In celebration of our 40th anniversary, Black Enterprise is taking a look both forward and backward at the world of black business. Our list of 40 Next celebrates the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
These BE Nexters–those 21—35 years old making a measurable impact within their respective business, organization, industry, or field–are standouts in the areas of entrepreneurship, corporate America, academia, nonprofit, the arts, and the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). And they prove every day that “business as usual” is not so usual. For them, leveraging expertise in one area to maximize an opportunity in another is standard operating procedure.
Using the legacy of their business predecessors to forge their own way, this new generation of leadership accepts the torch without trepidation. But the commonality between then and now is that success still takes a focused, strategic, and passionate mindset. Here, we introduce you to one of our 40 Next.
Duane Jackson, 27
Investment Specialist
U.S. Department of Treasury
Washington, D.C.
As an investment banking associate at Merrill Lynch, Jackson witnessed the ravages of the financial crisis firsthand. With a specialty in executing mergers and acquisitions and other capital-raising activities, the Chicago native realized his skills could serve his country. In 2009, he joined the U.S. Treasury Department as an investment specialist with the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and is the youngest member and only African American on TARP’s 20-person Chief Investment Office team.
Education
The George Washington University – B.B.A. with a dual concentration in Finance and International Business, Graduated 2005
Favorite Book
Business: Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Leisure: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
BE Manifesto
I aspire to form a career investing in and advising businesses in U.S. Emerging Domestic Markets with the goal of revitalizing underserved communities while achieving market rate investment returns.