Name:		Ms. Mellody Hobson
		Month:		June/July/August 2005
		Schools:		Princeton BA 1991, Woodrow Wilson School of International Relations and Public Policy
		Organization:		Ariel Capital Management, LLC
		Title:		President

Mellody Hobson is President of Ariel Capital Management, LLC - a Chicago-based investment management firm founded in 1983. With over $21 billion in assets under management, the firm manages separate accounts for institutional clients and also serves individual investors and 401(k) plans through its no-load Ariel Mutual Funds. In her capacity as President, Mellody is responsible for firm-wide management and strategic planning. She is a graduate of Princeton University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of International Relations and Public Policy.

Mellody is actively involved with a variety of civic and professional institutions. Her community outreach includes her role as a board member of the Chicago Public Library as well as its foundation, The Field Museum, The Chicago Public Education Fund and The Sundance Institute. She is also a director of three public companies: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Starbucks Corporation. Additionally, she serves as a Trustee of Princeton University and a Term Member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. Mellody is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago; the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Young President's Organization (YPO).

Mellody's extensive media experience includes her role as a regular financial contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America." In 2004, The Wall Street Journal profiled Mellody as one of 50 "Women to Watch" in the corporate world. In 2004, Time magazine identified her as one of 25 business influentials setting the global standards for management, ethics, marketing and innovation. In 2002, Esquire Magazine named Mellody as one of "America's Best and Brightest" emerging leaders. In 2001, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland named her a Global Leader of Tomorrow (GLT), and Fortune Magazine recognized her as one of 25 "Next-Generation Global Leaders."