Our squad
Our captains
As Co-CEO, Mellody is GM and Head Cheerleader, responsible for management, strategic planning and growth for all areas of Ariel. Additionally, she chairs the board of the company’s publicly traded mutual funds. Mellody joined Ariel in 1991 and spent nearly two decades as the firm’s President. In 2021, she co-founded Ariel Alternatives, LLC, and helped launch its inaugural private equity fund, Project Black®.
Beyond Ariel, Mellody serves as director of JPMorgan Chase and is the former chair of Starbucks Corporation. Mellody was a long-standing board member of the Estée Lauder Companies and former chair of the board of DreamWorks Animation, overseeing its sale in 2016. She is deeply committed to philanthropy and is a well-known advocate of financial literacy. In 2024, Mellody published a New York Times bestselling children’s book, Priceless Facts about Money. She earned her AB from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.
As Managing Partner and Head of Investments, Jason is the quarterback of Project Level, responsible for deal sourcing and execution while also overseeing due diligence, portfolio management and value creation.
Jason previously served as President of the Washington Commanders-the first Black president in the 105-year history of the National Football League (NFL), the youngest during his tenure and only the fourth former NFL player to serve in that role. At the Commanders, he was responsible for all business operations, helped secure development rights to the RFK stadium site, and helped facilitate the sale of the team at a record high. Prior to the Commanders, Jason was a partner at McKinsey & Company. He spent seven years as a running back in the NFL and served as team captain and NFLPA player representative for the Arizona Cardinals. Jason holds a BA in psychology from Northwestern University where he was an Academic All-American student-athlete, and a two-time All-Big Ten football selection. He earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Emma serves as Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Board Secretary where she runs interference for Ariel Investments and its affiliates. As a member of the Operating Committee, Emma works closely with the Co-CEO and President on all administrative, operational and business strategies along with other governance matters.
Prior to Ariel, Emma served as general counsel, chief compliance officer and board secretary at LGIM America, a $220 billion asset management firm. She also was general counsel at Mesirow Advanced Strategies. A former partner in the investment management practice of the law firm Faegre Drinker, she began her career at Sidley Austin LLP. Emma is an independent director of First Bank Chicago. She is a founder and board member of Angeles Investors, a Latino-focused angel investing group. She serves on the board of Chicago television stations WTTW as well as the Chicago classical music station WFMT. A native of Puerto Rico, Emma graduated summa cum laude with a BA in international business from Saint Louis University and earned her JD from the University of Chicago Law School.
Starting lineup
Playing both offense and defense, Asrat is responsible for sourcing and executing investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, and implementing portfolio management and value creation strategies. Before joining Ariel, Asrat served as Chief of Staff to Jason in his role as president of the Washington Commanders. During his tenure, the Commanders successfully transitioned to a new ownership group, renovated their stadium, onboarded new leadership, secured a stadium naming rights deal and helped pass a bill in Congress.
Prior to the Commanders, Asrat worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company where he focused on growth and transformation strategies in the media, sports, retail and private equity industries. His contributions to McKinsey’s sports practice included analyzing Gen Z sports fan behavior and exploring the future of college sports. Born and raised in Ethiopia, Asrat earned a BS in human biology and an MS in management science and engineering from Stanford University.
As Project Level’s running back, Rebecca leads all financial analysis and modeling for pre-acquisition due diligence as well as portfolio management and value creation strategies.
She joined Project Level from Guggenheim Partners, where she served as a vice president and credit portfolio manager, overseeing over $5 billion in portfolio assets. In her various roles at Guggenheim, she had the opportunity to also perform due diligence across asset classes, including handling special situations and real estate investing. Rebecca received her BA in history from Williams College, where she was a member of a multi-year National Tennis Championship team and was a multi-year All-American athlete.
As a utility player, Kayla conducts market research to help drive strategy and identify growth opportunities, while also supporting due diligence and portfolio management initiatives.
Before Ariel, she was a senior business analyst at McKinsey & Company, advising private equity and corporate companies on buy- and sell-side due diligence, growth strategy and operational improvements. Kayla holds an AB in social studies and a secondary in romance languages and literature from Harvard College, where she was honored as a George Peabody Gardner Fellow.
As a student of the game, Tina supports the team with financial modeling, underwriting new opportunities and monitoring existing portfolio companies.
Before joining Ariel, she was a senior private equity associate at Solamere Capital where she reported on portfolio companies across the sports and media, consumer and business services industries. Previously, Tina was a senior analyst in McKinsey & Company’s private equity division as well as a consultant for Dedham Group in New York City. She graduated with a BA in health sciences and a minor in corporate strategy from Vanderbilt University.
Our coordinators
Carlos is Chief Financial Officer of Ariel Investments and its affiliated entities, including Ariel Alternatives and Project Level. He is responsible for financial functions across all corporate entities, including financial reporting, corporate development, planning and analysis, accounting, and capital management. Carlos is also a member of Ariel’s Operating Committee and the chair of Ariel Alternatives’ and Project Level’s valuation committees, which determine the valuation of portfolio companies in the private asset portfolios. Carlos brings extensive experience in strategic planning, decision support and financial systems within the asset management industry.
