Operation HOPE Launches “HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors” Program, Uniting Influential Leaders to Advance Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment Nationwide

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping low-and moderate-income Americans thrive in an ever-changing economy, announced today the launch of its HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors program, a collaborative effort bringing together a distinguished group of cultural leaders, athletes, executives, and media voices to accelerate the organization’s mission to expand financial literacy and economic opportunity across the United States.

The inaugural class of HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors will serve as visible advocates for financial dignity, leveraging their platforms to elevate awareness, inspire action, and support community-based engagement aligned with Operation HOPE’s national initiatives.

Confirmed HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors include:

• Arik Armstead, NFL player
• Terron Armstead, former NFL player
• Morris Chestnut, actor and entrepreneur
• Ronnie DeVoe, singer
• Bill Duke, actor and director
• Elle Duncan, sports anchor
• Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner
• Kelsey Grammar, actor and producer
• Charlamagne tha God, radio and TV personality
• Howard Hewett, singer-songwriter
• Boris Kodjoe, actor and philanthropist
• Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner
• Killer Mike, rapper, activist, businessman
• Norm Nixon, former NBA player
• Nicole Ari Parker, actor and entrepreneur
• Stephen A. Smith, sports commentator
• Ndamukong Suh, former NFL player

“This program represents the next evolution of how we scale impact,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE. “These individuals are leaders in their fields and trusted voices in communities that need access, tools, and belief. Together, we are building a cultural movement around financial literacy—one that meets people where they are and moves them toward economic self-determination.”

The HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors will support Operation HOPE’s national campaigns, participate in key moments such as Financial Literacy Month and the annual HOPE Global Forums, and engage directly with communities through mentorship, storytelling, and on-the-ground activations. Beyond amplifying the organization’s initiatives across media and social channels, they will help bridge cultural relevance with practical impact—encouraging individuals and families to take actionable steps toward building credit, growing businesses, and achieving long-term financial stability.

As Operation HOPE continues to expand its national footprint, the HOPE Goodwill Ambassadors program reinforces the organization’s commitment to pairing grassroots action with influential advocacy, bridging inspiration and implementation at scale.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $4.5 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.