New Trustees Appointed to RRPL Board

Jodi Penwell and John Hosek recently joined the Rocky River Public Library Board of Trustees.

Jodi Penwell has been appointed by the Rocky River Board of Education to a seven-year term on the Rocky River Public Library board of trustees. She takes over the position vacated by William Henson, who retired from the board after 14 years of service. In addition, John Hosek was also sworn in at the library’s August 27th board meeting to fill the unexpired term of Betsy Lanzen. Hosek’s term ends in June 2018.  

Penwell is a Senior Vice President at KeyBank and manager for Non-Profit Services.  She is a graduate of Cleveland State University with a B.A. in Psychology and is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor.

 As a graduate of Leadership Lorain County, she brings a vast knowledge of surrounding communities and their resources to share with the board. Before moving to Rocky River in 2013, she served on the Lorain Public Library System’s board of trustees for 12 years. She was also a founding member of the Foundation of the Lorain Public Library System.

“I believe that a strong library is a cornerstone of a solid community and, as a community, we must provide governance to facilitate a lifelong learning philosophy and enhance the quality of life for the city,” she said. “I believe my prior library board experience will add value to achieve this greater good.”

New trustee John Hosek serves on the City of Rocky River’s Planning Commission, shares his time as a mentor for College Now, volunteers for RESULTS - a nonprofit that works to end poverty, and functions as the chair of St. Christopher Church’s Social Concerns Committee.  He has lived in Rocky River with his wife, Sharon, for 23 years.

He was the Director of Transportation Programs for the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, until his retirement in 2011. Hosek holds a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in managerial and business economics.  He was the recipient of Cleveland State University’s Leadership Academy Alumni Award for Outstanding Administrative Leadership.

“I wanted to be on the board because I am a firm believer in lifelong education and the mission of modern public libraries to provide not only education, but also recreation and culture,” said Hosek. “My wife Sharon and I have visited the library often over the years to take out books, DVDs, music and movies.  Libraries have served us well, and I wanted to provide some small service back.”

 Rocky River Public Library, an independent library supported by the residents of Rocky River, is an informational, educational, recreational, and cultural resource for the community.   The library’s services include over 180,000 items available for loan or use in the library, a full range of online services and educational programs.