Meet the Committee Chair

Rhonda Drews, PCAM, AMS Vice-President of Premier Community Association Management lyn Ramo

By Marilyn Ramos

This article is part of a series featuring CAI-CV directors and committee chairs. Today, we profile Rhonda Drews, PCAM. Rhonda is Chair of the Chapter’s Education Committee, Professional Managers Committee, and Co-Chair of the CLAC LSC Committee. Rhonda is a Vice-President of Premier Community Association Management, recently formed in December 2021 under the Buck Reynolds Corporation umbrella, which is owned by longtime CAI member, Melissa Layton, PCAM. Rhonda began her career in the HOA industry in 1993 working at the Sunrise Country Club Association. She says she was extremely fortunate to have had great mentors in the industry such as John Turnbull and Pat Smith, PCAM, and feels blessed that they taught her so much early in her career. Rhonda earned her PCAM designation in 2004.

Combining the goals of the two committees that Rhonda chairs, she is spearheading a first-of-its-kind project with the College of the Desert (COD) to offer an AA degree in business with a specialty in community association management. COD has approved the program in concept and details are being worked out now. This would be a triumph for managers and the HOA industry.

Rhonda told us that she is passionate about the HOA industry and relishes the Chapter’s efforts to educate managers and elevate community management as a professional career. She said, “You can’t have longevity in this industry without seeking good education.”

When asked, Rhonda said her approach to management is to be dedicated, inspired, organized, structured, and to see things through to the end. She also uses a partnership approach with her clients, which means keeping interactions positive, promoting constant communications, and avoiding adversarial relationships. She also does everything in her power to meet or exceed her client’s expectations.

In her spare time, Rhonda likes hiking, floating in the river (or pool) with friends, planning a party and entertaining. In addition to volunteering for CAI-CV, she served as President of Soroptimist of the Desert Cities and more recently for the Desert Cancer Foundation.

Rhonda’s affiliation with CAI started shortly before she earned her PCAM. She was a recipient of a CAI-CV scholarship and as part of the scholarship process, managers are asked to volunteer for the Chapter. She fulfilled that volunteering obligation and more!!

Twenty years later, Rhonda is still giving her time, energy, and expertise to help CAI-CV create a fun environment for its members as well as help create multiple education opportunities for board members, managers and business partners. She hopes to help CAI-CV think creatively when it comes to other ways it can provide education to its members (basically, meet people where they are). Providing a variety of ways in which to obtain information will allow for better attendance and participation in the future.

In light of her experience in the HOA industry, we couldn’t help but ask Rhonda if she had any funny stories to share with us. She remembers one time when an owner complained about the plumber working across the street – the woman wasn’t worried about the poor plumber working in the heat of the summer - she complained that when this plumber bent over he exposed his backside. Rhonda never did crack that case! Here are a few more fun complaints: the beige paint on the house is too bright, the grass is too green, and the pool is too warm in the summer! A little humor goes a long way in helping managers keep homeowner expectations in perspective.

CAI-CV thanks Rhonda Drews for her contributions to the Chapter and looks forward to her continued help in keeping us a successful organization.

Jolen Zeroski

Marilyn Ramos is a paralegal for Guralnick & Gilliland, LLP. She can be reached at (760) 340-1515 or by email at MarilynR@gghoalaw.com.