Mellody Hobson

timeline

born 1969

The youngest of 6 children, Mellody Hobson grew up in Chicago with a loving, encouraging mother who was also unflinchingly honest. About being black, about being a woman, about being poor. It gave her the determination to become ~ and stay ~ financially healthy…something she now helps others, especially people of color, achieve through financial literacy education.

Mellody worked her way to the top of Ariel Investments. It's one of the only financial firms where you'll see women + minorities in the boardroom. She wants to see that repeated until it's no longer "weird." So, she's become a champion of "color brave" ~ a movement inspired by her 2014 TED talk. "We want to go there," she says of the diversity conversation. And, she is.

bio bits

known for

honesty | Mellody doesn't mince words, because she values truth. She doesn't apologize for her perfectionism ~ "I like things to be well done," she told audiences at the 2015 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit. And, she's beloved for it...because she cares.

determination | When Mellody was a young employee at Ariel Investments, she made a point of visiting the same McDonald's as the company's founder John Rogers hit every morning to read the newspaper and drink coffee. Mellody always arrived ready to read the same paper ~ and score some one-on-one time with the big boss.

speaking out for diversity | After attending Jet and Ebony founder John Johnson's funeral in 2005, Mellody was struck by how "unapologetically black" he was as a leader ~ and vowed to stop apologizing for being a woman + being black. Her mother Dorothy made sure Mellody never forgot her identity ... and never forgot she could do anything she wanted. And what she wants to do now is inspire others to be "color brave."

three big moments

1987 | enrolled at Princeton {instead of original choice, Harvard}, thanks to alumni recruiter John Rogers. Yep, that John Rogers. The man who would be her first boss, lifelong mentor + steadfast champion {and McDonald's breakfast buddy}.

2009 | The stock market plunge of 2008 could have been the end of Ariel ~ where Mellody has had the same office phone number since college. Instead, Mellody turned it into an educational opportunity, both for herself + for others. With ABC, where she was an on-air expert, she created the television special Un-broke, pairing financial education with seemingly incongruous celebrities Oscar the Grouch, Will Smith + the Jonas Brothers.

2014 | Mellody's TED Talk "Color blind or color brave?" came at a time when the US was beginning to face the magnitude of unacknowledged racism ~ the fact that having a black president does not a "post-racial society" make. Although Mellody has been up front as a black woman, the 1.2 million-views-and-counting speech put her on the front lines. As a director on high-profile corporate boards {Starbucks, Estée Lauder + Dreamworks, where she's chairwoman}, she asks us when we will recognize the weirdness of an all-male, all-white board.

fast facts

from | to

college intern | company president
~ Ariel Investments, one of the largest black-owned US investment companies ~

born on

April 3, 1969

born in

Chicago, Illinois

birth name

Mellody Hobson

citizen of

the United States of America

daughter of

Dorothy Ashley

sister of

5 siblings

grew up in | lives in

Chicago, Illinois

educated at

Princeton

married to

George Lucas

mother of

1 daughter | Everest

advocate for | influenced by | influence on

education + financial literacy | John Rogers + Bill Bradley | Sheryl Sandberg + Dambisa Moyo

board member at Estée Lauder, Starbucks {where she chairs the audit-and-compliance committee}, and DreamWorks Animation {where she chairs the entire board}.

in her spare time

swimming

philanthropy {Field Museum, Chicago Public Library + Chicago Public Education Fund, to name a few}

image credits: TED | CC-BY-NC 2.0 + Ariel Investments

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today

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her quotes

all quotes by Mellody Hobson (12)

"Although I don't have much (yet) what I do have is yours."
to sister Pat Hamel {quoted in Vanity Fair} | september 1987

"I'm confident in a very bright future, years down the road."
I'm No Fortuneteller | july 2009

"The first step to solving any problem is to not hide from it, and the first step to any form of action is awareness."
TED | march 2014

"Be brave for the kids who are dreaming those dreams today."
Color blind or color brave? | march 2014

"We cannot afford to be color blind. We have to be color brave."
TED | march 2014

"It would be lovely to think that success was a result of my being extraordinary, but the answer is far more boring. I worked hard. Really hard."
Own Who You Are | april 2014

"I have always been ambitious—and I say that with pride."
Own Who You Are | april 2014

"As often as she told me that 'life isn't fair,' she also told me, 'You can do anything.'"
Own Who You Are | april 2014

"I want my daughter to be proud of me, and because of that I work really hard for her."
Why Mellody Hobson stopped apologizing for being a black woman | december 2014

"Let's make sure we’re audacious enough to not leave anything on the table."
Starbucks Board Member Mellody Hobson: 'Let’s be Color Brave' | march 2015

"Do more than accept diversity: Seek out diversity. I promise it will make you more interesting, more informed, and more understanding."
commencement speech | may 2015

"Hard work plus bravery equals…success. Imagination plus bravery equals…creativity. Love plus bravery equals…happiness."
University of Southern California commencement address | may 2015

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