James Rhee

Founder

, Red Helicopter

James Rhee is an acclaimed impact investor, CEO, and educator. He transforms people, brands, and organizations by identifying and unleashing purpose through the union of mathematical and creative systems. The celebrated story of the re-invention of Ashley Stewart, a brand serving and employing predominantly Black women, under his unlikely leadership as chairman, first-time CEO, and investor (2013-2020), is tangible proof of the power of diverse ecosystems
and a blueprint for multi-stakeholder capitalism.

James catalyzes and invests in leaders who drive change. At Howard University, he serves as the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Entrepreneurship, and Senior Adviser to the newly endowed Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership. He is also Executive in Residence and Strategic Advisor at the MIT Leadership Center, and holds an appointment as Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

As an investor, James has helped manage billions of dollars of growth and distressed capital at two Boston-based institutions, before ultimately founding FirePine Group, a platform that has stewarded the capital of some of the world’s most sophisticated investors. His most current venture, Red Helicopter, is driving change at the intersection of education and money.

He serves as a member of the Advisory Council of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways, a member of the Governing Committee of the CEO Action for Racial Equity, and a Board Director of Conscious Capitalism.

Rhee received his A.B. with honors from Harvard College and his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.