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Kari Watson
President/CEO
Kari and Cameron Watson started OTRBG in September of 2011 to provide scholarships for equipment and therapies to students with developmental disabilities. Some time after that, Kari began working for a large national company that provided in home care to AZ DDD members. This job came to her, it wasn't something that she sought out. Kari worked at this agency for a year, was promoted to branch manager, and was extremely unhappy with the high sales driven aspects of the job. She watched client after client sign up for in home services and then not receive them due to low staffing. Family members that were providing
care for a loved one were also not receiving the supports they needed. "There's a reason why I'm here." Kari kept telling herself
over and over. Then one day, her husband Cameron said, "We should create our own agency under the non-profit and make things better," and that's exactly what they did. For the last 4+ years they've been operating an AZ state licensed agency and providing services for members with developmental disabilities. Proceeds are given back to students with developmental disabilities each spring through OTRBG's scholarship program. Kari now looks forward to going to work every day and making the lives of families a little better one step at a time.
Creating OTRBG has been a practice in patience. It took approximately a year to obtain non-profit status which started in 2011. From that point, it was another five years before the in home care agency started (which also took a full year to be approved through the state). Since that time, a concrete direction was formed for our 501(c)(3). OTRBG has also been a huge learning curve for Kari and Cameron. Over the past 9 years, they have learned about non-profit regulations, state regulations, hiring and payroll law, in home care training, have become masters of insurance policies and regulations just to name a few. The opportunity for growth and learning has been intense but also so much fun. Kari likes to joke about the PBS commercials that ran when she was a kid that said, "the more you know." Knowledge truly is power and we love using what we've learned to benefit the families and clients that we love.
Outside of OTRBG, Kari's favorite thing to do is spend time with her family and her favorite place to be is at home. Her greatest accomplishment is finding and marrying her soul mate and the three children that they have: Nevan, Christian, and Hope. This year (2020) Cameron and Kari are celebrating their 20 year anniversary.
Superpower: Paperwork
Kryptonite: Dr. Pepper
Cameron Watson
Vice President & Chief Learning Officer (CLO)
Cameron met Kari in 1999. He was 20 years old and she was 19. After just 3 days of knowing each other, he proposed, she said yes, and the rest is kismet. In 2008 Cameron was hired by the Flagstaff Police Department and moved the family to Flagstaff from Phoenix. Cameron worked as a police officer until 2017 for both the city of Flagstaff and NAU when he retired from police work as a corporal to help run OTRBG. During his time as a police officer, Cameron was a STC Supervisor, Field Training Officer, Criminal Investigations Detective, Head Sex Offender Compliance and Registration Officer, a CIT Team Member, Defense
Tactics Instructor, Active Shooter Instructor, a part of the AZ CUT Task Force, the Suicide Prevention Team, and a patrol vehicle fleet manager. He now shares his knowledge and talents with OTRBG helping our organization comply with ARS statues.
In addition, Cameron can build or fix anything. All of the OTRBG office space has been built and improved by Cameron and he maintains all of our vehicles making sure that we can get to our in home visits four times a year, which are located all over the state. OTRBG drives approximately 3,100 miles every quarter thanks to Cameron's dedicated love of anything on tires.
Cameron speaks primarily in movie quotes, which means that if you're not sure what he just said, you probably need to watch Top Gun, Rocky, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Step Brothers, or basically any other movie that's ever been made. One of Cameron's favorite self quotes is, "The person you're meant to be is the person you become when you're a Daddy." This quote sums up the most important parts of his life, being a husband and a Daddy.
Superpower: Jack of All Trades
Kryptonite: Pizza
Nevan Watson
Nevan Watson has been with the Butterfly Garden since the beginning. Sharks are Nevan's favorite animal and passion and he wanted to go to a university to become a marine biologist. Unfortunately, the logistics didn’t pan out and he has instead decided to pursue his other passion in welding and serving individuals with developmental disabilities by attending Pueblo Community College in Mancos. Luckily, since there aren't any oceans or sharks in Cortez or Colorado, Nevan would’ve had to attend college in a different state. Because Nevan’s parents want their firstborn to stay close to home, this would’ve meant moving
heaven and earth to create a shark colony on their beautiful farm in Cortez, so this decision has ultimately saved both of them a lot of work. He hasn’t completely abandoned his first passion, however. Recently, he decided to build a pond and fill it with his second favorite animal koi fish. Koi fish are often associated with strength of character, perseverance, accomplishment, and courage. They also symbolize prosperity, success, good fortune, ambition, and longevity. Essentially, what the koi fish symbolizes perfectly matches our mission statement here at OTRBG.
