Rhonda embodies strength and resilience, inspiring many in professional and personal settings. She has repeatedly faced – and overcome – adversity, including: her daughter nearly dying in a medical emergency; the death of her spouse to pancreatic cancer; more than one significant career change, caring for her Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother-in-law; the loss of her job and home during the Great Recession; her own diagnosis and defeat of Stage III breast cancer; and she and her husband fighting COVID-19 with her husband spending four days on a ventilator, nearly dying.

Sharing candidly from her personal and professional journey, Rhonda’s written and spoken words are both transparent and transcendent, drawing purpose – even hope – out of pain. An accomplished writer, Rhonda is a member of the board of contributors for The Arizona Republic, writing about K12 education. Her column “Bits and Pieces” appeared in the Republic from 2011-2014. She also co-authored a column with her husband Lorenzo Sierra in the Spanish-language weekly La Voz. “The New American Family” chronicled the quirks of living in a bicultural family.

Rhonda is founder of Leverage Consulting Agency helping education and non-profit agencies throughout the United States expand their reach and reputation. She is a speaker at corporate events, education forums, women’s conferences and community groups. This site chronicles the Bits and Pieces of life in her personal blog.