Leadership Medina County didn’t have to go very far to find its newest executive director.
Colleen Rice, 39, is a 2008 Leadership Medina graduate.
Rice, who has been a community relations specialist and public information officer at the Medina County Health Department for the last eight years, begins her job tomorrow. She replaces Lucy Sondles, who is retiring on July 1 after 15 years. Rice will be the third leader, and third woman, to lead the 22-year-old organization.
“From my perspective, Colleen is the perfect choice to become the next executive director for many reasons,” Sondles said. Among the reasons she listed were Rice’s “passion for our county and the people in it,” “she’s a doer with a lot of energy and ideas” and “she ‘walks the walk’ by volunteering to serve her community through nonprofit work like the Matthew 25 Coalition.”
Rice has been active in Medina County, including co-founding the Matthew 25 Coalition in 2003. The coalition is a group of 22 churches who pool resources to help people for such things as prescription drug assistance and auto fuel.
Born in Maine, Rice’s father was in the Air Force, so the family moved to Alaska and Indiana and Columbus before settling in Medina.
Rice graduated from Medina High School in 1991 and earned a degree in psychology at the University of Akron. She spent six months in South Korea teaching English before coming back to Medina and working for the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina County as an advocate and eventually being promoted to director of Medina County programs. She also worked at Family First Council before funding for the program ran out.
At the health department, Rice has been responsible for media outreach, speaking engagements and the website and social media.
Rice wants to use her social media experience to get more interaction among the 750 Leadership Medina graduates, as well as reaching out to younger people.
Having participated in the program, Rice says, gives her an edge.
“It opened my eyes to the history and the wonderful things that make Medina County a great place to live, work and play in,” said the mother of two who lives with her husband and family in Lodi.
Rice says she has a large group of graduates in her network.
“I could pick up the phone at any time and call a leadership graduate and connect with them. They’re there to help me grow in my professional career and there to support me in what I’m doing in the community,” she said.
Rice said she’s fortunate that Sondles will stay on as a part-time staffer among a department of three.
“I definitely want to continue the legacy that she has been so successful with her staff and board and leadership graduates that work so hard,” Rice said.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisher and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.