Superpower: Shark Statistics
Kryptonite: Video Games
Christian Watson
2005 - 2011
Christian was a loyal defender of the people that he loved as well as their biggest cheerleader. He was passionate, funny, manipulative, charming and always impressed with everything that he experienced on this Earth. Everyone that met him instantly fell in love with his pure energy and loving spirit. One of our favorite memories from school was hearing from the lunch workers that Christian came through the line every day, even when he had a lunch packed at home, just to wave and say hello to everybody behind the counter. He would be so proud of this organization and everything that it does to help
individuals with disabilities and the families that care for them. We were blessed to have him for the time that he was with us. Christian, Nevan and Hope are the inspiration for what we do every day at OTRBG.
Superpower: Phenomenal Cosmic Powers
Kryptonite: Rules
Hope Watson
Do you need direction in life? Maybe another boss (who doesn't need more people telling them what to do on a daily basis!)? Well this curly haired cutie has a solution to every problem and a very specific way for everything to happen. Her favorite past time is bossing around her Bubba, Nevan, and he loves every minute of it! Hope runs the office on a daily basis along with her best co-worker friend Annie. They keep us busy and on our toes! We love every minute of it and wouldn't run the office any other way. If you hear loud noises in the background when you call in, it's most likely these two making an executive decision on what
to eat for lunch, what picture needs to be colored, or that it's time for the old people to get up and play kick ball with them. Hope lives up to her name every day and brings much happiness, hope, and light into our lives (as well as the office setting).
Superpower: Convincing Others Her Way is the Right Way
Kryptonite: Cute Baby Animals
Kelly Small
Director of Client Services
Kelly moved to Flagstaff in 2018 to join her sister (Kari Watson), with working at OTRBG! Prior to moving to Flagstaff, Kelly spent the majority of her years living/working in big cities. New York City (NYC) is Kelly’s favorite, where she lived and worked for 16 years in the non-profit, social services industry. Coming in a close second place to NYC of Kelly’s favorite places she’s lived, is Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and Flagstaff. The majority of Kelly's work life and career has been focused on helping the homeless community, as well as assisting individuals and families who need support and face
difficult challenges in life. Kelly drives over 1100 miles every month for OTRBG to visit and assist client families in remote areas within the state of AZ.
When Kelly is not working (which is rare), her favorite things include spending time with family & friends, watching a good movie, drinking strong coffee, cooking vegetarian food, rescuing homeless animals, and enjoying the cold weather & snow in Flagstaff! Favorite quote: "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."
Superpower: Adopting Homeless Cats
Kryptonite: Starbucks Coffee
Kristi Taddonio
CCO & CFO
Kristi Taddonio is the Compliance & Expansion Director for OTRBG and has been part of the organization since 2020. She spent the 17 years prior, in Corporate America leading large operating teams with Amazon and Republic Services in Arizona, Nevada and California. Kristi is thrilled to be doing non-profit work once again. She helped found the non-profit Sustainable Seniors, based in Arizona, as the Treasurer from 2011 through 2013. Her bachelors in Accountancy and Masters in Business align with this role
nicely, as the organization plans on expanding the exceptional service into other states in the coming years.
Kristi has a knack for uncovering the details and will often ask Why five times (like her two toddlers) before letting up on the first answer. The depth and breadth she brings aligns with her inability to settle for less, or settle for the status quo. She is up front and honest, and you know where you stand with her. She has a heart of gold and her hobbies align with improving the environment. She spends her free time crafting with the kids, or repurposing plastic trash into new, more useful things through shredding and remelting.
Superpower: Cheerleader for Everyone
Kryptonite: Dance Party Madness and Chocolate Covered Almonds
Dolores S. Proiette DCH PHD
Board Secretary & Office Supervisor
Dolores is the mother to three beautiful daughters (and did we mention they all work together at OTRBG?!?). She has been on the board since the creation of our organization. We don’t know what we would do without her meticulous notetaking and organizational skills that she likely learned during her time as an executive secretary at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft and the Computer Sciences Corporation. In addition, Dolores is a doctor of hypnosis and has written and co-authored multiple books. She loves helping people remove blocks in order to help them function to their greatest potential.
However, if you asked her about her passions, she would immediately list her five grandchildren, crafting, gardening, and Maggie (her German Shepherd). Family is the
glue that holds us together and Grandparents are at the center of that adhesive. While she has lived in many different places such as New York, Tucson, Maryland, Wisconsin and Phoenix…Dolores spends her days outside playing in the beautiful four seasons of her favorite city…Flagstaff.
