All too often I am talking about and saluted for the work of Operation HOPE.  But none of this work for HOPE, nor the inspiration for and behind the growing silver rights movement, would be possible without the commitment and leadership of my and our incredible leadership team.  All of these individuals have been with me for more than 5 years, and some of them — individuals such as Rachael Doff — have been with me almost from the start, or more than 19 years.

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Bill Walbrecher is the president and chief operating officer for Operation HOPE (HOPE), and is a former CEO of several Fortune 500 banks (all of which were in good standing through the entirety of Walbrecher's leadership).  Bill has a broad leadership resume, with stints in public service including the White House, varied roles in the private sector, as well as being a business owner and private investor. Bill is a husband, father and all around "good man." Bill is "Mr. Inside" at HOPE, allowing me to roam the prairie, accessing and looking for opportunity to advance our mission and work.

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Rachael Doff is the executive vice president and chief administrative officer for HOPE, and my chief of staff and confidential right arm.  Rachael is command central for me, and the life of HOPE.  What can you say about someone who literally gives their all to mission, for the entirety of their professional career?  What do you say about someone who selflessly gives of themselves, has zero personal agenda besides the authentic pursuit of our mission to change our world.  

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Lance Triggs is executive vice president and chief of the HOPE Financial Dignity Center Network for HOPE, and a dear friend of mine of over 20 years.  Lance has many HOPE and silver rights achievements to his name, including serving as managing director of most all of our HOPE Summits and HOPE Forums over the years (including ones featuring then Vice President Al Gore, then President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton and countless other VIPs who have engaged with our work over the years).  Lance is also increasingly well known for moving credit scores more than 100 points through our adult financial dignity counseling programs within our HOPE Centers.

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Mary Hagerty is the first senior vice president and global chief of financial literacy for HOPE, and in this role leads our youth financial literacy to economic energy work on the ground throughout the U.S., and now in South Africa and Morocco. Early in Mary's tenure with HOPE she played a key role in actually building our first HOPE Center in South Los Angeles, as she served as construction manager.

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Jena Roscoe is senior vice president and chief of government relations and public policy for HOPE, and has been with us since she ended her tenure in President Bill Clinton's second term at the White House. Since leaving the White House she has served as a bridge between HOPE and successive White House Administrations, including then President Bush and now President Barack Obama.  From Vice President Gore and President Clinton, through the Bush years, to now the Presidency of Barack Obama, Jena Roscoe has credibility and is known as an honest broker and one who delivers results.

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Rod McGrew is the global chief of marketing and brand for HOPE, and was the first HOPE Corps volunteer in HOPE's history, from 1992.  Rod is also one of my dearest friends on the planet, and works from morning to night, and weekends too, to insure that the HOPE brand represents "promises made and promises kept," to and for the underserved populations HOPE serves.

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Fred D. Smith is a senior advisor to the Office of the Chairman, and while we all say he is a quasi-retired, Fred remains one of my most important advisors, and one of the most important movers of our agenda — particularly with respect to HOPE Coalition America and our partnership with DHS/FEMA.  Fred was the person I turned to in 2001, following 9/11, when I decided that America needed an "economic Red Cross" in times of disaster.  Fred wasted no time taking an idea and turning into a vision made real, ultimately responding to more than 20 Presidentially Declared disasters across America, including Hurricane Katrina. In response to Hurricane Katrina, HOPE served more than 125,000 individuals and delivered more than $10 million in EITC resources to augment funds provided by FEMA.  Fred Smith also served as the first president of HOPE in 1998.

See the full profile on each of the members of the HOPE executive management team here ~ Executive Management.

Check out the full profile of each of the members of the HOPE senior management team here ~ Senior Management.

A special salute to each of these outstanding leaders, for a job well done.  If God asks us, at the end of our days, "what did you do to sustain our small planet, and what did you do to help the least of these God's children," then these individuals will be able to positively answer at least one of these important questions.

Onward and with HOPE

 

John Hope Bryan
t is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of
 LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass) the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. 

 

 

 

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