At King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused Sora generations depicting Dr. King while it strengthens guardrails for historical figures. We appreciate Dr. Bernice A. King’s outreach on behalf of King, Inc., and OpenAI’s willingness to engage.

This is precisely what the HOPE AI Ethics Council was built to do: facilitate respectful, solution-oriented dialogue so communities, families, and innovators can address real harms and co-design practical safeguards. We will continue to make space for conversations where dignity, consent, and context guide product choices.

Media: media@operationhope.org

Here’s the OpenAI statement for referral: https://x.com/openainewsroom/status/1979005850166648933?s=46

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Kevin Boucher, a 20-year industry veteran, has been promoted to EVP, Chief Communications and Strategy Officer. Mr. Boucher joined Operation HOPE in 2014, having led organizational strategy for numerous top-tier public and private sector entities. Mr. Boucher will lead executive and organizational marketing and communications strategies and continue in his capacity as Director of the HOPE Global Forums. A veteran of President Clinton’s campaign team, Mr. Boucher led growth and transformation efforts for organizations including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, CVS, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, California State University system, Special Olympics, MTV, Public Storage, and the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. 

Chaitra Dalton Bryant has joined the organization in a volunteer capacity as a Sr. Advisor for Health, Equity and Community Wellness. Ms. Dalton Bryant will support the organization in developing a holistic approach to its wellbeing efforts for both internal and external stakeholders. Ms. Dalton Bryant is currently the Chair of the National Minority Health Association and the founder of The Art of Wellness, which supports individuals and organizations with a modern and natural approach to developing a healthy, balanced lifestyle. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Human Development and continued her education via The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Cornell University, with certifications in plant-based dieting and the psychology of eating and health coaching.

Jena Roscoe has been promoted to the Operating Committee in her role as SVP of Government Relations and Public Policy. Ms. Roscoe joined Operation HOPE in 2001, following her tenure as Associate Director, White House Office of Public Liaison in the Clinton Administration. At Operation HOPE, Ms. Roscoe manages partnerships and alliances with international, federal, state, and local governments and leads the organization’s public policy work. Ms. Roscoe participates in public policy forums around financial literacy, financial inclusion, and emergency financial disaster preparedness. She is an undergraduate alumnus of the Howard University School of Communications, and a graduate of The American University in Paris, France, study abroad program.

“As Operation HOPE continues to grow and scale throughout the U.S., we are continually seeking to ensure our resources evolve to best meet the needs of our clients, our partners, and the communities we serve,” said Brian Betts, Operation HOPE President and Chief Financial Officer. “We look forward to the contributions Ms. Roscoe and Mr. Boucher can deliver in their new capacities and are excited that Ms. Dalton Bryant can help us provide an enhanced wellbeing model to our clients and stakeholders.”

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Last week, Chairman Bryant spent time in Cannes, France at the Cannes Lions International Festival at The Wall Street Journal House where he and Operation HOPE were the featured guests at WSJ’s Annual CMO Network Lunch, a closed-door, invitation-only event. The Cannes Lions Festival has been celebrating creativity from across the globe since 1954. Today, it is the world’s biggest festival and awards for the creative and marketing communications, entertainment, design and tech industries.

He shared the transformational work we’re doing at Operation HOPE, including our latest initiative, The 1865 Project, and our other ongoing projects including 1 Million Black Businesses and Financial Literacy for All. Together, they explored what “purpose driven” media was in the 21st century and had meaningful dialogue about how the marketing and advertising sectors could help with our mission and broader movement.

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Click here to read and watch the interview

Celebrate the message of freedom and realize the unfinished purpose of the Freedman’s Bank with this Juneteenth-inspired conversation. Click here to watch.

Let me know your thoughts below and share it with a friend.

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Crockett has over 25 years of experience designing and providing security and risk management solutions. With a distinguished career that began in the military, Crockett has provided support in the areas of threat and vulnerability assessments, implementation of safety, and security and risk management systems for projects around the world.

“Crockett’s experience in risk management and security will be of immense value to our team as he helps to ensure HOPE has the right people, processes and technology in place to thrive,” said Brian Betts, Operation HOPE President and Chief Financial Officer. “Having a seasoned leader like Crockett to provide advice, insight, and business guidance will help us to reach more stakeholders and serve more communities.”

