Board member Rhonda Barnes-Kloth laughs with Development Director Rachael Belz after a board meeting in Columbus, Feb 14, 2004.
Rhonda Barnes-Kloth
"There's nothing
like someone coming to
your door and telling you about an issue
that makes it hit home."
expertise
community networking, fundraising, public and media
relations
region
Cincinnati area
Rhonda Barnes-Kloth is Communications Manager for the Cincinnati Nature Center where she is responsible for public and media relations.
Rhonda had been a supporter of Ohio Citizen Action before becoming a board member. She was contacted at her door by a canvasser about the AK Steel campaign. She remembers that she signed the petition, contributed money and wrote a letter. "I find the canvassers to be very knowledgeable and articulate. I think the work that they do is invaluable. Even if they don't get every person involved, they're still doing a great service as far as raising awareness. Even if it might be passive awareness, I still think that there's nothing like someone coming to your door and telling you about an issue that makes it hit home."
Before becoming involved with Ohio Citizen Action, Rhonda was involved
with the Ecology Projectof the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, teaching Catholics
about environmental and social justice issues and making the connections
between environment and spirituality. She was also involved with the Winton
Hills Citizen Action Association. The group was working to close Elda
landfill and prevent a waste transfer station in the neighborhood. She
participated in a letter writing campaign to Cincinnati City Council,
trying to prevent any further injustices from happening to people that
live in the Winton Hills community. She also worked in the community near
Fernald Environmental Management Project to facilitate a community history
project. Fernald is a Superfund site where uranium was once processed
to fuel our nation's nuclear weapons complex during the Cold War.Rhonda hopes her background in environmental science will lend some technical assistance to the board and that her experience with fundraising will help generate additional financial support for the organization.
She lives with her husband in Cincinnati.