Thelma Liverpool
Thelma Liverpool is a visionary entrepreneur and scientist whose career spans three continents and multiple industries. Born in South America and having lived in North America and Africa, she cultivated a global perspective on human resilience and care. Her early international experience includes serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, where she witnessed firsthand the challenges people face in limited-resource settings and developed a philosophy centered on adaptability, service, and practical problem-solving. After returning to the United States, she leveraged her scientific training and extensive experience at DuPont in safety, health, and environmental affairs to address pressing healthcare challenges.
In 2018, Thelma founded Thanni Holding Corporation, a product-development company dedicated to creating assistive devices for mobility-compromised individuals and supporting caregivers. Guided by compassion and innovation, she has designed patented solutions that ease in-bed care, reduce the physical burden on caregivers, and preserve the dignity of those receiving care. Her inventions, with patents granted in the U.S. and Korea and filings pending internationally, reflect a commitment to practical solutions with global impact. The company is currently in the prototype phase, partnering with bed manufacturers to bring these devices to market and expand access to families worldwide.
Throughout her career, Thelma has combined scientific rigor, cultural sensitivity, and entrepreneurial vision. She has a master’s in Organic Chemistry from Fisk University, completed doctoral coursework at the University of Miami, and a bachelor’s in Chemistry from Howard University. Beyond her scientific and business accomplishments, she is an active community member, participating in volunteer work, church activities, and mentoring initiatives. Her journey exemplifies resilience, innovation, and a dedication to leaving a meaningful legacy, ensuring that her contributions extend far beyond her immediate work to impact families, caregivers, and future generations.
• Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene
• Applied Industrial Toxicology
• TSCA Compliance & REACH and Beyond
• Securities Firm Element
• Environmental Compliance Bootcamp
• Interpretation of Technical Japanese
• Biotechnology and Law in Southern Africa, Gabarone, Botswana
• Howard University- Bachelor's
• Fisk University- Master's
• University of Miami
• Innovation Award at Health 2.0 Conference in Dubai (December 2025)
• Honored Listee-
Marquis Who's Who
• Winner of country-wide essay competition for high-school students British Guiana
• Appreciation for Service
• Certificate of Appreciation
• Church volunteer and senior choir member
• Garden club participation
What do you attribute your success to?
I try to stay healthy by the way I eat, and I try to do some exercises, though I'm not too good at that now because I have so much to do on the computer all the time. I used to walk a lot. I try to eat right and keep myself active as much as I can, and I stay involved with people. I'm living in a senior place, and I make friends with folks and we socialize. We have a little garden club and groups that we meet with. The social aspect keeps you aware of what's going on around you and kind of keeps you going. But you know, I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for legacy, I'm doing this for people, I'm doing it for my grandkids can say, that's my granny. It's my contribution to using the gifts God gave me and just putting them to good use.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My grandmother was most influential person. She was there for me through every aspect of my life and always inspired me and supported me."I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for legacy, I'm doing this for people. I'm doing it for my grandkids can say, that's my granny."
"It's my contribution to using what the gifts God gave me, and just putting them to good use."
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find your passion and follow it. And it's not an easy road. Being in business, there's competition, there are obstacles, there's a lack of money in the case. But if you really love it, if you really love what you do, you come out ahead.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field right now involve turning real-world observations in elder care into practical, patentable solutions while navigating the complex legal, financial, and logistical aspects of securing patents internationally. At the same time, launching and structuring a startup later in life presents the opportunity to build leadership, formalize operations, and attract investment, showing that innovation and impact can happen at any stage of life.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Forgiveness is one of the most important values in my life. I was deeply inspired by Nelson Mandela's story when I was in South Africa. I visited his jail cell and learned that he came out at 72 and became president. I thought, I can do anything. But what really hit me hard was the story about how he treated his former prison guard, the worst guard who had brutalized him. When Mandela became president, he invited this man to lunch and was gracious to him. If you can forgive that, you know? I mean, you think of the brutality that they went through when he was in prison. That taught me that in this life, you have to forgive a lot of stuff. People do a lot of things. My childhood wasn't easy. I had a difficult life and didn't have a father. But I learned to say, well, hey, I don't say go to hell, I say I wish you heaven. And I forgive myself and I forgive you. I let things go. I don't hold onto people or to things very, very tightly, because I'm very flexible with that. If you want to go, bye. I also believe in using the gifts God gave me and putting them to good use. I'm doing this work not for me, but for legacy, for people, so my grandkids can say, that's my granny.