85 Millennium - Twenty-third Edition BUSINESS, FINANCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Jourdan Marie Hathaway grew up without reliable electricity or air conditioning, napping in a shopping cart outside her grandmother’s house because it was too hot inside. She did not have the word for poverty; she just knew it was not the whole story. The unlikely catalyst for what came next was a black-and-white television and a sitcom, “Bewitched.” To the young Ms. Hathaway, it was a portal that made a simple equation click: advertising leads to success. So, she decided, quietly and completely, that she would become an ad woman. Getting there required a high degree of resourcefulness. She wrote her story on notebook paper, gathered her report cards, and, along with scholarship applications, went door-to-door asking local business owners to sponsor her college education. Some said no. Many said yes. That early lesson became a leadership principle she still carries: your story, honestly told, can move resources in your direction. She also learned what it meant to feel trapped, and what it felt like when someone handed her a tool that made escape feel possible. It planted a commitment to mentorship that never left her. Additionally, she believes there is a duty to pay forward the time and generosity others invested in you, creating environments where everyone can grow, innovate and thrive. Ms. Hathaway spent a decade building her craft at advertising agencies before a pivotal opportunity arrived. When a senior executive operations role came her way, it demanded financial fluency she had not yet developed. Rather than retreat, she built it herself. She designed her own professional development plan, called Project FLAT (Financial Literacy Advancement Training), mapping her gaps, enrolling in coursework, studying earnings calls and P&Ls, and networking relentlessly with finance leaders who helped her course-correct in real time. Then, she published the entire playbook online for free so others could use it too. Today, Ms. Hathaway serves as chief business officer and chief marketing officer at General Assembly, a global leader in AI training. Her mission there is personal: democratizing access to skills and careers that can change someone’s trajectory, the way her own did. JOURDAN MARIE HATHAWAY CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER General Assembly Maitland, FL Millennium Magazine Featured Listee
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