Tri-Cities Civic Voices: Rowena List on Simplicity, Support, and Finding Her Voice: Faces Tri-Cities Co-Author Series 

Cathy Cena & Geneviève Kyle-Lefebvre Today on Faces: Tri-Cities co-authored stories, Geneviève Kyle-Lefebvre and Cathy Cena had the pleasure of sitting down with Rowena List, a professional organizer, speaker, and long-time Tri-Cities resident whose journey calls women to live with intention and generosity. One of 50 women featured in the Faces anthology, Rowena embodies the civic purpose behind the project, which launched on International Women’s Day and quickly reached No. 1 on Amazon by celebrating local voices and shared leadership. List explained that she joined the book to stand beside fellow contributors and amplify a culture of collaboration. “Together we go further,” she said, reflecting on the strength that comes from women helping one another.

Her chosen quote, Live simply so others may simply live, shapes her daily choices. She pointed out that half the world lives on less than a dollar a day; many of those affected are women. Choosing a simpler lifestyle at home, she argued, frees resources that can be redirected to neighbors in need. That conviction guides her volunteer work with the Tri-Cities Food Bank, where nourishing families is the first step toward educational and economic success, and with Soroptimist International of the Tri-Cities, where she donates household goods to women rebuilding their lives after crisis. Through her company Getting It Together, she helps residents declutter, downsize, and create systems that support well-being, then funnels usable items to Bee’s Closet and other local charities. Rowena also spoke candidly about reclaiming her voice after leaving a relationship in which it was ignored.

“There came a day when nothing came out at all,” she recalled. Support from local coaches and friends helped her find the courage to start over. Sharing that experience in Faces allows readers facing similar crossroads to see a path forward. “You are never the first to take a leap,” she reminded the studio audience. “Someone is always ready to walk beside you.” List mentors informally, often over coffee, and says the most rewarding calls come from women who still hear her advice from a talk given years earlier. Whether chatting with students at a school thrift fundraiser or speaking at community galas, she urges residents to measure success by the people they help. “I do not collect stuff,” she laughed, “I collect people, experiences, and enough cash to keep giving.” Rowena’s story adds a practical lens to the Faces anthology: live lightly, give freely, and trust that personal courage can ripple through an entire city.