Chris Gardner
Christopher Gardner is the owner and CEO of Gardner Rich, as well as an ardent philanthropist. Overcoming poverty and tremendous other obstacles to pursue a career in finance, he chronicled his story in an autobiography that became both New York Times and Washington Post No. 1 best-sellers and that later served as the basis for the movie The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. He worked through homelessness to earn a spot in Dean Witter Reynolds’ training program and later became one of Bear Stearns’ top earners. Gardner has earned myriad awards and honors for his involvement with homelessness initiatives and for his dedication to improving the well-being of children.