Sheena is a committed advocate, mother, and community member. Sheena is a Community Health Worker for Lucas County, working with youth to serve as a bridge between the community and healthcare, government, and social service systems. Sheena has experience with public policy and youth crisis intervention advocacy. Sheena moved to Toledo from Flint, Michigan about 10 years ago and made Toledo a home for herself, and her three children. Sheena quickly became involved in the community here, she is a board member for Advocates For Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), a Coordinator For The Equality Toledo Food Pantry, and a Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) trainer. All three of Sheena’s children attend Toledo Public schools and her daughter is a recent graduate of Bowsher High School.

In 2020 Shenna will begin her work as a Toledo Board of Education Member.

Meet the Candidate

Can you tell our members a little bit about your journey to filing as a candidate?

Having to navigate my youngest with autism IEP meeting, I felt unheard and felt my son potentially wasn’t seen. So with the knowledge of my community resources I reached out and obtained an educational lawyer to make sure my son would receive one of highest quality educations, that all should have. I later felt overwhelmed with conflict after my son’s successful IEP meeting with our lawyer because I was a parent that felt comfortable using their voice, I knew the resources for my son but what about other parents with little ones like my son what about their advocacy for their potential.

Tell our members about a friend or family member who inspired you to become a leader.

My great, great, great, great, great grandfather sought high quality education for his son and broke barriers to obtaining it. In 1980 Edmond Wysinger took the school district in Vasalia, California to supreme court and won, the Wysinger v. Crookshank was the first case that rendered school segregation of African American in California.

Some of you are military veterans, some small business owners, some professionals, some mothers and grandmothers, some homemakers. How did one of these experiences shape who you are as a person and leader?

As a former Children Advocate for a battered women’s shelter, a LGBT youth outreach specialist, a community health worker, and a community organizer, my experiences have helped me use my voice in spaces where the voices of the unheard would not have been spoken for, it has helped me see that it takes just one to start the conversation and just one to make a change for the betterment of the people.

The Matriots PAC has a goal to see 50% of all elected offices in Ohio held by women by 2028. What is your vision for Ohio in 2028?

Women are at the table on every level politically. Having those discussions about the future of women, children and our communities. That by 2028 we will have seen a woman in the White House as President.

Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” What are the top-two issues your community or our state face today?

Housing insecurities among our youth and the behavioral atmosphere in our classrooms due to students not being equipped with positive coping skills.

Tell us something personal about yourself.

I love to do karaoke (not a great singer) and my go to artist is Pat Benatar.