RONNIE KROELL was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 1st, 1983.
Ronnie attended St. Gregory Elementary & Junior High School, Niles North High School, Roosevelt University (Vocal Jazz), Harper College (Student Senate President & AA), and the University of Illinois at Chicago where he continued his studies in Political Science. While attending UIC, Ronnie had the opportunity to follow his dream of being a professional model and was swept off to NYC to compete in a new reality based competition show called, “Make Me A Supermodel”, on BRAVO Network.
Ronnie finished Runner-Up and Fan Favorite in 2008. After competing on MMASM, Ronnie moved to NYC to follow his career in Fashion. He walked in numerous fashion shows, posed for campaigns, and enjoyed leveraging his new found fame to make a difference with organizations like: American Cancer Society, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, ACLU, GLAAD, HRC, and more. He also enjoyed speaking to students about embracing diversity at Princeton University, Rutgers, Quinnipiac, and DePaul. One of his favorite experiences was speaking at the NYSE on the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall and ringing the closing bell with members of the NGLCC.
In the Fall of 2012, Ronnie wanted to do more than simply model, he wanted to share his voice. So, he packed up his kids, Tiny Cat & Calamity Jane, and moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. While working on building his IMDB credits with film and television projects, he co-founded an organization called, Friend Movement, with a mission to prevent and heal the effects of bullying. Ronnie was terribly bullied as a child and because of that remains deeply committed to doing his part to make a difference. Along with his growing Friend Family he launched “The New F-Word – Giving Bullying The Bird”, a celebrity driven photo-campaign that aimed to shift the conversation from “Anti-Bullying” to “Celebrating Friendship”.
Ronnie continued this important conversation by embarking upon a 921 mile walk from Chicago to NYC in 2013. Over the course of (42) days Ronnie and his team of friends visited schools, businesses, and organizations to discuss the challenges of bullying and suicide. The walk was dedicated to the memory of Tyler Clementi, whose Mother (Jane) and Brother (James), joined the activists in solidarity for the final steps over the George Washington Bridge. This epic cross-country journey led Ronnie to come to the conclusion that, “Hurt people, hurt people”, and that one of the most important lessons that we can learn in life is how to love ourselves. Friend Movement continues to host myriad events, feed the homeless in Los Angeles via their “Friendly Meal” program, and explore new ways to make a difference.
Disheartened by the 2016 election and disenchanted with both the Republican & Democratic Party leadership, he decided to return to his political roots. Ronnie explored candidacy for President of The United States for 2020 as an unaffiliated person, but after consulting with his team decided to suspend his exploration and shift his focus back onto his artistic endeavors via writing his auto-biographical self-help book (Behind The Smile), creating his mixed-media paintings, and film-making.
Ronnie still plans to explore his options as a civil servant and is committed to helping to heal and unite a divided nation and to find real solutions by encouraging a diverse electorate and Congress to, “Meet Me In The Middle”.