James Rhee
James Rhee is a high school teacher, Harvard Law graduate, and private equity investor who became the unexpected Chairman and CEO of Ashley Stewart, where his transformative partnership with a primarily Black female employee and customer base shocked the business community and inspired the world. His TED Talk and Dare to Lead interview with Brené Brown have captured the imagination of millions. red helicopter—a parable for our times captures the full insights and essence of his unprecedented story.
As the John H. Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Howard University, James teaches the red helicopter operating system of life, money, and joy. He also teaches at MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School, where his class, “The Way It All Works,” has been wildly popular for nearly a decade.
James’s processes and ideas have been tested and proven in the private sector for over 25 years, and his influence continues to have an outsized impact with change-oriented leaders and organizations across many disciplines and industries. After helping manage billions of dollars of private equity in elite Boston-based firms, James started a family-office investment platform, FirePine Group, which has stewarded the capital of some of the world’s most sophisticated investors and continues to provide capital to entrepreneurs creating true systemic value. He serves on the Board of Directors of Xponance, a more than $16-billion asset management and investment firm focused on emerging manager strategies. And he is a former honoree of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program, as well as a former board member of the National Retail Federation, whose foundation honored him with its Power Player Award, given to the CEOs who have the greatest impact on the future of retail.
A charter member of the Advisory Council of JP Morgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways and the Governing Committee of the CEO Action for Racial Equity, James’s civic contributions have been recognized by multiple communities and groups: he was a Frederick Douglass honoree of the New York Urban League, the recipient of the Council of Korean Americans’ Trailblazer Award, and an honoree of One To World’s Fulbright Award. Global pioneer in social entrepreneurship Ashoka elected him as a member of its Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and is a former director of Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater.
Formerly an editor of Harvard Law Review, James has now written his first book, red helicopter―a parable for our times, and various music and multimedia projects related to it are in progress. He lives outside Boston with his wife and three children.
As the John H. Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Howard University, James teaches the red helicopter operating system of life, money, and joy. He also teaches at MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School, where his class, “The Way It All Works,” has been wildly popular for nearly a decade.
James’s processes and ideas have been tested and proven in the private sector for over 25 years, and his influence continues to have an outsized impact with change-oriented leaders and organizations across many disciplines and industries. After helping manage billions of dollars of private equity in elite Boston-based firms, James started a family-office investment platform, FirePine Group, which has stewarded the capital of some of the world’s most sophisticated investors and continues to provide capital to entrepreneurs creating true systemic value. He serves on the Board of Directors of Xponance, a more than $16-billion asset management and investment firm focused on emerging manager strategies. And he is a former honoree of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program, as well as a former board member of the National Retail Federation, whose foundation honored him with its Power Player Award, given to the CEOs who have the greatest impact on the future of retail.
A charter member of the Advisory Council of JP Morgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways and the Governing Committee of the CEO Action for Racial Equity, James’s civic contributions have been recognized by multiple communities and groups: he was a Frederick Douglass honoree of the New York Urban League, the recipient of the Council of Korean Americans’ Trailblazer Award, and an honoree of One To World’s Fulbright Award. Global pioneer in social entrepreneurship Ashoka elected him as a member of its Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and is a former director of Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater.
Formerly an editor of Harvard Law Review, James has now written his first book, red helicopter―a parable for our times, and various music and multimedia projects related to it are in progress. He lives outside Boston with his wife and three children.
