Age40 years old years old

Hometown Chicago, IL

Claim to Fame Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ariel Investment Trust; President, Ariel Investments

Bio Busy is an understatement for Hobson. The 40-year-old Chicago native and Princeton graduate rose from intern to president of Ariel Investments, a firm that’s responsible for billions in assets. She serves on the board of directors for DreamWorks Animation SKG, The Estée Lauder Companies, and Starbucks Corporation. But she’s not just concerned with big business. Turn on the television to find her dishing out personal finance advice on ABC’s Good Morning America or read her column in Black Enterprise magazine. This May she hosted Un-Broke: What You Need To Know About Money, an ABC show that featured appearances by Will Smith, The Jonas Brothers, and Oscar The Grouch. Somehow the spokeswoman for the annual Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey finds time to date filmmaker George Lucas and sit on the boards of the public library and education fund in her hometown.

Quote “[Financial literacy] should be taught in every classroom, promoted in every workplace, and discussed at every dinner table.”