Mesale Solomon-Mendes named on Black Impact Magazine's 100 Entrepreneurs To Know
- Black Impact
- 19m
- 2 min read
Mesale Solomon-Mendes is a distinguished executive and leadership strategist with over 25 years of experience in Human Resources and Operations. Her career spans multiple industries, including manufacturing, insurance, logistics, professional services, and healthcare, culminating in a decade of C-suite leadership within private equity- backed companies. As the Founder and CEO of Proverbs Leadership Institute (PLI), Mesale is on a mission to change the workplace one leadership transformation at a time. She partners with organizations to drive growth through executive coaching, cultural transformation, and strategic people alignment.
Mesale’s path to success is as inspiring as it is unconventional. Born in Ethiopia, she escaped a war-torn country with her family at the age of 8. Arriving in the U.S. as an immigrant who spoke no English, she was placed in the fourth grade based on aptitude alone. Her tenacity, work ethic, and insatiable curiosity became the cornerstones of a remarkable journey. With the support of mentors and sponsors who saw her potential, Mesale embraced a jungle gym approach to her career, taking lateral and cross-functional roles to build the technical and leadership competencies that would later define her success as a leader.
She began her professional journey at Ford Motor Company, where she spent the first decade of her career rotating through business, operational, and talent roles. This early experience gave her a strong foundation in how organizations function, helping her become a people leader who truly understands business. Her cross-functional insight became a hallmark of her leadership style: strategic, grounded, and deeply human. Mesale is widely recognized for her ability to align talent strategies with business goals, especially during times of transformation. Her expertise spans executive coaching, cultural alignment, succession planning, team development, and change management, including M&A integration. She believes modern leadership requires more than competence; it requires emotional intelligence, authenticity, and the courage to grow.
Her methodology integrates personalized assessments and reflective practices to help leaders identify their strengths, uncover blind spots, and lead with clarity and confidence. Through the Proverbs Leadership Institute, Mesale helps leaders rediscover their purpose, reclaim their energy, and build high-performing cultures. Her impact goes beyond coaching and consulting; she serves on boards, mentors emerging talent, and advocates for mental health and inclusion in the workplace. Her clients benefit not only from her strategic acumen but also from her profound personal understanding of resilience, transformation, and the human spirit.
Mesale holds a Master of Public Administration in Human Resources Management from Clark Atlanta University and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. She is a Certified Executive Coach, Organization Development Coach, and Six Sigma Green Belt.
Mesale’s story embodies grit, growth, and giving back. Her journey demonstrates that leadership, rooted in authenticity and service, can transform lives and organizations alike.
Connect with Mesale.
