Marriah Kornowa

Community Relations Representative

Marriah Kornowa has been serving the Toledo Community for over 20 years and has experience in both for profit and nonprofit sectors. Starting her career with Owens Corning and the Xerox Corp, she learned the value of continuous improvement and organizational development. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, she moved to the nonprofit sector supporting family reunification, teaching anger management, and workforce readiness. Later, she transitioned into education where she began working with youth as a high school speaker for post-secondary education and later working in college admissions. She went on to complete her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership developing a Leadership Academy for the YWCA as her capstone project. She found her niche in inspiring a vision and articulating hope for her community.

As the director of Community Outreach and Program Development for a behavioral health facility, she expanded her impact as the community co-lead for T-CIRV, a violence interruption program, as well as the board vice chair for the City of Toledo Youth Commission for five years.

Trained in restorative justice, she worked to serve families in poverty, youth in schools and shelters, as well as connecting returning citizens from the prison system to community resources. Through a brief stint with United Way and her continued time in health care, she became more heavily involved in minority health and race relations.

Working with Dialogue to Change as a trainer and facilitator, serving as the United Way African-American Leadership Council staff lead, and joining the Toledo Community Coalition, she was able to focus on the Social Determinants of Health, recognizing and sharing the impacts of racism and how it affects not only the health of individuals but the good of our entire community.

Currently she works in Community Relations for Buckeye Health Plan where she continues to serve on various committees, coalitions, and boards including Buckeye’s internal state Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Lucas County Suicide Prevention Coalition board, the Toledo Community Coalition board, and Toledo’s PETbull Project board. She prides herself on busting stigmas, developing compassion and empathy, and leading by example.

Ms. Kornowa is the mother of an eclectic 15-year-old, multi-talented musician at the Toledo School of Arts (TSA), and also serves on TSA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The two are lovers of all creatures and currently live with a household zoo that consists of one dog, two lizards, three rats, and axolotl, and many fish and plants.

Why I Am Passionate About D & I (Diversity & Inclusion)

“I believe we all benefit from diversity in thought and surroundings. People are all unique and have different gifts to offer. Sometimes it takes someone else to point out our gifts and I believe my gift is to inspire positive change in this world, starting with myself, my daughter, and the world around us. I believe that we get back what we put into this world and we strive to live by example and spread kindness and acceptance with an energy that is undeniable and hopefully contagious! I am grateful to Buckeye Health Plan for the opportunity to continue to serve my community and our staff through our D & I efforts. It is an honor!”