Board Executive Committee
Maria Frizelle Roberts
Maria Frizelle Roberts
ELGP BOARD CHAIR | President & CEO, MFR Consultants Inc.
President & CEO, MFR Consultants
Maria Frizelle Roberts is a founder, President & CEO, board chair, and nationally recognized transformation leader whose career spans more than three decades at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, business strategy, technology, healthcare, and economic development.
She is the founder and President & CEO of MFR Consultants, Inc., a Philadelphia-headquartered business advisory and technology consulting firm she launched in 1989. Under her leadership, MFR has grown from a one-person startup into a 40+ professional firm with a national footprint, trusted by government agencies, healthcare systems, utilities, education institutions, and other highly regulated enterprises to modernize operations, strengthen governance, and deliver technology-enabled change at scale. Maria is widely known for her ability to bridge strategy and execution helping leaders move from vision to results in complex environments.
Maria’s leadership is grounded in a rare combination of frontline healthcare experience, public and healthcare management systems thinking, and executive governance expertise. She is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph’s University, credentials that inform her deep understanding of human systems, population health, and organizational performance. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and has completed advanced executive education in Board Governance & Leadership at Drexel University and Supply Chain Management at Dartmouth University, equipping her to lead enterprise transformation with rigor, agility, and discipline.
In parallel with building her firm, Maria has played a sustained leadership role in Philadelphia’s civic and economic ecosystem. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and Chairperson of Merakey Total Health, and as a board member of Merakey Behavioral Health and the Philadelphia African American Chamber of Commerce. Her board work focuses on governance excellence, financial stewardship, innovation strategy, executive leadership, and regional competitiveness.
Maria brings a globally informed perspective shaped by professional engagement across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia-Pacific, the United Kingdom, and Western, Central, and Southeastern Europe. This exposure informs her approach to innovation diffusion, healthcare delivery, and economic development, helping organizations adapt proven strategies across markets, cultures, and regulatory environments.
Her leadership and entrepreneurial impact have been recognized by Fortune Magazine, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia, among others.
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Fortune Magazine, One of the Fastest Growing Urban Business in America
Philadelphia City Council “Small Business Person of the Year”
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives Citation Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence
U.S. Small Business Administration, Philadelphia District, “Small Business Person of the Year
2023 Civic 50 Inspirational Community Leadership Award"
2023 Comcast Rise Award
2023 City pf Philadelphia & State of Pennsylvania Impact Award
2023 Philadelphia Best Places To Work
Maria Frizelle Roberts is a founder, President & CEO, board chair, and nationally recognized transformation leader whose career spans more than three decades at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, business strategy, technology, healthcare, and economic development.
She is the founder and President & CEO of MFR Consultants, Inc., a Philadelphia-headquartered business advisory and technology consulting firm she launched in 1989. Under her leadership, MFR has grown from a one-person startup into a 40+ professional firm with a national footprint, trusted by government agencies, healthcare systems, utilities, education institutions, and other highly regulated enterprises to modernize operations, strengthen governance, and deliver technology-enabled change at scale. Maria is widely known for her ability to bridge strategy and execution helping leaders move from vision to results in complex environments.
Maria’s leadership is grounded in a rare combination of frontline healthcare experience, public and healthcare management systems thinking, and executive governance expertise. She is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph’s University, credentials that inform her deep understanding of human systems, population health, and organizational performance. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and has completed advanced executive education in Board Governance & Leadership at Drexel University and Supply Chain Management at Dartmouth University, equipping her to lead enterprise transformation with rigor, agility, and discipline.
In parallel with building her firm, Maria has played a sustained leadership role in Philadelphia’s civic and economic ecosystem. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and Chairperson of Merakey Total Health, and as a board member of Merakey Behavioral Health and the Philadelphia African American Chamber of Commerce. Her board work focuses on governance excellence, financial stewardship, innovation strategy, executive leadership, and regional competitiveness.
Maria brings a globally informed perspective shaped by professional engagement across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia-Pacific, the United Kingdom, and Western, Central, and Southeastern Europe. This exposure informs her approach to innovation diffusion, healthcare delivery, and economic development, helping organizations adapt proven strategies across markets, cultures, and regulatory environments.
Her leadership and entrepreneurial impact have been recognized by Fortune Magazine, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia, among others.
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Fortune Magazine, One of the Fastest Growing Urban Business in America
Philadelphia City Council “Small Business Person of the Year”
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives Citation Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence
U.S. Small Business Administration, Philadelphia District, “Small Business Person of the Year
2023 Civic 50 Inspirational Community Leadership Award"
2023 Comcast Rise Award
2023 City pf Philadelphia & State of Pennsylvania Impact Award
2023 Philadelphia Best Places To Work
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