Dr. Rudolph Monsio Bropleh is an economist, an educator, a preacher, and a visionary leader. He led the design and development of Liberia’s first doctoral program at Cuttington University, where he now serves as Vice President for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. He teaches Development Economics in the master’s program and Leadership courses in the doctoral program. Bropleh is the Founder and CEO of The IMPACT Institute, a nonprofit organization building capacity in Liberia through economic empowerment and leadership development.

 

Passionate about equipping and empowering others, Dr. Bropleh’s messages have inspired people around the world. National recording artist, Chance the Rapper, featured a portion of one of Bropleh’s messages in his hit song, “How Great.” The song was performed at the 2017 Grammy Awards, and Chance the Rapper won 2 Grammies for this work. A sought-after motivational speaker and thoughts leader, Dr. Bropleh’s work has taken him across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and many parts of Africa.

 

An economics professor at Shepherd University and an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, Dr. Bropleh served as the Lead Pastor of Asbury Church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. While at Asbury the church grew from a declining, one-classroom congregation to the largest multicultural, multi-ethnic United Methodist Church in the state of West Virginia. He completed two multimillion-dollar building projects including a gymnasium, a Family Life building, and an Office Annex. Bropleh served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Shenandoah Community Health, a major community health organization serving the states of Virginia and West Virginia.

 

Before relocating to West Virginia, Dr. Bropleh was an educator and Team Leader with the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Public Schools. While at Baltimore City Schools, he led the Functional Math Initiative at Pimlico Middle School. The program was a huge success, raising Functional Math scores from 28% passing to 78% passing—the largest improvement in a single school year in the history of Functional Tests in the State of Maryland. 

 

Bropleh extended his work with students when he founded the Baltimore Boys Club—a recreational and mentoring group designed to help middle and high school students with success in school and life. While a Baltimore resident Dr. Bropleh also taught at Catonsville Community College and Strayer University. Some of Bropleh’s past leadership roles include member of the Advisory Council of Shepherd University, President of the Liberian Association of Maryland, Chair of the Frederick District Committee on Ordained Ministry, and President of the Wesleyan Covenant Association of the Baltimore Washington Conference. With strengths in the areas of vision-casting, strategic planning and leadership, Dr. Bropleh, over his professional career, has been able to mobilize, motivate, manage, and move people to get things done. Bropleh believes his purpose is to help others discover, develop, and fully deliver on their purpose in life.

 

A former Law student, Dr. Bropleh earned a Bachelor of Science (Economics) from the University of Liberia and a Master of Science (Economics) from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University and a Master of Theology degree from St. Mary’s Seminary & University. He studied at the University of Oxford, earning a Ph.D. in Pastoral Psychology. He is married to Everane, and they have five amazing children.  

 

The story of Rudolph Monsio Bropleh began a long way from the United States in Upper Buchanan, a small rural town in southern Liberia, West Africa. As the 20th of 23 children, Rudolph grew up learning the hard lessons of poverty and managing with meager fare. He and his siblings had to walk to school daily—about 3.5 miles each way. They had to share clothes, beds, and everything else. Although Rudolph grew up with a scarcity of material things, he experienced an abundance of courage, developed character, and embraced good values in his upbringing. He credits much of what he is and is becoming to his very humble beginnings. Graduating from high school at age 15 (the 2nd youngest in Liberia that year), he entered college at age 16 and studied Economics. After graduation, he enrolled in Law School in Liberia.

 

In 1990 a violent civil war engulfed Liberia and Rudolph was fortunate to escape the conflict and relocate to Baltimore, USA. Restarting his new life with 6 shirts, 2 pants, and $100, Bropleh has experienced the grace, providence, and provision of God in more ways than he can enumerate! He believes that his humble beginnings, the struggles of growing up in Liberia, the devastating effects of Liberia’s civil war, and the many challenges with starting a new life in America, have all been a part of God’s master plan to prepare him for service to society. As a result, Rudolph strives to be an asset and not a liability, a blessing and not a burden.

 

Dr. Bropleh returned to Liberia in 1995 for the home-going celebration of his father, the Rev. Paul M. Bropleh, Sr. Since that time, he has continued to look back, reach back, and give back to his native Liberia, as well as the continent of Africa. In the late 1990’s he would scout for investment opportunities, develop small-scale investment packages, and look for investors with interest and resources to invest in Africa. His philosophy is to stimulate the micro-economy, to produce positive macroeconomic outcomes. In 2000 he established the Economic Empowerment Seminar (EES) in Liberia. These national events trained over 1,500 West Africans in micro-financing, small business development, grant writing, and community building. In 2003 he founded the Economic Empowerment Institute (EEI) in Liberia—a technology resource center providing services to students in Liberia.

 

Dr. Bropleh’s professional work can be summed up in three main areas.

 

First, LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION: successfully developed and led 3 organizations, creating jobs, innovating, and expanding capacity and productivity. Highlights include:

Second, FINANCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Developing, mixing, and managing human and financial resources for economic growth and development.

Third, EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT: A trained educator, administrator, and college professor. Served on a Presidential Search Team, the College-Retention team, worked with developing, funding, and executing study-abroad programs, and the Advisory Council responsible for the development and implementation of the only doctoral program at Shepherd University.

 

Dr. Rudolph Monsio Bropleh believes that the essence of living is giving. Therefore, you live to give, and you give to live. He tries to model that in his selfless attempts to serve others.