At the start of each year, The City Paper highlights impactful ideas and visionaries shaping Toledo. This feature celebrates creative initiatives and transformative projects driving progress, inspiring change, and defining our community’s spirit of innovation. Discover the people and ideas making a difference and shaping Toledo’s future.
Rodney Rogers
BGSU President
As the President of Bowling Green State University (BGSU) for the last 7 years, Rodney Rodgers has over- seen significant strides in enhancing the student experience, earning the University top recognition in Ohio. BGSU was recently ranked the No. 1 University in the state for student experience by The Wall Street Journal, emphasizing its commitment to fostering academic and personal success. This accolade reflects the University’s supportive campus culture, comprehensive student services, and innovative programs that prioritize both educational outcomes and community engagement
Rodgers spoke with the City Paper concerning the student experience. “ For college graduates, career success and satisfaction with one’s life is not tied to where one goes to college but rather how you go to college — both in the classroom as well as involvement in other activities on campus. [Students at BGSU] work with others, discuss and debate with those that have different views, are involved in research projects, club sports as well as things like marching band participation. BGSU is uniquely positioned as a comprehen-
sive public university [with the available] opportunities, while still being small enough for the student experience to be personalized. We encourage students to understand everything that BGSU has available to assist students in navigating and designing a college career. The important thing is to introduce
our students to what goes on outside the classroom. [With emphasis on the student experience] retention rates have increased and the approach is resonating with students. The piece that we found was missing, was to give the toolkit to the student to know how to go to college most effectively.”
Isabella Weik
Toledo Mindfulness Institute
Isabella Weik, CEO of the Toledo Mindfulness Institute, has combined her back-
ground in jazz and business to foster innovative approaches where arts meet entrepre neurship. A Toledo School for the Arts and University of Toledo graduate, she integrates creativity and strategic thinking into her work, offering mindfulness tools to enrich daily life. Her leadership reflects a passion for holistic well-being, helping individuals connect with mindfulness to navigate personal and professional spaces effectively.
“I love Toledo. As a proud graduate of TSA and UT, I am a fourth generation entrepreneur. The Toledo Mindfulness Institute was started by my family and ownership was transferred to me and I established the first ever physical location, which is above Chandler Cafe in downtown Sylvania. The Institute supports the change makers of our region with the motto of “A hub for dreamers to restore, reflect and rise.” We also offer mindfulness one-on-one coaching and mindfulness courses We host sound healing con-
certs where we are able to access a network of musicians in our region with the intention of healing. I want this to be a hub for the community. We function as a studio open to anyone with competitive prices for drop ins ($10). We want to help everyone from high school students to CEOs. We just had our grand opening (of the studio in the fall of 2024) and we want [The Institute} to be a real jewel in our region, to host like-minded people trying to do goodness and for mindfulness training.
It is great that today the word mindfulness is so common. Mindfulness is more than just focus, it is about meeting the moment as it is and getting as much joy and life out of your existence as you can. We support the practice of being present — the body and the breath and the mind — for all that visit.”
Zak Vassar
CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts
As CEO of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Zak Vassar spearheaded a ground-
breaking merger with the Toledo Ballet in 2018, creating the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). This bold initiative united two of Toledo’s oldest performing arts institutions under one umbrella (which have since been joined by the Toledo Jazz Orchestra) enhancing collaboration and streamlining operations. Vassar emphasized the merger’s visionary nature aimed at artistic excellence and community enrichment. TAPA has since strengthened local arts, highlighted by joint performances like The Nutcracker, a cherished community tradition
Further, TAPA, the Alliance, has committed to a new location in the former Ma-
sonic Temple space adjacent to the Stranahan Theater. The move will provide significant expansion of practice spaces, classroom areas and room to further expand.
Reflecting on the creation of TAPA, Vassar said, “Its a little unusual, the idea of a non-profit merger. People feel passionately about the performing arts; people’s emotions are tied up in arts entities The Toledo Symphony, the Toledo Ballet and the Toledo Jazz Orchestra (now also part of TAPA) all have youth and outreach activities and community engagement. The move to the former Masonic Temple will allow us to grow as an educational organization with a community academy setting. This enhanced involvement for youth is a collaboration which is a big Idea, in and of itself. With the new offices and practice and performances spaces, the live arts will have a home to thrive and expand. We put harmony into the world in a way that people can sit down and have a shared experience with strangers.”
Sally Fish
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo
Disability and Aging Rail Coalition – DARC
Sally Fish, a disability rights advocate at The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, is championing an initiative to enhance rail connections in Ohio, focusing on accessibility for individuals with disabilities and aging issues. The effort emphasizes the importance of reliable transportation needed to access healthcare, education, employment and recreational activities. Collaborating with organizations like All Aboard Ohio, the Disability and Aging Rail Coalition (DARC) project advocates for funding and support to establish equitable, accessible public transit options, focusing on disability and aging issues as they relate to rail travel, addressing long-standing gaps in Ohio’s transportation infrastructure.
