Hi, I’m Rosetta Thurman. This is my story.

I grew up in the public housing projects of Cleveland, Ohio, and if it weren’t for the nonprofits in my community who helped my family in times of need, I don’t know where I would be today. I was raised by a teen mom and a very protective grandmother. My father was a drug dealer who died before he had the chance to teach me how to ride a bike. My family was so poor that every year, a woman from a local nonprofit would come and take me shopping for school clothes because my mother could not afford to.

I was fortunate in that I was able to attend good schools and benefit from many kind teachers, special enrichment programs, and the Girl Scouts (I was a Brownie!). As a result, I became the first person in my family to graduate from college. Yet, I always knew that I needed to do something to help people who were not so lucky. Otherwise, what the hell was I here for? That feeling is what led me to volunteer at local afterschool programs as a reading tutor for kids living in poor neighborhoods during all four years of college. It was philanthropy that had provided me an enhanced education as a child. It was nonprofits that had come to our aid when we couldn’t make ends meet. Somebody did it for me, and I wanted to help someone else. That’s how I got introduced to the nonprofit world and I’ve wanted to commit my life to helping people ever since.

Fueled by a passion for social change, I worked in the nonprofit community for eight years as a fundraising professional and leadership development practitioner before founding Thurman Consulting, an education company that specializes in leadership, entrepreneurship and social media initiatives to empower a new generation of leaders. As an author, speaker, trainer and coach, I believe in the power of personal and professional development to help people change the world.