MeetNatalie Driscoll
Rocking Horse is experiencing an exciting time of deepening our service lines and expanding our communications to better serve our patients and communities. This is why we’re pleased to share the addition of Natalie Driscoll to the Community Relations team! In Natalie’s role, she will be responsible for creating additional meaningful connections throughout Clark and Madison Counties.
With over twenty years of experience in marketing, communications, and nonprofit leadership, Natalie is very excited to apply her expertise to her new position. In Natalie’s previous role as the Senior Director of Community Impact for United Way of Clark, Champaign, and Madison Counties, she had the opportunity to engage with both Clark and Madison County communities, forging strong relationships in the nonprofit and government sectors.
Growing up in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Natalie’s childhood was spent observing her parents, both in the medical field, dedicate their lives to helping those in need of quality healthcare. While ultimately choosing a different career path, she grew up in the hallways of hospitals and doctors offices, painting a picture of the importance of support staff around the medical professionals helping their patients. While Natalie has experienced a wide range of industries, journalism, education, and community nonprofit to name a few, she always found herself returning to her roots.
We sat down with Natalie to learn more about her previous career experience and what she hopes to bring to Rocking Horse for our patients and the communities we serve.
What first interested you in this specific position at Rocking Horse?
Natalie: I’ve been aware of Rocking Horse since I moved to Springfield in 2005 to work for the Springfield News Sun. A large portion of that position was to familiarize myself with organizations serving the community. As I learned more, the deeper I believed in Rocking Horse’s mission to provide quality healthcare to everyone, and to have a positive impact on the communities where they have a presence.
When I heard about this new position, I not only saw an opportunity to continue serving those in the community that needed it most, but also the opportunity to work with, and learn from, Nettie Carter-Smith. Her energy, her drive, her inherent kindness, her passion for everything she does - those are all qualities I seek in a leader, in someone I want to work for and with. Over the years, I have found that who I am working with is just as - if not more - important to me than the work I am doing.
Second would be the role itself. I was looking for something I felt excited about - something where I could still be involved in the community and feel a strong sense of service. Those two things together were extremely compelling for me.
What is something you’ve learned about Rocking Horse since starting?
Natalie: The people make the place. Everything wonderful about Rocking Horse comes directly from the caregivers and support staff. Every person I have met so far who works here is here because they genuinely want to help people and make the community as a whole better. It’s pretty inspiring to see the great work done here every single day.
What is something you think most people might not know about Rocking Horse?
Natalie: I think most people don’t know the back story of how Rocking Horse got its name. A couple months ago - shortly before I started in my new role - Rocking Horse hosted a Donor Recognition dinner as a thank you to donors for their continued support of our mission.
At the event, it was shared that back when Rocking Horse was just an idea, Wittenberg University’s Urban Studies program completed a geographical information systems (GIS) study of poverty concentrations in Springfield. When the areas were blocked out on a map of the city, the shape unmistakably resembled a rocking horse.
Rocking Horse was originally designed to serve the unmet needs the population of its namesake - individuals living within the rocking horse.
Can you think of a mentor or two that impacted your career? What made their influence notable?
Natalie: I think of two particular people who greatly influenced my career: the director I worked for at Miami Valley Hospital (MVH), Mark Feighery, and the former Executive Director of United Way, Kerry Pedraza.
I was young when I worked at MVH, and Mark was the best of whom every young employee should hope to work for. He was always driven for our team to do our best and be our best, but he wanted to ensure those goals were met in healthy, supported, caring ways. He leaned into our team, trusted our team, and took pride in our successes, never raising them as his own. He was a wonderful example of a hard worker and a leader.
For Kerry, she always puts people first. Always. She has an immeasurable amount of compassion for everyone around her, and she also has an untiring drive to reach her goals. She pushed me to believe I could do more than I originally thought, and she trusted my experience and instinct. Like Mark, Kerry leaned into our team and built a strong sense of camaraderie, which led to the best outcomes.
What do you think makes Clark County and Madison County unique?
Natalie: The people. People living and working in both Clark County and Madison County have immense pride in their communities. Both communities are filled with people formed by strong work ethic, grit, and determination. I think these qualities of the people within both counties are a huge part of what makes them so strong and driven toward growth and success.
You were recently named the 2026 Emerging Leader by Leadership Clark County. The award is for ‘exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to enhancing and supporting our community.” Do you have any comments on this recent honor?
Natalie: I am so proud of this recognition! Leadership Clark County means so much to me and has been such an important part of my journey.
Same Mission. Greater Impact.
We’re absolutely thrilled to have Natalie join our team! As we continue to live out our mission of serving everyone in our communities that needs access to quality healthcare, we are thankful to have Natalie on our team to raise awareness of how to receive the services we offer, and how to support our organization so that we can help even more in our communities. If you would like to meet with Natalie about getting involved with Rocking Horse, please contact us today!
