Rowneé Sojourner
The Full Story
Hailing from the resilient city (Town) of Oakland, California, Rowneé Sojourner Winn knows firsthand the power of leadership to shape communities and organizations. An Oakland Tech alumna, she has spent more than 24 years serving in community corrections while also holding leadership roles in both the community and private sector. She brings both heart and hard-earned wisdom to her work.
Rowneé earned her Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management and Policy Analysis before becoming a Certified Gallup Strengths Coach and completing the Evidence-Based Leadership Masterclass and Certification. Her studies and experience revealed how misaligned values create confusion and conflict. However, she’s also seen the beauty of transformation when leaders stand firmly in their values. Through Values-Based Leadership and strengths-driven coaching, she helps leaders move from chaos to clarity, building spaces where trust, communication, and collaboration thrive.
Beyond her professional work, Rowneé is deeply rooted in family, faith, and community. A wife and mother of four, she values the relationships, experiences, and everyday moments that keep leadership grounded in what matters most.
For Rowneé, leadership isn't something reserved for the workplace. It's reflected in our values and how we show up for people wherever we are.
The Question
Why can two people hold the same title and create completely different experiences for the people they lead?
Rowneé has experienced both sides of leadership.
She has worked with leaders who were inconsistent and unpredictable, leaders whose expectations seemed to change depending on the day, situation, or person. She experienced poor communication, unclear direction, and what it felt like doing the work without understanding how or why it mattered to the bigger picture.
She has also experienced exceptional leaders. They answered her why questions. They explained the purpose behind the work, connected her role to the larger mission, and created consistency. They made coming to work enjoyable and created an environment where she felt like part of the team and something larger than herself.
Experience That Shaped the Work
With more than 20 years in community corrections and public service, Rowneé has spent her career studying leadership where it matters most, in real organizations, with real people, under real pressure. Her experience in leadership development, Evidence-Based Practices, Motivational Interviewing, coaching, facilitation, organizational change, and public administration has deepened her understanding of how people learn, respond to change, build trust, and grow.
Becoming a Gallup Strengths Coach and deepening her understanding of temperament theory further shaped her belief that effective leadership begins with self-awareness but becomes meaningful through intentional behavior, alignment, and practice.
These experiences ultimately came together through ROOT Systems that Winn and the development of Values-Based Leadership, practical approach to helping leaders better understand how they lead, how others experience their leadership, and how they can intentionally grow.