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After about two months without a CEO, the RISE Together Innovation Institute (RTII) has an interim leader.

Sonja Nelson took over Aug. 18 as interim CEO of the organization working to disrupt structural racism and issues of poverty. She previously served as vice president for resident initiatives at the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).

“My personal mission is to revolutionize the way that social services are provided around the world. I feel the county has been very intentional around looking at how do we get here in the area of poverty and how do we get out of it,” Nelson said. “I look to continue on in that mission.”

Nelson will lead the organization through a transition related to its relationship with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. The county has been the primary funder of the organization since its 2019 founding, but commissioners want RISE Together to become self-sufficient.

Prior to Nelson, RTII was led by Danielle Sydnor, who left the leadership position at the end of May 2025 after four years. Sydnor is now the treasurer of the NAACP Ohio State Conference.

Originally launched in 2019, RTII was born from an effort by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and community stakeholders to address the issue of poverty across the county. It works to support Franklin County residents on the path to economic self-sufficiency through increasing employment opportunities, housing options, holistic health care and support for youth.

Nelson’s journey to discovering her passion for giving back to others began when she became a teen mom while a senior in high school. She left her job at Nationwide Insurance to launch her own social enterprise after watching her father battle cancer years later.

She said her desire to serve was first rooted in helping “all the Sonjas in the world” before realizing issues of social justice affected all kinds of people and demographics.

This passion for equity led Nelson to her role with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, where she helped launch and lead CMHA’s RISE Center, a hub of services created to connect Franklin County residents to financial counseling, help with finding a job, digital skills classes and other resources.

A time to realign

As she steps into her tenure as the RTII interim CEO, Nelson said she will focus on helping the organization pause, realign and prepare for the next 10 years of serving the community.

Nelson was chosen to lead the nonprofit through a “pivotal transition” due to her corporate discipline, entrepreneurial drive and community-centered innovation, according to a release from RTII.

Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce said he believes the commissioners and the current RTII board are not on the same page about the direction of the organization, and this pivotal transition includes re-evaluating the best strategies to address poverty within central Ohio and Franklin County.

While RTII is an autonomous nonprofit, the county has served as its main and largest source of funding.

Under the previous board of commissioners, the county committed to providing $2 million to $3 million each year to fund the nonprofit as a long-term investment into addressing poverty in Franklin County.

The current county commissioners have asked the nonprofit to help fundraise to provide for its operations. This was partly due to the changed economic landscape following the COVID-19 pandemic, Boyce said, in addition to a need for the organization to become self sufficient for the longterm.

“We remain committed to addressing poverty, using big ideas to disrupt poverty and to level the playing field for folks in our community,” Boyce said.

“Growth is happening, but we want to make sure that everyone gets to experience the positive side of that growth — whether it’s a good paying job, a safe, clean, affordable place to live or other things that that determine your quality of life.”

Reporter Sophia Veneziano may be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com.

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