For two years beginning in 2002, Crockett worked to train personnel at CNN to operate in hostile environments and co-coordinating all their field safety and security requirements throughout the second Gulf War. He attended the first U.S. Department of Defense media training course and made recommendations to the P.A.O (Public Affairs Office/officer) personnel at the Pentagon to better tailor the course to help prepare embedded journalists for the dangers of covering the war. Tim continues to work with news teams throughout the globe today, providing them with ongoing safety and security advice and support in high-risk situations.

Crockett was SVP of Business Operations for a global travel assistance company, Healix International, where he led a small team supporting business development and client support. Prior to joining Healix, Crockett was the Senior Director of Global Security Operations for a major news and media network for nearly 14 years and held various leadership positions for Security Risk Management companies both in the US and for a leading UK security company.

Crockett has given presentations on safety and security training in several forums in the media, humanitarian (NGO) and energy sectors, including the Media Leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2005. Prior to joining HOPE, he held the position of Chairperson for the Media & Entertainment Working Group for OSAC, a department within the US Department of State. He has been honored by the Royal Television Society, the Overseas Press Club of America, a Golden Eagle Award, and he won Peabody Awards for his roles in CNN’s ‘Terror on Tape’ series and ’72 Hours Under Fire.’

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking 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 fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability from the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationhope.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

ATLANTA – February 1, 2023 – Operation HOPE, Inc., the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to financial empowerment for underserved communities, today announced that Joann Massey will be joining its Senior Leadership team as Senior Vice President of the 1 Million Black Businesses Initiative (1MBB).  

Massey most recently served as the City of Memphis’ Director of Business Diversity & Compliance. In this role, she was responsible for counseling clients on business expansions, acquisitions, procurement opportunities and navigating community and government ecosystems.  Massey is also the Founder & Principal of Lewis Massey Associates, LLC, a boutique consulting  

Firm, where she previously served in a consulting role to help build Operation HOPE’s Government Relations. 

“Joann’s track record proves that she is committed to helping business owners and advocating for economic justice,” said Brian Betts, Operation HOPE President and Chief Financial Officer. “Joann is a familiar and trusted face within the HOPE family. We welcome her to the team and look forward to supporting her efforts to grow our 1MBB initiative, which provides much-needed resources to Black businesses nationwide.”  

Massey is a recognized community leader with accolades such as the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 and Leadership Memphis Executive, among others. She holds a certificate in Economic Development from Harvard University’s Executive Education Program and a Certified Compliance Administrator certification from Morgan State University.  She is also an MBA alumna of Benedictine University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a concentration in Finance. Massey holds a dual Bachelor of Business Administration and Finance degree from LeMoyne Owen College, an Historically Black College & University (HBCU).  

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About Operation HOPE, Inc. 

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking 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 fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationhope. 

Media Contact 

Lalohni Campbell  

Per/Se Media Group, for Operation HOPE 

la@persemediagroup.com 
 

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Harris joins Operation HOPE as Chief People Officer after a 30+ year career as a Human Resources professional. Prior to Operation HOPE, Harris spent over two years as V.P. Of Operations and interim Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay.

As Chief People Officer, Harris will serve as an advisor to the executive management team. Harris will also advise others on the Operation HOPE talent management platform, including performance management programs, workforce development plans, forecasting talent needs and addressing talent gaps.

“As we continue to expand the mission of Operation HOPE, we want to make sure we have the kind of leaders who are passionate about and committed to the work we have been doing since 1992,” said Operation HOPE Chairman, Founder, and CEO John Hope Bryant. “Keith is the epitome of our mission, and we look forward to seeing how he guides HOPE teams to work more efficiently and collaboratively— and ultimately maximize employee potential.”

In addition to his nonprofit experience, Harris’ career journey includes leading human resources functions in several for-profit industries including food and pharmaceutical distribution, loyalty marketing and professional sports and entertainment. Keith possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Florida A&M University and a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Florida Institute of Technology. Harris also served over two years as Chairman of the City of Tampa Mayor’s African American Advisory Committee.

“At Operation HOPE we serve people, and we also make sure that our internal team is being taken care of so that they can grow and do their best work,” said Brian Betts, Operation HOPE President and Chief Financial Officer. “We are confident that the unique skills and experience Keith brings will help ensure HOPE’s diverse employees continue to thrive.”About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking 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 fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationhope.

Media Contact
Lalohni Campbell for Operation HOPE
la@persemediagroup.com

SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.

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ATLANTA—October 4, 2022 – Operation HOPE, Inc., the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to financial empowerment for underserved communities, today announced that it has established its 200^th HOPE Inside office location. This coincides with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Annual Freedman’s Bank Forum, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen and highlighting the Administration’s efforts to increase economic opportunity and growth for communities of color. Inspired by the work of Operation HOPE and HOPE Inside and at the request of its Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant, then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew established the annual Freedman’s Bank Forum and oversaw the renaming of the Treasury Annex Building to the Freedman’s Bank Building.

