Gloria Lawrence
About Me
Gloria Lawrence is the Founder and ED of Esi’s House, a nonprofit that provides free housing and wraparound support for young mothers and their children as they work toward stability and economic mobility.
As a proud graduate of Morgan State University, her experience as a young mom in college continues to shape her commitment to building real, practical pathways for other women to succeed.
In addition to her work at Esi’s House, Gloria works within a family office, where she supports program strategy and operations for the Hoffberger Foundation, with a focus on workforce development, economic mobility, and holistic mental health initiatives. She also contributes to the Hoffberger/Acer Family Advisors entity, further expanding her experience across philanthropy and family enterprise work.
Alongside her professional work, Gloria is a second-year evening law student at the University of Baltimore, where she is focused on estate planning and generational wealth, an area that closely aligns with her long-term interest in helping families build and sustain wealth across generations.
Earlier in her career, Gloria entered the nonprofit space as the founder of Nonprofit For Newbies, a consulting firm that supported early-stage organizations. She is also a licensed consultant through the Maryland Association for Nonprofits’ Standards for Excellence program.
At her core, she is an out-of-the-box problem solver who believes in creating supportive ecosystems where women and children can thrive, break barriers, and dream big. Outside of her work, she enjoys exploring Baltimore’s local restaurants and festivals, practicing archery, getting lost in magic realism novels, and teaching herself piano.
Esi is the name given to our Founder, Gloria Lawrence when she took her first international trip to Ghana. In Ghanaian tradition, "Esi" is a feminine name bestowed upon a child to commemorate the day they became part of a family. It symbolizes being "Born on a Sunday," aligning with the Akan people's practice of naming children after their birth day. Significantly, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Esi's House will take place on a Sunday, a day of rest, where our girls can finally find solace, assured that they and their children are
secure, supported, and enveloped by the warmth of their community, even as there is work still to be done.
Our Team
