John W. Rogers Jr.

Why He Matters

A long-time fundraiser for President Barack Obama, Rogers was one of the top presidential campaign bundlers, raising more than $500,000. He’s also a friend. In the early 1990s, Rogers got to know Obama well, working on a voter registration drive in the African-American wards of Chicago. In time, the relationship deepened because Obama married the “little sister” of Rogers' buddy Craig Robinson, a Princeton basketball teammate.

Rogers still remembers the speech that launched Obama’s first race for the Illinois Senate, when he was wowed by his friend’s “unbelievable” ability to communicate. It was “inspiring.” From that day forward, Rogers raised funds for all Obama campaigns, including his races for Illinois Senate, Congress and U.S. Senate.WhoRunsGov.com interview with John W. Rogers Jr.

Raising money for the presidential campaign required extensive contacts, but little persuasion. “People were so excited to help in any way they could. I’ve never seen anything like it.”…They’d ask 'what’s the maximum I can give?' You never get that.”WhoRunsGov.com interview with John W. Rogers Jr.

Despite his famous friends, Rogers is described as down-to-earth by his best friend, Education Secretary Arne Duncan. A frequent McDonald’s patron, Rogers “treats the homeless guys exactly how he treats Barack. I think that’s so rare,” said Duncan in an interview.WhoRunsGov.com interview with Arne Duncan

Unlike Duncan, Rogers is staying in Chicago during Obama’s White House run, but expects to continue as an informal adviser on the issues dear to him: business, education, and diversity.WhoRunsGov.com interview with John W. Rogers Jr.

Rogers helped raise money and plan for the inauguration. His priority was to make events open, like never before, to people from all walks of life. He worked especially hard to make sure older, pioneering civil rights activists attended, despite the shortage of tickets.WhoRunsGov.com interview with Desiree Rogers

Path to Power

Rogers is the son of a prominent Chicago lawyer, the late Jewel Lafontant — an African-Amercian Republican who worked in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations — and Democratic Cook County Juvenile Court judge John W. Rogers Sr. Attending University of Chicago Lab School, Rogers made lifelong friends, some of whom are prominent members of Obama’s White House team.WhoRunsGov.com interview with John W. