JOHN ROGERS JR.

 In 1983, Rogers founded Ariel Capital Management, now Ariel Investments L.L.C., the first African American firm to develop a mutual fund: the Ariel Fund. With offices in New York and Sydney, the Chicago-based firm offers investors six no-load mutual funds and nine separate accounts. In 2003, his company achieved an

investment milestone when 17 major corporations selected Ariel’s mutual funds for its 401k plans. The firm reported assets under management of more than $15 billion–the nation’s largest African American asset manager. For close to 30 years, he has promoted financial literacy and wealth-building through investing using the Ariel Education Initiative and advocates for diversity through the Black Corporate Directors Conference. He is still actively fighting for greater opportunities for Black firms to gain access to opportunities to manage corporate, pension fund, and endowment dollars.