by Rachel Ward, Student Public Relations Writer
National news may monopolize public interest, but local leaders influence many parts of daily life, making it vital to have people with strong values at every level of government.
Cedarville University alumna Sarah Mays saw this need and felt drawn to public service, something she has now been doing for over a decade. She served as the mayor of the City of Xenia from 2018 to 2024 and is now a member of the Greene County Commissioners.
From Mayor to Commissioner
In her role as mayor, she supported economic development and job creation. Now, as County Commissioner, her focus is advocating for Greene County and following the Ohio Revised Code to ensure that State and Federal funding is directed to the appropriate services throughout the county.
A Journey Through Setbacks
Her path to leadership wasn’t linear.
“I made some really poor choices as a student and left Cedarville during my junior year,” said Mays.
Mays graduated from Cedarville in 2008 with a degree in psychology and worked in the university’s development and advancement office for seven years. While working there, she met her future husband, Adam, after a co-worker introduced them. The Mays family has opened their home to multiple foster placements, which eventually led to their three children.
Eventually, she returned to the university to complete her degree while working full time. At age 30, she graduated from Cedarville — an experience that shaped her leadership philosophy.
“It taught me a lot about owning my mistakes,” said Mays. “Politics are a platform to show people what it looks like to have integrity even when you can’t do it all perfectly. I have to own my mistakes.”
Rooted in Community
Mays loves the people she serves. Her eyes lit up when speaking about the people in her community, the ones she runs into at local coffee shops and grocery stores. Community is the backbone of her work — it’s what keeps her informed, accountable and encouraged.
“I go to the local coffee shop quite a bit, and that’s very purposeful,” said Mays. “And I know when I go into the grocery store, I'm going to get stopped by at least three or four different people for conversations. Usually, it gives me a chance to pray with somebody.”
Her attentiveness extends to military families in the area. Greene County is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) — Ohio's largest single-site employer. Mays attends events at WPAFB to build relationships with military families, looking for ways to support them.
Staying Grounded in Faith
Still, her close ties to the community can make the job difficult.
“People forget you’re a person,” said Mays. "At every level of government, politics can get ugly; however, the more local you are in government, the more personal it may feel because these are people that I may run into regularly. That can be hard."
Mays says her faith guides her when these relationships get tricky.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