“Today, Vice President Harris and Treasury Secretary Yellen’s participation in the annual Freedman’s Bank Forum continues to highlight the nation’s efforts to support Black and minority-owned businesses and individuals by empowering them with the tools and knowledge to create their own wealth. Since the inaugural Freedman’s Bank Forum seven years ago, this good work has continued through three different Presidential Administrations. We applaud the Treasury Department, Secretary Yellen and Deputy Secretary Adeyemo for recognizing the importance of the Freedman’s Bank mission and for continuing this legacy on behalf of the Biden Administration,” said John Hope Bryant, Chairman, Founder, and CEO of Operation HOPE. “We are proud of HOPE Inside’s parallel efforts to support low-income communities and communities of color in achieving financial empowerment. In reaching this distinct milestone of 200 HOPE Inside locations, we hope to continue building on this model, ultimately bringing our proven offerings and coaching skills to 1,000 locations across America in the next couple of years.”

Launched in March 1994, the award-winning HOPE Inside model serves clients including individuals, small business owners, disaster survivors and employees with personalized coaching and financial education to equip them with knowledge and tools to create a secure future. Programs and services are offered at no cost to the client and are administered across 200 office locations, which serve an additional 600 satellite sites. HOPE Inside locations are situated inside major bank branches to support individuals and small business owners, and inside corporations and municipal offices to serve as a resource and benefit to employees.

The latest location is in partnership with a leading commercial bank in a community with an average credit score significantly below the national and regional averages. Operation HOPE has partnered with global corporations including Delta Air Lines, UPS and Uber as well as leading global financial institutions including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Truist, US Bank, and Santander and regional banks including First Horizon, Regions and Fulton to deliver HOPE Inside programming and services for customers and employees.

As of the end of last year, HOPE Inside has served more than 4 million clients through offerings including credit and money management coaching, mortgage application assistance, entrepreneur and small business training, financial disaster preparation and recovery, and youth financial literacy programs. HOPE Inside has worked to increase social mobility and intergenerational wealth by assisting clients on their path to homeownership through securing more than $2 billion in mortgages. HOPE Inside has also helped clients increase credit scores by an average of 46 points, reduce debt by an average of $2,600 per client, and increase savings by an average of $300 per client in one year. In addition, HOPE Inside has assisted entrepreneurs and small business owners of color to secure significant funding for their enterprises.

Inspired by the model of the Freedman’s Bank, the post-Civil War savings bank created to support the financial futures of the formerly enslaved, HOPE Inside continues to address the financial needs of low-income communities and communities of color. Today, HOPE Inside operates in nearly all of the same states where the Freedman’s Bank operated in the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, and it has accelerated its growth in the post-COVID and racial reckoning period spanning the last two years.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for everyone—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking 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 fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationHOPE.

Contacts

Bill Mendel
Mendel Communications LLC
bill@mendelcommunications.com
(212) 397-1030

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ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Operation HOPE today announced that civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young and Shopify President Harley Finkelstein have joined the HOPE Global Board of Advisors.

“As the last living link to the incredible journey for social and economic justice started by Dr. King so many decades ago, we are truly honored to have Ambassador Young share his wisdom, perspective and brilliance to help guide us on this unprecedented journey forward.”Tweet this

Ambassador Young, Chairman of the Andrew Young Foundation and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, U.S. Representative and Mayor of Atlanta, and Mr. Finkelstein, President of Shopify, the leading global commerce company powering more than one million entrepreneurs and businesses, join a distinguished Board that consists of some of the country’s top executives in business, banking and the non-profit and NGO sector. HOPE Global Advisory Board members provide guidance and support for Operation HOPE in its commitment to provide financial literacy education and economic empowerment for individuals and small business owners living in under-served communities.

Ambassador Young has been the long-time Global Spokesman for Operation HOPE as well as the Co-Chair and regular speaker at the HOPE Global Forums Annual Meeting. Mr. Finkelstein and Shopify recently partnered with Operation HOPE to launch the HOPE One Million New Black Business & New Black Entrepreneurship Initiative (1MBB) with a goal to help create one million new Black-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2030.

