Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominic Grasso.
Hi Dominic, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started playing flag football in 2012 after I had recently moved down to South Florida from New York to go to school at Florida Atlantic University. Despite being out in high school and fortunately not having any issues with bullying or a lack of friends, one area that I never felt included in or welcomed was athletics. I have always been an enormous fan of football but never thought I would have the space/ability to be able to play in a competitive yet fun and recreational way. When I first joined the league in 2012, I showed up very “green” with sneakers (I had no idea what cleats were) and no gloves or any other type of equipment to play football. I played on my first team that season (I still remember the Depot Daredevils) and later on that year, my first national flag football tournament, the Florida Sunshine Cup.
After playing in the league for four years (8 seasons), I eventually learned to catch, play multiple positions, made a ton of friends that are now family, and most importantly, learned how to lead a group of different people who have a common love for football. In the 2015-2016 years, the league went through some tough times, including financial instability, division amongst open division and women’s division players, and a missing leader/commissioner.
During the 2016 year, I started to recognize the league was in desperate need of leadership and decided to get involved in the board as the league secretary. That same year, the league secretary position became the league commissioner position, and I found myself with a full plate of league issues to tackle. Through relentless and tireless dedication, I was able to lead the league from on the brink of dissolution to what it is today. Some of these accomplishments along the way have included: achieving 501c3 status, growing to 10 teams, building and sustaining a strong relationship with our women’s division players (who now have their own division and have outgrown the open division in our league!), sponsorship and partnership with the Miami Dolphins and their Football Unites program, as well as the growth and improvement of our own local, national flag football tournament, the Florida Sunshine Cup.
Well, all of these accomplishments may sound lofty and important, truly the most important part of being the league commissioner to me has been having the privilege of watching other people join the league and blossom into the person they are today. I have heard countless times from numerous people how the league has changed their life, whether that be helping them to become comfortable with their own sexuality to meeting their future significant other, I have really been blessed to be able to see the residual effects of leading such a life-changing organization for the past six years.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not always been a smooth road. There have been many significant struggles along the way. Some of these struggles were more apparent when I first took over as commissioner, including financial instability and division amongst open and women’s division players.
Back in 2015-2016, the league found itself in debt of over $10,000 due to continuous embezzlement from many league volunteers. Since taking over, I have worked diligently to ensure that the league has returned to healthy financial status. Some of these steps have included developing procedures for financial transparency and accountability, securing 501(c)3 status, and appointing highly qualified and skilled individuals to the treasurer position on the board of directors. In addition, we have greatly improved our league experience, as well as our Florida Sunshine Cup Tournament in order to help keep our league financially stable.
While financial problems were one thing, the league would not exist today if not for our rapidly growing women’s division. When I first took over the league, the women’s division and many women leaders in our league were frustrated with current league leadership, feeling marginalized and not prioritized. After many, many contentious meetings, bridges were rebuilt, and our intra division relationships in the league our stronger than ever! Our women’s division has grown to have over five teams, as well as a highly successful travel team, the South Florida Cat 5.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My primary role as an instructional specialist for literacy and social-emotional learning with the School District of Palm Beach County has given me experience providing professional development for teachers, staff, counselors, administrators and senior leadership on areas relating to engaging students in both literacy, equity, and social-emotional learning. I have worked in collaboration with various stakeholders, including school board members, cabinet-level leadership, parents, area office and district teams to develop best practices to engage students through literacy and SEL using culturally responsive teaching strategies and courageous conversations resources. Some of the professional development courses I have developed and facilitated include Anti-Racist Literacy Instruction (K-12), LGBTQ History and Curriculum Inclusion via Literacy (K-12), Culturally Responsive Literacy (K-12), and Literacy Essentials (K-12).
I also currently serve as an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate education majors courses focusing on diversity and equity. This experience has allowed me to work with pre-service teachers, helping them to develop into future outstanding educators by highlighting best practices for educators and school improvement while focusing on social justice issues and culturally relevant teaching strategies. By working both positions concurrently, I have been able to utilize multiple perspectives and viewpoints to work to develop outstanding educators.
My prior experience as an instructional facilitator within the Equity & Diversity department of Broward County Public Schools has given me experience facilitating ongoing professional development on student engagement related to equity and diversity. Each professional development module delivered was rooted in data and/or policy analysis, looking to remediate an area of concern relating to student engagement. Some of the professional development sessions that I facilitated included courageous conversations about race, LGBTQ professional development, diversity training, culturally responsive teaching, and teaching low-income students. In addition to facilitating professional development, within this role I was tasked with administering and analyzing large-scale data sets and surveys, including the nationally administered Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
I first attended Florida Atlantic University in 2006, where I began my studies in undergraduate coursework as an elementary education major. In 2009, I graduated from F.A.U. with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and immediately started working on my Master’s degree in reading education, also at F.A.U. Upon my graduation in 2012, I entered the Ph.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction, with an area of specialization in Reading/Multicultural Literature, also at F.A.U. During my doctoral coursework, I studied multicultural education literacy, with a specific focus on LGBTQ curriculum in education. My coursework provided me the theoretical and methodological framework needed to complete my dissertation, titled: Elementary School Teacher Perceptions Regarding the Barriers and Benefits of the Inclusion of LGBTQ Themed Literature- a Mixed Methods Study.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is connecting the intersections of education and social justice. I think one of the best ways to achieve social justice is to bring people from various backgrounds and different perspectives together. By bringing diverse groups of people together around a common passion (such as sports/flag football) people develop relationships with people who may identify differently than themselves (i.e., straight, gay, transgender) and in turn, receive an informal education about different diverse groups of people. I think through this shared experience, relationships are developed, and people can dispel hurtful stereotypes and prejudices.
Contact Info:
- Email: commissioner@sfffl.org
- Website: http://www.sfffl.org/
- Instagram: @lgbtqflagfootball
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LGBTQFlagFootball
