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Here, Fred D. Smith joins former President Bill Clinton in Gulfport, Mississippi and La. in response to Hurricane Katrina.  Fred Smith was instrumental in standing up our impressive HOPE Coalition America (HCA) response to Hurricane Katrina.  Mr. Smith was also instrumental in the founding of HCA from the start, following the horrors of 9/11 in New York City.

As a direct result of Mr. Smith's leadership in this new space of emergency financial disaster preparedness, response and recovery, HCA has now been a national partner with FEMA for almost a decade, and has responded to more than 25 Presidentially declared national disasters since inception, having served more than 250,000. Mr. Smith also helped lead the formulation of our important national agreement with the American Red Cross, where we assist them with financial case management for survivors of disasters.

Today, Mr. Smith co-leads our HCA response to Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, and is already assisting countless individuals.

Fred Smith has served as my senior advisor in the Office of the Chairman, coordinating relationships with major partners and future supporters of Operation HOPE, Inc. Former President and Chief Operating Officer of Operation Hope, Inc., the national nonprofit that provides economic education, financial literacy and banking services, Smith is also former Deputy Treasurer of the State of California.

Smith is a published author and guest speaker and community leader. He is a member of the board of directors of the San Gabriel Valley Council Boy Scouts of America, the Transportation Foundation of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board, and is a retired U. S. Air Force Colonel.

Smith earned a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Tennessee State University. He is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington, and the Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management, Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Coming out of his retirement, we are honored to announce Mr. Fred D. Smith as the first ever president of HOPE Coalition America (HCA), a division of Operation HOPE.

 

 

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 is a though leader represented by the Bright Sight Group for public speaking. 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.

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