Rhonda Powell joined Strada in 2023 as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. Before joining Strada, Powell served as chief legal officer and corporate secretary of BuzzFeed Inc., for which she led the company’s legal, business affairs, compliance, and governance functions.
Powell previously was senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary of Complex Networks, a joint venture of Hearst Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. that was acquired by BuzzFeed in December 2021. From 2004 to 2016, she served in several roles of increasing responsibility at Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., including vice president, business and legal affairs.
Powell is nationally recognized for her commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the legal profession. She is the 2022 recipient of the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Arabella Babb Mansfield Award for her career-long advocacy, and is a frequent speaker on the subject.
Powell is a board member of PowerMyLearning Inc., a nonprofit organization committed to eliminating disparities in educational resources and academic achievement. She was the 2021 recipient of PowerMyLearning’s Vision Award. Powell also is a member of the museum advisory board of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
She is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University and Radcliffe College and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan, where she was a Clarence Darrow Merit Scholar