Bryant, as the first entrepreneur in residence to Clark Atlanta University School of Business, is committed to
supporting aspiring HBCU entrepreneurs
ATLANTA, April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Clark Atlanta University (CAU) School of Business welcomed its first researcher in residence for entrepreneurs, John Hope Bryant for a fireside chat in partnership with PNC Bank. The event marked the launch of the PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship. Bryant’s new position aims to help CAU serve as an incubator to develop the next generation of leaders at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Bryant is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Operation HOPE, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to financial literacy.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Silvanus J. Udoka, dean and senior vice president for academic affairs (interim) at Clark Atlanta University; Erin Horne McKinney, executive director of the PNC National Entrepreneurship Center; John Hope Bryant, Founder, President and CEO of Operation HOPE.
During his residency at CAU, Bryant will lead a lecture series on a range of topics such as financial risk management, deal negotiation, and the importance of FICO scores, among others. He is also a member of CAU Board of Directors.
Bryant’s remarks included a historical review of Freedman’s Bank and various HOPE programs, including Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) and One Million Black Businesses (1MBB). He says Black entrepreneurs hold the key to transforming communities through ownership and improved financial well-being. The event was a celebration of shared commitment to the advancement of Black entrepreneurship and brought together nearly 100 students, alumni, business experts and community leaders. PNC has been a strategic partner of HOPE for nearly a decade. To view event images, Click here.
“When you sit in history, it doesn’t feel like it, this is one of those moments. Today, the right partners are at the table,” Bryant said. “We are at an inflection point that I call the “Third Reconstruction” and I look forward to engaging the extraordinary students of PNC and CAU in a conversation about how they can change the world through entrepreneurship. By better understanding capitalism and learning the language of money. , they will be equipped to shape America’s future. »
“For three decades, John Hope Bryant was on the front line with a message from “Silver Rights”. He is an experienced and successful businessman who has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping others build generational wealth,” said Dr. Silvanus Udoka, CAU interim dean and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We are confident that Mr. Bryant’s leadership, in partnership with PNC, will resonate with CAU students and unleash the power of entrepreneurship.”
According to U.S. Small Business Administrationminority businesses represent more than 50% of the 2 million new businesses created in United States over the last 10 years. Despite this growth, minority business ownership represents only 18% of total U.S. businesses, and companies face huge disparities in access to capital, contracting opportunities, and other entrepreneurial developments.
About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has moved America from civil rights to “money rights” with a mission to ensure that free enterprise and capitalism benefit the underserved, eliminating poverty for millions young people and adults with low and moderate incomes across the country. Through its community improvement model, HOPE Inside, which was named 2016 Innovator of the Year by American Banker Magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million people and led more than 3 $2 billion in economic activity flowing into disenfranchised communities, transforming check-cashing customers. into bank customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. Operation HOPE recently received its eighth consecutive 4-star charity rating for financial management and commitment to transparency and accountability from the prestigious nonprofit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationspérance.
About Clark Atlanta University
Created in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869), Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African-American tradition and looking to the future. Through global innovation, educational experiences and high-value engagement, CAU cultivates improved lives that transform the world. To learn more about Clark Atlanta Universityvisit www.cau.edu.
Contact:
Lalohni Campbell, for Operation HOPE
(email protected)
SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.
