Speaker
John Hope Bryant
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, the nation’s largest on-the-ground financial literacy and economic empowerment nonprofit
Making America AI-Ready: Literacy and Ethics for Every Learner
Wednesday
November 19
12:10 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics
(BMW Classroom #150)
Seminar is FREE and a box lunch is included. Advance registration is required.
For more information, contact Brian Brady, director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at [email protected] or at 864-503-7623.
Biography
John Hope Bryant is an American entrepreneur, prominent thought leader, author, philanthropist, and a global authority on financial literacy, economic empowerment, and inclusive capitalism. Named to the prestigious Forbes BLK50 List in December 2024 and TIME Magazine’s inaugural The Closers List, recognizing 18 global leaders working to close the racial wealth gap, Bryant has dedicated his career to transforming economic systems for underserved communities and ensuring inclusive growth in the AI-driven future.
John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Operation HOPE, Inc., the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of financial literacy services for youth and adults. He is also the founder of John Hope Bryant Holdings, Bryant Group Ventures, and Bryant Group Advisors. Until June of 2024, he previously led The Promise Homes Company, which he successfully recapitalized in 2021 with a $200 million credit facility—one of the largest Black-owned capital raises in over a decade.
Referred to as the “Conscience of Capitalism” by Fortune 500 CEOs, Bryant’s advocacy helped make financial literacy the policy of the United States Federal Government under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He also successfully led efforts to rename the U.S. Treasury Annex to the Freedman’s Bank Building, recognizing the unfinished economic work of Abraham Lincoln for freed slaves.
John Hope Bryant is a best-selling author. He is one of the only Black thought leaders in the world today writing on economics and business leadership, with six books to his name, including the national best-seller, Financial Literacy for All (2024). He is a CNBC Contributor, host of the iHeart Radio podcast “Money & Wealth with John Hope Bryant”, and a member of both the CNBC Global Financial Wellness Council and the CNBC CEO Council.
Bryant’s impact has been recognized with numerous awards, including Oprah Winfrey’s “Use Your Life” Award, American Banker’s “Innovator of the Year,” and inclusion in TIME’s 50 Leaders for the Future. He is a LinkedIn Influencer with over 3 million social media followers and has amassed over 300 million views across digital platforms through his “Straight Talk with John Hope Bryant” series. His life’s mission? To help America live up to its promise—one financially and technologically empowered person at a time.