Janice Bryant Howroyd

At-a-Glance

First African-American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company.
Founder and CEO of The ActOne Group since 1978, a global leader in human resources.
Authored "The Art of Work – How to Make Work, Work for You!" (2009) and "Acting Up – Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom" (2019).
Received a key presidential appointment by President Barack Obama in 2016 to the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Serves on boards including the United States Department of Labor's Workforce Initiative Board and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board of Directors.
Inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the BET Honors Entrepreneur Award in 2008.

Biography

Janice Bryant Howroyd is an entrepreneur, businesswoman, and author, recognized as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The ActOne Group. Founded in 1978 with an approximate budget of $1,000, ActOne Group has grown to become the largest privately held, minority-woman-owned personnel company in the U.S. Howroyd is also noted as the first African-American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company.