Built from experience. Driven by purpose.
Founded on the principles of change and empowerment, Onyx Rising has evolved from a passionate vision into a leading consultancy. We don't just solve problems. We shift culture.
A world where leaders and the people they serve rise above the limits of their circumstances—through clarity, courage, and capability.
To equip organizations and individuals with frameworks, mindset, and behavior change that turn pressure into performance and image into reality.
- Amazon Best-Selling Author
- Certified Financial Coach
- Former Deputy Mayor, Indianapolis, IN
- 35+ Years in Government & Corporate America
- 3 Companies Founded & Successfully Sold
- Team Lead, EBT Electronic Childcare System
- VP, Childcare Services — Affiliated Computer Services
Some people talk about change. Irma has spent 35 years engineering it.
From the halls of city government to the boardrooms of corporate America—and now into the lives of leaders ready to transform how they lead, decide, and perform under pressure.
As former Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis, Irma navigated the highest-stakes environments that executive leadership demands—managing budgets, people, and crises simultaneously. What most leaders only read about in textbooks, she has lived. Twice over.
A serial entrepreneur as comfortable in the private sector as in government, Irma has founded, built, and successfully sold three businesses—including Service Design Associates (acquired by Affiliated Computer Services), Curves for Women, and Fantastic Sam's Hair Salon.
After retiring in 2014, she earned her Certified Financial Coach credential. Today, through Onyx Rising, she works with CEOs, COOs, Risk Management Directors, Principals, and Educators who need more than a consultant—they need a partner who has actually sat in their seat.
- Named One of 30 Young Leaders of the Future — EBONY Magazine
- Owner & Partner, Onyx Rising — 2016 to Present
- Chief Strategy Officer, Engaging Solutions
- SVP of Consulting, The Kaleidoscope Group
- Director, Leadership & Culture, Sara Lee Corporation
- Staffing Director, Emmis Communications
- B.S., Speech Communication, Ball State University
Some leaders talk about changing organizations. Kelli has spent two decades doing it.
Kelli is a change architect who specializes in individual, team, and organizational behavior change. Her work is grounded in a single conviction: the performance of any organization rises or falls on the quality of its leadership and the health of its culture.
Her career spans some of the most demanding environments in American business. As SVP of Consulting at The Kaleidoscope Group, she led large-scale transformation engagements across industries. As Director at Sara Lee Corporation, she drove culture and leadership initiatives across a complex, global workforce.
Kelli brings a rare combination of analytical rigor and human insight to every engagement—equally skilled in the boardroom and in the workshop, translating vision into action plans people actually follow through on.
She was named one of 30 Young Leaders of the Future by EBONY Magazine—a recognition that has only grown more fitting with time.
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