Ariel Investments Board of Directors

John W. Rogers, Jr.

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Ariel Investments

John is the founder, chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments. He specializes in small and mid-cap U.S. equities and serves as the Lead Portfolio Manager of the firm’s flagship Ariel Fund, as well as its mid-cap value counterpart, Ariel Appreciation Fund. Additionally, as the firm’s chief investment officer, he manages Ariel’s small, small/mid and mid-cap institutional portfolios. John serves on the board of directors of Aon Corporation; Exelon Corporation and McDonald’s Corporation and is also actively involved in various local and national non-profit organizations. In 2008, he was awarded Princeton’s highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, bestowed annually on a graduate whose career embodies a commitment to national service. Additionally, following the election of President Obama, John served as co-chair for the Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009. He earned an AB in economics from Princeton University.

Charles K. Bobrinskoy

Vice Chairman, Director of Research
Co-Portfolio Manager, Ariel Focus Fund

Charlie manages Ariel’s Investment and Trading Teams and also serves as the firm’s director of research. Additionally, he is co-portfolio manager of Ariel Focus Fund and the Ariel Focused Value Product, concentrated portfolios investing in mid-to-large cap companies. Charlie brings more than two decades of investment experience to the firm. Prior to joining Ariel in 2004, he spent 21 years as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and its successor company, Citigroup, where he held many leadership positions, most recently managing director and head of North American Investment Banking Branch Offices. Beyond his work at Ariel, Charlie serves on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry, La Rabida Children’s Foundation, the Big Shoulders Fund, the Juvenile Protective Association and Duke University’s Library Board. He is also a member of the board of directors of InnerWorkings, Inc., a publicly traded print procurement company. Charlie graduated from Duke with an AB in economics and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Dr. James E. Bowman

Professor Emeritus, The University of Chicago

Dr. Bowman is professor emeritus, Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Committee on Genetics, Committee on African and African American Studies, and a senior scholar, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. He has authored over ninety scientific publications and two books in the fields of human genetics. He served the U.S. Department of State, Committee for Science Cooperation between the United States and Iran, was a consultant to the Department of Education, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Defence Forces, Laboratory Program. Additionally, he was an external examiner, the Department of Pathology, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Dr. Bowman received both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Howard University. He was a fellow in Genetics, Galton Laboratory, University College London and a fellow, Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA.

Barbara Burrell

President, Burrell Realty

Barbara established Burrell Realty, a Chicago-based residential and commercial real estate brokerage firm in 1996. Prior to her real estate career, she spent more than 15 years with Burrell Communications Group, a leading advertising and public relations company. As a principal of the firm and eventually its vice chairman, Barbara was instrumental to the company’s significant growth and outreach nationwide. In addition to her professional leadership, Barbara is involved in various civic organizations and has been an active volunteer in the Chicago Public School system for a number of years. Barbara graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BS in education.

Mellody Hobson

President, Ariel Investments
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ariel Investment Trust

As president of Ariel Investments, Mellody is responsible for firmwide management and strategic planning. Additionally, she has become an important and nationally recognized voice on financial literacy and investor education. She is a regular financial contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America and a spokesperson for the annual Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey, which examines the investing habits of Black and White Americans. She is also a regular columnist for Black Enterprise. Mellody serves on the board of directors of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.; The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Starbucks Corporation. She also serves on the Investment Company Institute’s board of governors and is a director of a various professional and civic organizations. She is a former trustee of Princeton University and received her undergraduate degree from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Relations and Public Policy.

Henry B. Pearsall

Former Chairman, Sanford Corporation

From 1969 to 1994, Hank worked for Sanford Corporation in a variety of capacities, including president, chairman and chief executive officer. Prior to his career at Sanford, Hank was president of Ovaltine Products in the Philippines; former counsel for The Wander Company in Chicago and an attorney at the firm of Hopkins and Sutter. He serves as a director and chairman emeritus of the board of Oak Park River Forest Bankshares, a one-bank holding company; principal and director of Pearsall et Pere, a real estate development company in Chicago; and a trustee of The Morton Arboretum. Hank earned a BA degree from Amherst College and a JD degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Robert Solomon

Robert I. Solomon

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Ariba, Inc.

As a senior vice president for Ariba, Inc., Bob reports to Ariba’s CEO and is responsible for the company’s Ariba Network. Prior to joining Ariba, he served as senior vice president of corporate services at Silliker Laboratories Group, Inc. In this capacity, Bob was responsible for corporate marketing, sales, information technology, and human resources. He also served as vice president of sales and marketing for the Food Ingredients Division of The NutraSweet Company, a division of Monsanto Corporation. Additionally, Bob was an associate consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Bob graduated from Princeton University with an AB in economics.

David J. Vitale

Retired Chief Administrative Officer, Chicago Public Schools

David is the former chief administrative officer, senior advisor to the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Board of Trade and a former vice chairman and director of Bank One Corporation. David also serves in the following capacities: trustee of the Glenwood School for Boys; trustee of the Museum of Science and Industry; trustee and vice chairman of the board of The Art Institute of Chicago; and member of the board of managers of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. He is a graduate of Harvard University and earned an MBA from The University of Chicago.

Paula Wolff

Senior Executive, Chicago Metropolis 2020

Paula serves as senior executive at Chicago Metropolis 2020, a civic organization implementing policy initiatives and programs for regional action. She served as president of Governors State University and director of policy for Governor James R. Thompson. She has taught public policy at Northern Illinois University, Governors State University and Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Paula has a BA from Smith College, as well as an MA and a PhD from the University of Chicago in political science. She serves on various boards, including The University of Chicago Medical Center, The University of Chicago board of trustees, the Johnson Foundation, the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Joyce Foundation.