By: Hunter Thomas
When Dr. Carmen Bell-Ross founded SP Grace in August 2007, she wasn’t just launching a company; she was building a legacy. Inspired by the resilience and wisdom of her great-grandmother, mother, and grandmother, who instilled in her the values of strength, tenacity, and intellectual pursuit, she wanted to create an organization that would honor their lasting impact.
“These women taught me the value of perseverance, and I’ve carried that lesson into every facet of this business,” Dr. Carmen reflects. Their strength and guidance laid the foundation for what SP Grace would become: an organization dedicated to helping individuals and organizations navigate change, strengthen leadership, and cultivate environments of respect and accountability.
SP Grace: An Organization Rooted in Growth
With a deep understanding of leadership and professional development, Dr. Carmen founded SP Grace, a consultancy that aligns leadership practices with authentic values. Her vision for SP Grace was simple: People come first. “People are the heart of our work. We recognize that when people feel valued, supported, and empowered, they are often more likely to bring their A game to everything they do,” says Dr. Carmen.
This people-first philosophy is embedded in the organization’s two-part mission. First, SP Grace aims to make workplaces better by using innovative, culturally competent strategies to help organizations solve their toughest “people problems” from the front line to the C-suite. Second, it seeks to help upskill and reskill today’s workforce by equipping individuals with life-changing skills and attitudes to overcome challenges, find sustained employment, and become valuable contributors to their families, employers, and communities.
This dual focus on workforce and workplace development is a hallmark of SP Grace’s approach. In practice, this means a range of programs and initiatives. SP Grace’s team consists of subject matter experts, instructional designers, coaches, and researchers. They deliver leadership workshops, professional development courses, executive coaching, and even pre-college career readiness programs for youth.
The goal is always the same: to develop people-centered, high-performing workplaces guided by thoughtful, skilled leadership and to help build stronger communities by preparing individuals for meaningful careers. For example, in partnership with the City of Detroit, Dr. Carmen led a city-wide program that prepared 1,000 adult job seekers to pass mechanical reasoning and math tests, potentially opening doors to stable employment.
In another project, SP Grace managed a cultural competency initiative for 1,500+ state employees across five counties, with training tailored to increase inclusivity and improve service delivery in the public sector. These numbers suggest the firm’s impact – thousands of individuals and organizations have reportedly been impacted by SP Grace’s work and highlight the variety of services they offer – from factory floors and city departments to boardrooms and classrooms, SP Grace delivers wherever the need is.
A Partnership Fueled by Experience
A defining moment for SP Grace came in April 2022, when Dr. Carmen realized a lifelong dream: bringing her mother, Dr. Marilynn Bell, on board as an equal partner and Chief Operating Officer. With over 30 years of experience in business ownership and training strategy, Dr. Bell’s leadership has helped accelerate SP Grace’s growth. Together, the mother-daughter duo have strengthened the company’s ability to deliver tailored, impactful solutions to a growing roster of clients.
Their collaborative leadership has yielded notable results. Under their joint direction, SP Grace has maintained a high client satisfaction rate of over 97%, which many see as a testament to their people-centered approach.
A People-Centered Approach That Drives Lasting Impact
What truly differentiates SP Grace from other consulting firms is how it delivers its services. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the SP Grace team takes the time to understand people and workplace culture and uncover the root causes of challenges before creating a way forward. Every training program or consulting engagement is filtered through the client’s unique cultural lens so the experience is relevant and effective for that specific organization. Their culturally competent, context-specific approach means a leadership workshop for a manufacturing plant in Detroit will look very different from a team-building retreat for a non-profit in Chicago – and that’s by design.
SP Grace’s consultants are thought leaders in their fields, with over 50+ years of combined experience in workplace training and professional development. They stay updated on the latest practices in the industry and then align those practices with the client’s values and goals.
In a crowded consulting market with big names and generic solutions, SP Grace has carved out its own space. The firm’s blend of professional expertise and heartfelt purpose is relatively rare. Born from a granddaughter’s love for her grandmother’s grit and grace, it continues to carry that spirit into modern boardrooms and break rooms. By staying true to its mission and values, SP Grace demonstrates that a consulting company can be both highly effective and deeply human. Each leadership seminar or workforce training isn’t just a service; it’s part of a bigger story of empowering people and transforming organizations for the better.
As SP Grace moves forward, its mission remains clear: to help businesses and organizations create environments where leadership thrives, teams excel, and people feel valued. For Dr. Carmen, SP Grace is more than just a company; it is a continuation of a legacy of strength, wisdom, and grace, suggesting that the best is yet to come.
About Dr. Carmen Bell-Ross
Dr. Carmen Bell-Ross, founder of SP Grace, is a leadership consultant and workforce development specialist with experience in professional development and executive coaching. Drawing from her academic background and professional expertise, she offers a program to support students in navigating the college application process by helping them effectively present their authentic selves. Learn more about enhancing your student’s college journey at https://spgrace.com/.
Published by Tom W.