“I work in the areas of housing and transportation advocacy at The Ability Center. Ohio’s Disability and Aging Rail Coalition, which was established a few years ago, suggests allocation of grant money to redevelop rail corridors, with a focus on people with disabilities in the passenger rail sector. All money granted by the federal government goes directly to the State of Ohio. The two corridors currently in development are Toledo-Detroit-Cleveland and Cleveland-Cincinatti-Columbus-Dayton (or 3 C and D). Fish is also advocating for support for a Toledo-Columbus connection, though that project has not been sponsored yet. A recent survey was used to assess interest in passenger rail today and there are advocates with regional transit authorities and organizations, like All Aboard Ohio, which has been advocating for these connections for some time, and TMACOG and other passenger rail associations. We (DARC) work with letter campaigns and action alerts to have the voice of people with disabilities heard by policy and law makers. It is also important to provide a voice for those with disabilities in rural areas that have no access to public transportation. As flying is less accessible for people with disabilities, rail is a long term travel option. I continue to work on drumming up support for these issues with the slogan ‘Toledo on Track’.”
Christina Rodriguez
Mom’s House
Executive Director
Christina Rodriguez is the executive director of Mom’s House, a Toledo-based nonprofit supporting single mothers pursuing education to break the cycle of poverty. Guiding single parents towards education and effective parenting tools, Rodriguez was recognized for her advocacy and leadership and appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to the Ohio Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, reflecting her dedication to human rights and social justice. Through these roles, Rodriguez continues to inspire positive change by empowering mothers and advancing equity in our community.
Christina explains, “I joined Mom’s House seventeen years ago, but I never thought this is where I would land for my career. I was raised by a teenage mom and my dad was not around. He was involved in gang activity. Then, as an adult, I had a friend who had a position at Mom’s House. My friend recommended me for the Director’s position and the Board called me to request an interview. I didn’t have too much experience and I was nervous (when I talked with them) but they took a chance on me. I had people who believed in me and it changed my life. I am committed to our mission and the demographic that we serve and I certainly identify with the mission. The children that live at Mom’s House, at one time, that was me, but I didn’t have the help. [My mom and I] lived in extreme cycles and I should have been a statistic. I know how hard it is to be raised by a single parent and I am passionate about helping these children and families. It is such a blessing for me to live my life this way.”
Andrea Gywn
President Mercy Health
St. Anne & Perrysburg Hospitals
Andrea Gwyn exemplifies leadership in elevating healthcare standards in Toledo. She champions mentorship, focusing on empowering women in medicine and addressing health disparities, particularly within underserved communities. Named a 20 under 40 Leadership Toledo awardee and a board member of several community organizations, as a dedicated advocate for heart health, Gwyn co-led the 2023 Toledo Go Red for Women campaign, promoting awareness and resources for cardiovascular wellness. Her impactful career reflects a commitment to innovation, community engagement and equitable healthcare solutions
“At Mercy Health, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our
communities. We are committed to fulfilling this mission, both within and beyond our facilities’ four walls, by collaborating with community partners, leveraging advanced technologies and creating efficient processes to empower our clinical teams to provide a healing environment that fosters improved health outcomes for all.”
Anna Toney
Leadership Toledo
Executive Director
Anna Toney, Executive Director of Leadership Toledo, is dedicated to fostering leadership and community engagement in the Toledo region. Under her guidance, Leadership Toledo offers programs for high school students and adults, inspiring participants to connect deeply with our community and to serve with purpose. Toney emphasizes collaboration, self-awareness, and lifelong involvement as keys to creating positive change, making Leadership Toledo a cornerstone for cultivating future leaders in the area.
“I became involved in Leadership Toledo in 2011 when I moved back to my hometown, Toledo, from New York City where I went to pursue opportunities in musical theater. The former Executive Director of Leadership Toledo invited me to participate in the program, allowing me to engage and commit energy for helping to lift Toledo. In 2012 I became a Program Coordinator and in 2017 I became the Executive Director. To be a leader in the community you have to know your community. Encouraging people to think about how they can be a part of the solution is really rewarding for me. The topics we cover (to give our leadership participants insight into the Toledo area community) are far reaching, including cultural arts and education, self awareness, criminal justice and public safety, health and human services and regional development.
Leadership Toledo recently released a community impact report which shows that in 2023-24 we impacted 750 students and almost 100 adults through the program. The estimated yearly value of Leadership Toledo’s community impact projects is over $175,000, determined by measuring and valuing the over 1125 volunteer hours expended.
