I am very pleased to announce that friend and partner Steve Bartlett, CEO of the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE, is confirmed to speak at the upcoming HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit, and he will also moderate the CEO Plenary Session on the main stage.
Steve and I signed the Operation HOPE-FSR National Framework Agreement that promotes financial literacy in the C-Suites of American business, encouraging all to consider financial literacy, financial capability, financial inclusion and financial dignity as serious balance sheet impact issues. This agreement led to several substantive accomplishments tied to the national agreement, but by far the biggest accomplishment was Steve Bartlett and FSR answering the call around the HOPE Financial Dignity Center at Ebenezer (Church), making a $5 million pledge on behalf behalf of FSR members to fund the HOPE Center's development and operations over 5-years. Steve Bartlett and FSR kept and has substantially fulfilled that commitment to date. Steve is a leader who talks, shows up and delivers. My kind of man.
Steve Bartlett is the a former U.S. Congressman, former mayor of Dallas, Texas, and a former member of the Dallas City Council. He is also my friend. Read Steve Bartlett's complete background here.
John Hope Bryant 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. Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, an NYSE Euronext publicly traded company, and a division of $54 billion Ares Capital.