The first African-American woman to own a billion-dollar company, founder and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd launched ACT•1 Group in 1978 with $1,500; now it is the largest workforce solutions company founded in the US by a minority woman. Believing people perform best when their personal strengths are developed and challenged, Bryant Howroyd aims to provide the firm’s employees with an innovative learning- and service driven environment. Bryant Howroyd has been nationally recognized by past and present presidential administrations as well as for board of director assignments to women’s support organizations, and has traveled to more than 50 countries promoting education and the powerful impact it has on communities both domestically and globally. She has appeared on the Staffing 100 list for three years.