Mellody Hobson is Co-CEO and President at Ariel Investments, a global asset management firm managing over $14 billion in assets. She is responsible for management, strategic planning, and growth for all areas of the firm.

Mellody earned her AB from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs in 1991 and joined Ariel as an intern, rising to become President in 2000 before being named Co-CEO in 2019.

Mellody became the first Black woman to chair an S&P 500 company (Starbucks) and was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2015. She received Princeton's highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, in 2019.

Mellody co-founded Ariel Alternatives in 2021, raising $1.45 billion for Project Black, a private equity fund focused on scaling minority-owned businesses. She serves on the boards of JPMorgan Chase and formerly chaired DreamWorks Animation and Starbucks.

Under her leadership, Ariel has grown from $1.5 billion in assets when she started to over $14 billion today. She is a nationally recognized voice on financial literacy and investor education, advocating for closing the racial wealth gap.