Rhonda Sewell most recently served as the director of governmental and external affairs for the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, where she worked with local, state and federal legislators as well as community stakeholders in the areas of library funding, advocacy and systems change. Prior to her 15 years at the Library, she worked 18 years as an award-winning journalist for The Blade newspaper, which included assignments in six countries. Sewell also served as an adjunct instructor in ethnic studies and mass communications at Bowling Green State University. Sewell is a proven community leader, founding in 2012 Real Men READ-y, an ongoing mentoring and early literacy program designed for underrepresented African American boys in kindergarten and first grade.