “Fashion has always been about confidence and storytelling. It’s how you show up before you say a word.”

As a kid, the mall was her runway. She would walk there with outfit changes in her backpack for “model calls,” hoping to be discovered. The agencies never chose her.

“I didn’t have the money, the connections, or ‘the look,’” she remembers. “At 5'3" with a girl-next-door vibe, I didn’t fit the mold. It was heartbreaking then, but now I’m grateful the definition of beauty has evolved.”

Today, she models golf fashion as part of her work—the full-circle moment that little girl dreamed of.

She now partners with women- and minority-owned golf and lifestyle brands, plus select larger labels, and dreams of future collaborations with houses like Gucci, Nike, Adidas, and Seattle icon Luly Yang.

“At the end of the day, fashion isn’t just what I wear,” she says. “It’s how I show up, how I express joy, and how I honor the little girl who used to walk to the mall with big dreams and a backpack full of outfit changes.”

Redefining Resilience

When asked how she defines resilience, Rho pauses, then answers with the calm of someone who’s lived it.

“Resilience is the space between falling and getting back up,” she says. “It’s perseverance with heart, the decision to keep showing up, even when no one’s watching, and to keep believing in yourself when others don’t quite see it yet.”

Working in a male-led industry and thriving in a male-dominated sport has reinforced that lesson.

“You can’t always wait for a seat at the table,” she says. “Sometimes, you have to build your own.”

There were times she wasn’t taken seriously at first, or had to prove herself twice as hard. She doesn’t carry bitterness about it, only clarity.

“I’m not motivated by proving people wrong anymore,” she says. “I’m motivated by proving it can be done differently with integrity, empathy, and humor intact.”

Now, resilience for her looks like this: helping others find theirs.

The Golf Marathon and the Girls Watching

If you need a physical metaphor for Rho’s spirit, look no further than the Chambers Bay Solstice, a golf marathon on the longest day of the year: 16+ hours, 31 miles, and 72 holes.

In 2024, Rho was part of the first all-female team ever to complete all 72 holes, playing in support of First Tee’s girls’ program. The following year, they came back with an even bigger crew of 12 women total, seven finishing all 72 holes, and Rho’s team logging 78 holes, placing second only to a men’s team.

“We didn’t do it for the win,” she says. “We did it to show what’s possible when women take up space.”

Next year, they’re aiming for 81 holes and the top spot, but more importantly, they’re building a legacy for the next generation of girls who will know they belong there.

Why NFM, Why Now

So what drew Rhonda Pollard to New Face Magazine?

“What excites me most about NFM is that it represents everything I love: the intersection of sports, fashion, and purpose,” she says. “It’s doing it in a way that celebrates authenticity, individuality, and impact.”

At 46, after 26 years in her career and only four years into playing golf, she’s still reinventing herself.

“To think I’d be getting involved in sports and fashion at this stage of my life is unbelievable,” she says. “But that’s the beauty of it. Your path doesn’t have to be perfect to be purposeful.”

Her hope for anyone reading?

“You can come from challenge and still create change. You can reinvent yourself at any age and build a life that reflects who you are and what matters to you. And you can do it all with confidence, kindness, and a little bit of style.”

Not your average birdie, indeed.