Kaira Rouda

Last updated
Kaira Rouda
BornKaira Sturdivant
(1963-05-17) May 17, 1963 (age 61)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, businesswoman
Education Vanderbilt University (BA)
GenrePsychological suspense, women's fiction
Spouse Harley Rouda
Children4
Website
kairarouda.com

Kaira Sturdivant Rouda (born May 17, 1963) is an American author and businesswoman. She is best known for her psychological suspense novels, including Best Day Ever and All the Difference. Her novel, The Favorite Daughter, was released in May 2019. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Kaira Sturdivant was born on May 17, 1963, in Evanston, Illinois, to Patricia Ann Robinson Sturdivant, a community volunteer from Santa Cruz, California, and Frederick David Sturdivant, a retired professor and management consultant from San Jose, California.

Rouda earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, magna cum laude , from Vanderbilt University in 1985. [3]

Career

In the early-1990s, Rouda began her career as a reporter for Business First newspaper, a member of the American City Business Journals chain. She later worked as an account executive for Fahlgren & Swink, a regional advertising agency, before assuming the role of vice president of marketing at Stanley Steemer in 1995.

In 2002, she created the Columbus, Ohio-based franchise company, Real Living Real Estate. [4] Built as the first female-focused residential real estate brand, [5] [6] Rouda grew the brand to more than 22 states before its sale to Brookfield Residential Property Services, a Toronto-based firm. The Real Living real estate franchise was eventually sold to Berkshire Hathaway. [7]

Early writing career

As a freelance writer, Rouda has contributed articles to Columbus Monthly and Midwest Living. For ten years, she was the "Connections" columnist for This Week, a publication of The Columbus Dispatch.

Her first book was titled Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs [8]

Fiction writing

In 2011, Rouda turned her focus to writing fiction, [9] with an emphasis on women's fiction and domestic suspense. Her novel Best Day Ever (2017) received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews , [10] Book Reporter, [11] HuffPost [12] and The News & Observer . [13]

Her novels include: The Favorite Daughter, [14] In the Mirror, All the Difference, The Goodbye Year, [15] and Here. Home. Hope.

Charitable and philanthropic work

Rouda's philanthropic efforts have focused on homelessness, food security, arts and education, [16] and the empowerment of women and girls. She was the founder of Make Room Columbus, Central Ohio's first shelter for homeless families. She also founded the Columbus Ohio Cattlebaron's Ball for the American Cancer Society; served on the board [17] of Central Ohio's YWCA and its capital campaign committee; and served on the first board for The Wexner Center for the Arts. [18] She served two terms on the board of directors for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.

Rouda relocated to Southern California in 2009. There, she became an active volunteer for her children's schools. She is a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, while serving on committees for the Tahirih Justice Center and Working Wardrobes/VetNet. She is a member of the Human Rights Watch Southern California board.

Awards

Rouda was listed on Entrepreneur's Fifty Fastest Growing Women-Led Businesses. [19] Her work on Real Living earned Rouda a Stevie Award for Women in Business. [20] She has received multiple ADDY, Webby, Telly, Communicator, Prism, and WebAwards for her marketing work.

For her civic service, Rouda has received the Ohio Sertoma Service to Mankind Award, Kiwanis Humanitarian Award and Northwest Rotary Woman of the Year award. In 1991, she was named Citizen of the Year, Columbus Board of Realtors. [21] The following year, she earned a national Kiwanis Service to Humanity Award.

Personal life

Rouda resides in Laguna Beach, California, with her husband, former U.S. Representative Harley Rouda. [22] [23] Rouda has four adult children. [24] [25] [26]

Related Research Articles

Roxanne Qualls is an American politician who served as the 66th mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. She also served a two-year term on the Cincinnati City Council prior to her service as mayor, having been elected in 1993. On August 8, 2007, the Charter Committee announced her appointment to fill the unexpired term of council member Jim Tarbell. Qualls was elected to a two-year term on Cincinnati City Council in November 2007, and again in 2009 and 2011. She served as Vice Mayor, the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, chair of the Livable Communities Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Major Transportation and Infrastructure Projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Beatty</span> American politician (born 1950)

Joyce Marie Beatty is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 3rd congressional district since 2013, and as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Beatty represented the 27th district in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1999 to 2008, serving for a time as minority leader. She was also previously the senior vice-president for outreach and engagement at Ohio State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Height</span> American activist (1912–2010)

Dorothy Irene Height was an African-American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African-American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height is credited as the first leader in the civil rights movement to recognize inequality for women and African Americans as problems that should be considered as a whole. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years. Height's role in the "Big Six" civil rights movement was frequently ignored by the press due to sexism. In 1974, she was named to the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, which published the Belmont Report, a bioethics report in response to the infamous "Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendra Todd</span> Winner of the 3rd season of The Apprentice

Kendra Todd is a real estate broker in Seattle, Washington. In 2005, she was the winner of season 3 of NBC's The Apprentice. She was the first female candidate, and the youngest, to be hired on the U.S. Apprentice.