As President of Shopify, Mr. Finkelstein oversees the company’s commercial teams, growth and external affairs. He previously served as Shopify’s Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the company in 2010, he founded numerous startups and ecommerce companies. Recently, he received the Canadian Angel Investor of the Year Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, and was inducted into the Order of Ottawa. Harley has also served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the C100. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Concordia University and a J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Ottawa.

Ambassador Andrew Young was a key confidant and strategist to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the critical years of the civil rights movement. In 1972, he was elected to represent Georgia’s 5th district, the first African-American elected from the South since Reconstruction. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the first African-American to do so. In that role, Ambassador Young established the framework for international negotiations that led to democracy in several nations in Southern Africa. Ambassador Young served as Mayor of Atlanta from 1982-1990, bringing jobs and $70 billion in private investment to the City during a recession. His leadership, vision and global reputation were instrumental in bringing the Centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1996. Ambassador Young retired from GoodWorks International, LLC, in 2012 after well over a decade of facilitating sustainable economic development in the business sectors of the Caribbean and Africa. Ambassador Young has received honorary degrees from more than 100 universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. His many awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NAACP’s Springarn Medal and France’s Legion d’honneur, the nation’s greatest honor.

“I am extremely pleased and honored to welcome Harley Finkelstein and Ambassador Andrew Young, two exceptional leaders and friends of Operation HOPE, to the Global Board of Advisors,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Operation HOPE.

“Harley Finkelstein personifies the ‘PhDo’ approach I speak of regularly, and through his leadership at Shopify, has helped to supercharge our 1 Million Black Business Initiative. Harley does not see a differentiating line between heart and head, or morals vs money. He sees them, as I do, as integrated – that you can do the right thing, ignite growth for people, the private company, and country together. I love the way he thinks, and even better, how he leads.

“Like most of us, I have known ‘of’ Ambassador Young for most of my life, but getting to ‘know’ Ambassador Young as the incredible citizen of the world that he is has been one of the great gifts of my life. Ambassador Young has served as our Global Spokesperson for over a decade, and has been instrumental in the significant growth Operation HOPE has experienced.

“Ambassador Young is my personal hero, and a true moral role model for all who desire to prove that we are one family, living in different home addresses. This is how Young lives his life, as a giver. He has also proven that decency and dignity, and consideration of others, when running and building an economy, works better than most any other model. This was the case during his time as mayor of Atlanta, or co-chair of the Atlanta Olympic Games, or serving on the board of Delta Airlines, convincing them to fly to Africa for the first time. Atlanta is now the biggest economy in the southeast, and the only international city in the American South, and Delta Airlines, one of the best airlines in the world.

“As the last living link to the incredible journey for social and economic justice started by Dr. King so many decades ago, we are truly honored to have Ambassador Young share his wisdom, perspective and brilliance to help guide us on this unprecedented journey forward.”

“John Bryant and Operation HOPE have developed an approach to America that starts with the least of God’s children, offering people a hand-up, not a hand-out. I see the work of Operation HOPE as picking-up where we left off in the great struggle for Civil Rights. It has been an honor to serve as Global Spokesperson for Operation HOPE, and I look forward to contributing further as a member of the Global Board of Advisors,” said Ambassador Young.

“I am incredibly honored to join the HOPE Global Board of Advisors,” said Harley Finkelstein. “I’ve been a longtime admirer of the pivotal work that John and the HOPE team have been championing. I look forward to furthering my and Shopify’s commitment to helping break down barriers to entrepreneurship and providing the tools for success to underrepresented small business owners.”

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through our community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking 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. Project 5117 is our multi-year four-pronged approach to combating economic inequality that aims to improve financial literacy, increase business role models and business internships for youth in underserved communities, and stabilize the American dream by boosting FICO scores. Operation HOPE recently received its sixth consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Prior to Operation HOPE, Nicole was the Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta where she led a talented team of development and marketing professionals in securing the financial resources the organization needed to fulfill its mission of helping youth in Atlanta reach their full potential. Prior to this role, Nicole held various development roles at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta beginning in 2011. Her journey with Boys & Girls Clubs, however, began in 2000 when she accepted a role in the Federal Grants Department at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (the national headquarters). Her responsibilities included federal grant compliance, technical assistance, project management, staff management and department operations. Prior to Boys & Girls Clubs, she held various roles in other youth-serving organizations, schools and government agencies.

She received both her Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Georgia and has devoted her professional career to supporting organizations that strengthen communities. She is a native Georgian and resides in Acworth, Georgia with her husband, daughter, son and two energetic dogs.

When not at work, Nicole can be found at baseball parks and volleyball tournaments cheering on her kids.

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