Elisa A. Schmitz is an award-winning entrepreneur and professional journalist. She’s the Latina founder and CEO of 30Seconds.com, an inspiring digital media platform that makes the world a happier, healthier, and more delicious place — 30 seconds at a time. She’s also the founder of iParenting, a “Best of the Web” digital media company that was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. After the sale, Elisa worked for Disney as director and executive editor of the Disney Interactive Media Group. She has been a newspaper columnist, magazine editor, radio and video host, and creator of content and marketing programs for various Fortune 500 companies. Elisa earned her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she serves on the Communication Arts board. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she’s a member of the Council of One Hundred, a mentoring organization made up of Northwestern’s leading alumnae. Elisa is no stranger to life’s fire. The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and a Yugoslavian immigrant father, Elisa learned to use her “differentness” to make a difference as she grew up in Puerto Rico, war-torn Lebanon, and suburban Chicago. All along, she created what she needed to survive and thrive.