Superpower: Green Thumb
Kryptonite: Chocolate & Flowers - In No Particular Order
Kirstin Conlon
Training and Onboarding Manager
Kirstin met Kari & Cameron in California, in the year 2000 and quickly became friends with the fun-loving dynamic duo. When they showed her some Phoenix housing brochures, she high-tailed it out here with her husband, Ken. Shortly thereafter, the rest of her family (brother, father, and in-laws) followed as they migrated to the desert! Within a
couple of years, she had two amazingly awesome children, Quinn & Kian, and found a passion for teaching when they reached school age. Homeschooling for over 12 years, she has enjoyed pouring into their education, as well as their social life! Ensuring thriving friendships, she began coordinating homeschooling events that welcomed new relationships from every walk of life. It has been the adventure of a lifetime... one she wouldn’t trade for anything!
In 2016, her father’s life as he knew it, was completely altered within seconds, after sustaining a brain hemorrhage that rendered him paralyzed. She quickly became his advocate and spent the next year and a half in hospitals, rehabs, and group homes, fighting for his rights and longing for quality care for her beloved dad. Time after time, he was treated poorly, which caused him great anxiety and broke his daughter’s heart. After a year and a half of struggle, he was finally able to go home! Upon entering his house, the overwhelming amount of peace that consumed him, warmed her heart in the realization that there truly was no place like home. She became one of his caregivers, allowing her firsthand knowledge of the highs and lows that families endure when encountering various aspects of disabilities. When she was offered a position with OTRBG to enable family members to keep their loved ones at home, with gratitude, she jumped on the opportunity! She is finding much happiness in working with OTRBG families and takes great joy in serving them.
Superpower: Multitasking
Kryptonite: Fast Cars
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Ken Conlon
Supervisor - Greater Arizona
Ken met Kari and Cameron through Kirstin, his beautiful wife of 20 years and current OTRBG employee. Ken immediately connected and related with Kari and Cameron and feels they aren't just friends...they're family! Ken grew up in Southern California loving to fish in a small town in the Sierras, known as Bishop. Three hour (one way) fishing trips to Bishop were commonplace before he knew Kirstin. Unbeknownst to him, Kirstin had grown up frequenting the same quaint town! When she showed him some secret fishing spots there, he was figuratively and literally hooked! Ken's family is his love and passion. To put it plainly, given the choice of fishing or family it's always family! Now, of course, fishing, family, and friends would be heaven! In 1994, he got a temporary job at Sparkletts Drinking
water. Temporary? Fast forward twenty-seven years later.... While there, he trained employees in safe driving and route management. He earned "Route Man of the Year" nine times! Ken calls himself a "tinkerer." Computer hardware and troubleshooting, even though all self-taught, come second nature. As a result, he also found himself performing IT duties for the company and fellow employees. What he enjoyed most about working at Sparkletts was the friendships he formed with his clients. Making people laugh is something he relishes. Twenty-seven years and thousands of friends made along the way made it difficult for him to walk away from that career. However, when the opportunity to join OTRBG came up, the thought of making a difference in our member's and provider's lives was too much for him to pass up! Through all the different friendships he's formed, he's learned one thing... Everyone deserves to be heard and have heartfelt, meaningful communication; especially when it ends in a smile. He can't wait to meet all of you and bring smiles and laughter along the way!
Superpower: Making Others Laugh
Kryptonite: Buffets
Quinn Conlon
Graphics Designer & Supervisor
Quinn has been friends with the Watson's her entire life. At the age of 9 she found a passion for graphic design. Recognizing her talent and wanting to grow her passion, as Quinn got older, Kari asked her to make some graphics for OTRBG. She took the challenge with pleasure and shortly thereafter began creating Continuing Education content for the organization. Over time, she began taking on other responsibilities and became interested in becoming a supervisor. She LOVES her families and enjoys every aspect of the job. It allows for her passions, but more importantly, with her servant's heart, she enjoys giving back to the community with the various events OTRBG is involved in. Outside of this job, she works as a graphics designer for other non-profits and businesses with a diligent eye and immense pleasure!
Superpower: Empathy
Kryptonite: Her Pet Dogs & Hamsters
Brittany Pambakian
Board Member
Brittany grew up in San Diego before leaving for educational pursuits. She first attended Purdue University and then Temple University for a Masters in Sociology. She has worked in a variety of industries including education, market research, healthcare and workforce management. Her current full time job is as a parent. In her free time she enjoys serving her community through volunteer initiatives, going to the beach and baking banana bread.
Superpower: Active listening
Kryptonite: Chips & Salsa