Rhonda M. Roorda, M.A. is an award-winning author, speaker, consultant, and executive coach whose work has helped reshape the national conversation on transracial adoption. As one of the leading voices in the field, she advocates for children and families while centering the lived experiences of transracial adoptees through research, storytelling, education, and public engagement.

Rhonda’s life’s work is deeply rooted in her own experience. Adopted from the New York foster care system at the age of two and raised by a white Dutch American family in the Washington, D.C., area alongside two non-adopted siblings, she grew up navigating the complexities of identity, race, belonging, and family. Those early experiences inspired a lifelong commitment to amplifying authentic adoptee voices and advancing a more nuanced understanding of transracial adoption.

An internationally recognized scholar and author, Rhonda’s acclaimed book, In Their Voices: Black Americans on Transracial Adoption, was named a 2016 Outstanding Academic Title by Choice magazine and earned Third Place at the 30th Annual New York Book Show for both its scholarly contribution and outstanding cover design. She also coauthored the groundbreaking trilogy—In Their Own Voices, In Their Parents’ Voices, and In Their Siblings’ Voices—with the late adoption scholar Dr. Rita J. Simon. Together, these influential works examine transracial adoption through the perspectives of adoptees, adoptive parents, and non-adopted siblings, and have become foundational resources in adoption scholarship and practice.

In July 2026, Temple University Press published Rhonda’s highly anticipated debut memoir, Torn from the Root: A Memoir of a Black Transracial Adoptee. The memoir offers an unflinching examination of race, identity, family, faith, and the lifelong emotional cost of transracial adoption, further establishing Rhonda as one of the foremost voices illuminating the adoptee experience.

Rhonda’s work has influenced professionals and families across the United States and internationally, including adoption agencies, universities, child welfare organizations, family support programs, and the entertainment industry. Her expertise has earned her numerous honors, including the Judge John P. Steketee Adoption Hero Award from the Adoptive Family Support Network (2010), the Friend of Children and Youth Award from the North American Council on Adoptable Children, now called Families Risings (2017), the Richard K. Ransom Award (2022) from Adopt America Network for her exceptional advocacy and contributions to the Emmy Award-winning television series This Is Us, and the Vanguard Adoption Award (2024) from Adoption Knowledge Affiliates.

A sought-after national commentator, Rhonda has appeared on Good Morning America, ABC News Live, CNN, and numerous television, radio, and podcast programs. She was also featured on People magazine’s Me Becoming Mom podcast with host Zoë Ruderman alongside fitness expert Jillian Michaels, and her work has been highlighted in national and regional media, helping broaden public understanding of adoption, race, identity, and belonging.

Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications–Strategic Communication from Calvin University and a Master of Arts in Communication–Urban Studies from Michigan State University. She has served Calvin University as a member of its Alumni Board and as Board Secretary and Executive Committee member of the University’s Board of Trustees.

Through her writing, speaking, consulting, and media engagement, Rhonda continues to challenge assumptions, elevate adoptee voices, and equip organizations, professionals, and families with a deeper understanding of the lifelong realities of transracial adoption.