Board Member Spotlight: Heather Dalmolin
Heather Dalmolin didn’t set out to spend 24 years in public transit. She was a stay-at-home mom looking for part-time work when she started with what is now known as Mountain Line.
“It gets into your system,” says Heather, who is now General Manager of Mountain Line. “I believe transit serves so many things that I believe in — it serves community, it addresses greenhouse gas, it makes lives better. Whether someone is going to work, to school, connecting with family, or getting to medical care — I’m proud we have services that help ease those pain points.”
That same instinct to serve drew Heather to Quality Connections’ board.
Growing up, both of her parents worked in disability services — her father worked in a residential facility — so supporting people with disabilities has always felt personal. When Al White, Quality Connections’ founding board chair, reached out about a board seat, she didn’t hesitate.
“QC is pretty special in that it does more than house people; it develops people,” she says. “It helps people with all the things we take for granted on a daily basis.”
The partnership between Mountain Line and Quality Connections goes beyond the boardroom. The agency has hired Quality Connections members, including Jordan, who visited the transit center one day and wowed the team by reciting details about vehicles in the fleet from memory.
“We thought — wouldn’t it be the coolest thing ever if we could employ him, put him where his heart is,” Heather recalls. “He continues to do a fantastic job detailing our vehicles.” Jordan has been with Mountain Line for nearly five years.
Heather has also been quietly supporting Quality Connections’ expansion into rural transportation in Page, offering guidance drawn from her own experience building Mountain Line’s transit program. “When I can, I try to help,” she says. “But they’ve brought on a consultant and I’ve been impressed by how well they’ve gotten it under control so quickly.”
A Flagstaff resident for 40 years, Heather is proud to call this community home — and proud to help Quality Connections build a more inclusive one.
