Meet Brynna Barnhart, director of enforcement
It will not surprise anyone who knows Brynna Barnhart that one of her earliest and fondest memories is serving as a “hugger” at Special Olympics track and field meets. The director of enforcement has been involved in causes related to developmental disabilities for as long as she can remember.
Barnhart is inspired by her older brother Bryan, who has developmental disabilities as a result of contracting viral encephalitis at 14 months old. She calls him the biggest influence in her life.
“Although some may view him as ‘less than’ because of his disabilities, to me he is extraordinary,” she said. “He is the embodiment of unconditional love and respect. No matter who you are — race, religion, sexual orientation, political views — he will greet you with a huge smile and hug, offer you a Coke, and want to talk Chicago Cubs baseball. He wakes up every single day with a positive outlook and his joy for the simple things in life is contagious.”
Barnhart vividly remembers Bryan winning at the beginning of a Special Olympics race (despite Barnharts not being known for their foot speed) and slowing down to let others catch up. It was quite a lesson for an impressionable and extremely competitive little sister, who went on to play basketball and softball at Knox College before earning a law degree at Southern Illinois University.
Now, Barnhart is a regular volunteer with Special Olympics Indiana. Previously, she served two years as chair of the Special Olympics Indiana Young Athletes program, a weekly clinic for Special Olympics athletes ages 3–8 that focuses on very basic skills such balancing or hopping. She also has participated in three Special Olympics Polar Plunge fundraisers.
Barnhart brings her passion to work. She manages the partnership with Special Olympics for the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and works with DIII SAAC to organize a Special Olympics unified sports activity at every NCAA Convention and July SAAC meeting. As a team lead for the disABILITY Employee Resource Group, Barnhart also organizes Special Olympics volunteer opportunities for NCAA staff. She has engaged her fellow enforcement staffers to serve as volunteers.
“Brynna is one of the most thoughtful and compassionate individuals I’ve worked with over my almost 30-year career,” said Derrick Crawford, managing director of enforcement. “Serving as a volunteer at the Special Olympics golf tournament a couple of years ago is one of the most rewarding experiences I had on the enforcement staff, and I know colleagues who volunteered felt the same.”
For more than eight years, Barnhart has volunteered with Noble (formerly Noble of Indiana), a local nonprofit providing individualized services from birth through adulthood to over 2,000 individuals with developmental disabilities. By volunteering with Noble and Special Olympics, Barnhart hopes to have at least a small, positive impact. She has seen firsthand the tremendous impact these organizations have on the clients and athletes they serve and the families they support, her family included.
“We often get so caught up in the frustrations of everyday life,” Barnhart said. “By looking outside of yourself and a narrow view of the world, you are better able to put things into perspective and hopefully leave someone or someplace a little better off than when you first encountered it.”
Soon after Barnhart was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in 2015, she ran into Katie, a Noble client with Down syndrome whom she knew through volunteering, at a local hospital. Katie has been employed at the hospital for more than 20 years through Noble’s job placement services. It had been a particularly rough doctor’s visit and, as Barnhart told Katie the news, she started crying and made a comment about how she was scared to lose her hair. Katie hugged Barnhart tighter than she’s ever been hugged and said, “You can beat this. And you’ll be beautiful bald.”
“Katie being in there in that moment, at her job that Noble trained her for, is what keeps me motivated,” said Barnhart, a survivor. “Watching my brother flourish through his participation in Special Olympics is what keeps me motivated. Getting the opportunity to be reminded every single day that we all have something unique to contribute to society and should have the opportunity to do so — no matter our abilities — is what keeps me motivated.”
Barnhart, who will celebrate 10 years at the NCAA in June, hopes others would describe her as fun-loving, hard-working, passionate, empathetic and optimistic. Most colleagues would probably throw in talkative, too.
According to Crawford, it is evident how much Barnhart cares about her colleagues.
“Brynna is someone you enjoy being around, as she has a warm and caring personality and gives a lot to her colleagues, professionally and personally,” he said.
In other words, Barnhart lives the Nelson Mandela quote she calls her mantra: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
