The Fourth CEO in Special Olympics Kentucky History Introduces Herself

My name is Angie Cruse-Tinch, and I live in Lexington with my husband of 28 years Brett, my children Zoe and Noah, and our sweet senior dog, Lexi. Zoe is a Junior Education major at the University of Louisville and Noah is a Freshman Kinesiology major at the University of Kentucky. We are now official empty nesters, this Fall marking the first in 15 years that I’ve not been on the sidelines or bleachers cheering on my kids. I grew up in Richmond, Kentucky, but moved to Colorado for college and stayed for several years before moving back to Kentucky.  Over the past 14 years I worked with Girl Scouts in both Lexington and Louisville with a heavy focus on programming, strategy, and community engagement. I have had the opportunity to live and work in multiple areas of our state and am grateful for the perspective that has afforded me.

I was drawn to Special Olympics Kentucky for a variety of reasons, my nephew Garner, my work with individuals with intellectual disabilities, and my love of sports and what it can offer to all of us. I watched my nephew Garner compete in the 2023 State Games and I was completely hooked. The talent of the athletes and their hard work being celebrated in front of their friends, family, and community was an amazing experience that I wished I could bottle and take with me.

My career in the Non-Profit world started when I was in college where I had the opportunity to work with individuals with intellectual disabilities in a direct care setting in Fort Collins, Colorado.  My work provided the opportunity to work with individuals inside and outside of their homes through recreation. My duties ranged from assisting individuals with basic life skills to hiking in the mountains of Colorado and line dancing in Country Western establishments. I believe that early career choice and my work following that opportunity helped lead me to Special Olympics of Kentucky. I learned early on that success is measured differently for all of us, to meet people where they are, and that belonging is essential to a person’s overall well-being. At the end of the day, I feel that we all just want to be seen and celebrated for who we are, and I believe this is truly the essence of SOKY.

Thank you,
Angie Cruse-Tinch
Special Olympics Kentucky