Mellody's Expertise
Mellody is responsible for management, strategic planning and growth across all areas of Ariel. Prior to being named Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, Mellody spent nearly two decades as the firm’s President and currently chairs the board of Ariel Investments’ publicly traded mutual funds. In 2021, she co-founded Ariel Alternatives and its inaugural private equity fund, Project Black® where she currently serves as CEO. In 2025, she founded Project Level® with the goal of transforming women’s sports. Beyond Ariel, Mellody serves as a director of JPMorgan Chase and is the former chair of Starbucks Corporation. She previously served as a long-standing board member of the Estée Lauder Companies and as chairman of the board of DreamWorks Animation, overseeing its sale in 2016.
Mellody is a well-recognized financial literacy advocate. Mellody wrote a New York Times bestselling children’s book, Priceless Facts about Money, to demystify money for young readers. She is also co-chair of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and a board member of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the George Lucas Educational Foundation, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Mission 44 US. Mellody is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Executive Committee of the Investment Company Institute, the LA28 Olympic Games and past chair of the Economic Club of Chicago and After School Matters, a Chicago non-profit that provides area teens with high-quality after-school and summer programs.
She earned her AB from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. In 2019, Mellody was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award, the university’s highest honor presented annually to a Princeton graduate whose career embodies a commitment to national service. She has also received honorary doctorate degrees from Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, St. Mary’s College and the University of Southern California. In 2015, Time Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential People” in the world.