Prior to joining Ariel, Carlos served as director of financial planning and analysis at Morgan Stanley’s subsidiary, Eaton Vance, where he was responsible for financial oversight across active equity and alternatives strategies within Eaton Vance Management, Parametric, Calvert, and Atlanta Capital as well as all financial reporting for their mutual fund entities, including corporate investor relations.
Previously, he was the global finance manager for State Street Global Advisors’ (SSGA) investment management division and oversaw financial reporting, planning and controls for the firm’s global equities, fixed income, private equity, and other alternative strategies and products. During his tenure at SSGA, Carlos oversaw the lift-out and ongoing financial management of SSGA’s alternative strategies expansion, including serving on the acquisition and integration team for the GE Asset Management ($100 billion AUM) acquisition, which involved integrating active equity, private equity, private credit, and real estate franchises into SSGA.
Early in his career, Carlos held various leadership roles at BNY Mellon Investment Management, ultimately as regional CFO for the Southeast practice, which at the time totaled over $9 billion in assets under management.
Carlos serves on the boards of Hope for Kasai, a non-profit bringing education and resources to the youth of Kasai Oriental in Congo Africa, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which fosters a deeper understanding of global affairs through community engagement. He also sits on the advisory board of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America. Carlos earned his BBA in corporate finance from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Angela handles fund-specific financial reporting, accounting, audits, tax coordination and treasury management functions for Project Level.
Prior to joining Ariel, she was director of finance at Willowridge Partners, where she led financial operations, audits, tax planning and reporting and compliance. Previously, Angela served as fund controller at both GCM Grosvenor and Credit Suisse (now UBS Group AG).
She began her career as a senior auditor at EisnerAmper LLP. Angela earned a BA from China’s Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and received an MBA in accounting and finance from the University at Buffalo. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Our directors and advisors
Beth is the Former Global Vice Chair of Public Policy at Ernst & Young where she was also a member of the firm’s global executive board. Among other endeavors, she currently serves on the board of the New York Times Company as well as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Beth pioneered the seminal research showing a correlation between success in sports and success in life for girls. More specifically, her work revealed 94% of women in the C-Suite played sports and over half of them played at the university level.
Lewis is a seven-time Formula One Champion and the most decorated driver in the history of the sport. Recently signed to drive for the Ferrari F1 team, he is the only Black driver on the track and the only F1 driver to be knighted while still competing. Lewis is a capsule collection designer for Men’s Dior and the founder of Mission 44 which works to bring minorities and women into F1.
Queen Latifah is a Grammy-award winning, Emmy-award winning and Academy Award-nominated rapper, singer and actress. She currently stars in and executive produces the hit television series “The Equalizer.” In addition to global fame and numerous accolades, she is a two-time New Jersey state high school basketball champion.
Cynt is the Former CEO of the Dallas Mavericks-the first Black woman CEO in the NBA. During her tenure, she helped launch a new TV partnership and oversaw a stadium upgrade. In 2023, she helped guide the sale of the franchise. Before the Mavericks, she served in executive roles at AT&T for 36 years.
Stella is the named founder of the British fashion house distinguished by its design as well as its focus on sustainability. Her successful activewear collection combines high-performance and high-style-including collections for running, swimming, yoga and tennis. In 2012 and 2016, Stella designed the Great Britain Olympic and Paralympic team uniforms. She was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III in 2023.
Steve is the Former President of the New York Knicks and Former Chief Operating Officer of Madison Square Garden where he oversaw the business operations of the NY Knicks, NHL’s Rangers and WNBA’s New York Liberty. Prior to the Garden, he worked for the NBA for 16 years. Steve currently serves on the boards of AMC Networks, MSG Sports, Selective Insurance Group and the Ladies Professional Golf Association as well as the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Anthony is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the nation’s premier defender of civil liberties. Under his leadership, the organization experienced prodigious growth, dramatically increasing membership, staff and budget. He currently serves on the advisory council of the Global Forum for Freedom and Justice and on the board of directors of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. In 2005, he was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 most influential Hispanics in America. Anthony received an AB from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and earned a JD from Stanford University. In 2020, he was awarded Princeton University’s highest honor presented annually to a graduate whose career embodies a commitment to national service.
John is Co-Founder and Former CEO of Meadowlark Media. From 2012 to 2017, he served as President of ESPN, where he transformed the network by securing a series of long-term, multiplatform agreements with major rightsholders, including the NBA, MLB, the College Football Playoff, major college conferences, U.S. Open Tennis, and the Rose, Sugar and Orange Bowls. John is also an active philanthropist, serving on the boards of such organizations as the Institute for Sports and Social Justice, Glasswing and Pacunam.
Directors and advisors will be appointed prior to the fund’s initial closing. Directors are members of the board of directors of Project Level Management Company, LLC (the “Investment Manager”)-with fiduciary responsibility for the Investment Manager. The Investment Manger serves as the investment adviser of Project Level Fund, LP (the “Fund”). Mellody Hobson and Jason Wright also serve as directors of the Investment Manager. Advisors are members of the Fund’s board of advisors, providing non-fiduciary advice regarding the strategy and investments of the Fund.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