Ebby Halliday was an American realtor and businesswoman who founded Ebby Halliday Realtors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Edna Hunter</span> African-American social worker (1882–1971)

Jane Edna Hunter, an African-American social worker, Hunter was born on the Woodburn Farm plantation near Pendleton, South Carolina. She was involved in the NAACP and NAACW. Jane Edna Hunter is widely Known for her work in 1911 when she established the Working Girls Association in Cleveland, Ohio, which later became the Phillis Wheatley Association of Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvette McGee Brown</span> American judge

Yvette McGee Brown became the first African-American female justice on the Ohio Supreme Court when she took office on January 1, 2011. She was the founding president of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and was a judge of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for nine years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A'Lelia Bundles</span> American journalist

A'Lelia Perry Bundles is an American journalist, news producer and author, known for her 2001 biography of her great-great-grandmother Madam C. J. Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Realtor.com</span> Real estate website

Realtor.com is a real estate listings website operated by the News Corp subsidiary Move, Inc. and based in Santa Clara, California. It is the second most visited real estate listings website in the United States as of 2021, with over 100 million monthly active users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Spencer</span> American politician (1920–2019)

Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer was an American politician who served as Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the Council. The granddaughter of a former slave, she was active in the civil rights movement to desegregate schools and end discrimination, and became the first female president of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter. She also served on the University of Cincinnati board of trustees.

Cheryl Eisen is a New York City-based luxury home stager, celebrity interior designer, serial entrepreneur and founder of Interior Marketing Group, Inc. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New York Observer, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and other notable media outlets have featured Eisen in association with her role in staging and designing New York City celebrity homes and luxury real estate.

Susan "Dee" Haslam is an American businesswoman. She is the founder and executive producer of RIVR Media and CEO of the Haslam Sports Group. Dee is a co-owner of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), along with her husband, Jimmy Haslam. The Haslams are also majority investors in the ownership group of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS) – with two MLS Cup champions during their tenure, and have a partial ownership stake in the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Stephanie Anne Hilferty is the Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 94 in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. She is a commercial real estate sales and leasing agent with SRSA Commercial Real Estate in Metairie, Louisiana.

Kasturi Rajadhyaksha, often referred to as Dr. Raja, was an Indian physician and community worker. She helped several support groups specifically for Indian or South Asian people, and focused particularly on ending domestic violence and helping South Asian business people.

Jennie Hwang is an international businesswoman, entrepreneur, engineer, scientist, author, and speaker. She is the national president of the Surface Mount Technology Association, head of H-Technologies Group and the first woman to receive a PhD from Case Western Reserve University in Materials Science and Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva del Vakia Bowles</span> American teacher (1875–1943)

Eva del Vakia Bowles (1875–1943) was an American teacher and a Young Women's Christian Association organizer in New York City. When she began working at the New York City segregated YWCA in Harlem, she became the first black woman to be a general secretary of the organization. For eighteen years she organized black branches of the YWCA and expanded their services to community members. She received recognition from former president Theodore Roosevelt for her work during World War I on behalf of the segregated Y.

Kimberly Belle is an international bestselling American novelist best known for her work in the thriller genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley Rouda</span> American attorney & politician (born 1961)

Harley Edwin Rouda Jr. is an American attorney, businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 48th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. He was the first Democrat to represent the district, which encompasses southwestern coastal portions of Orange County including the cities of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Sue Gross is an American billionaire philanthropist. She was formerly the President of the William and Sue Gross Foundation until creating the Sue J. Gross Foundation in 2017. Her net worth is estimated at $1.3 billion.

Rebecca D. Jackson was a medical researcher, medical practitioner and professor of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. Her research was significant in the understanding and treatment of osteoporosis. She also researches the opioid crisis in Ohio.

References

  1. ↑ "'The Favorite Daughter' By Kaira Rouda Is A Thriller About Grief, Loss, And Memory That Will Hit You Right In The Heart". Bustle. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "Politicians gather at 2020 contender John Delaney's townhouse to toast author Kaira Rouda". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Takahama, Valerie (2019-06-05). "Author Kaira Rouda Carved Out Her Place Before Her Role as a Congressional Spouse". Orange Coast Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. ↑ "Real-estate company expanding its radius". Dispatch.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  5. ↑ "Real Living, Inc. President to Speak at Upcoming LuxuryRealEstate.com Event". Reaching Women Daily. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "Kaira Rouda - Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Marketer, Speaking and Author". Par Excellence Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "HSF Affiliates LLC Announces Promotions Among Leadership Ranks". apnews.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  8. ↑ Rouda, Kaira Sturdivant (8 February 2008). Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs . Wiley. ISBN   978-0470176580.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive Resorts Magazine" . Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  10. ↑ "Best Day Ever". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "Review: Best Day Ever". Bookreporter. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Book Review: Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  13. ↑ "Durham and Asheville have roles in dystopian novel with murderous plot and deadly ticks". newsobserver.com. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  14. ↑ "She was writing a thriller; he was running for Congress: The story of Kaira and Harley Rouda, politics and 'The Favorite Daughter'". OCRegister.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "Recent Books, Spring 2018". Vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "Laguna High School Artists Called To Enter CA-48 Art Competition". Patch.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  17. ↑ "YWCA Columbus Board of Trustees" (PDF). YWCA Columbus.org. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  18. ↑ "Kaira Sturdivant Rouda: Real You Incorporated". Wexarts.org. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "Growing Strong". Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  20. ↑ "Real Living". steviewaward.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  21. ↑ "Nominations being accepted for Columbus REALTORS® Annual Awards". Columbus Realtors.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  22. ↑ "WAVE Makers: For Orange County's progressive movement, the future is female". Ocregister.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  23. ↑ "In deepest red Orange County, a blue flame is sparking in a district that has long supported Rep. Rohrabacher". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  24. ↑ "Laguna Life and People". Novelist Kaira Rouda – and her books – sparkle with humor and heart: we’re lucky to have her in Laguna. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  25. ↑ "Author Kaira Rouda Carved Out Her Place Before Her Role as a Congressional Spouse". Orange Coast Magazine. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  26. ↑ "A Voice For Change". Laguna Beach Magazine. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.