MINI BIO

Dr. Rolanda Schmidt, formerly Rolanda Delamartinez, is Florida born and raised, living in a Midwest world.  An indelible mark of seeking change after surviving being kidnapped and abused at the tender age  of 12 (read the full kidnapping story here) is in Dr. Ro's heart. Many tragedies, triumphs, and mistakes have shaped the woman she is today. The greatest lesson learned is the importance of  living in truth and walking in humility when facing trials and tribulations. Dr. Rolanda reminds her audience to have faith, embrace God first, and be divinely empowered to get to a better place, no matter the situation at hand..
 

Thanks to the self-sacrificing  efforts of her husband, children/bonus children, friends, family, and  mentors, Dr. Rolanda Schmidt has established herself as an entrepreneur,  author, scholar, motivational speaker, and  humble community servant. Her greatest joy is derived from being a Christ follower, wife, mother/bonus mom, (the word stepmom correlates to being stepped on and is a reminder of Dr Ro's cringeworthy childhood) and helping those in need.

Dr. Rolanda Schmidt has gained a wealth of business experience in her former role as CEO and founder of a tax accounting firm for nearly 17 years, and working in leadership roles within the corporate, non-profit, and public sectors. With this gamut of skills, Dr. Rolanda transitioned part-time (and later full-time) into academia, as a business professor for 12 years. During which time, Dr. Ro also the first African American female endorsed candidate for MN State Representative in District 52A (2008).  Dr. Rolanda is currently the CEO of Truth with Grace Consulting specializing in management consulting for individuals, religious and academic institutions, corporations, and non-profit organizations. 

A bilingual (Spanish) international speaker, Dr. Rolanda Schmidt has also been featured in many media outlets for her commitment to love her firstborn transgender adult child, regardless of religious disagreement or public pressure to promote shunning. Dr. Ro has also been highlighted for her  advocacy against child abuse and kidnapping, solid work of educating youths on financial literacy, empowering leaders with business (management, marketing, public policy), and most recently creating positive change for African American families affected by suicide. 

Dr. Rolanda is a Certified Professional Project Manager (CPPM),  earned a Bachelor of Science in Management, Master of Science in Management, an MPhil, and Ph.D. with a concentration in International Finance. As a lifelong learner and advocate, the desire to develop solid strategies of preventing child abuse, kidnapping, and suicide,  close the gap for people experiencing negative aftermaths from false allegations (in several arenas) and abuse of power,  bring awareness to the need for stricter laws on doxing, and the desire to help all business genres uphold healthy policies and environments contributed to Dr. Ro's renewed quest of broadening her scholarly expertise in seeking an additional PhD in Public Policy and Administration.. Ultimately, Dr.Rolanda Schmidt would like to marry each of these scholarly gifts to ministry. For now, she continues to walk with humility as a global servant leader.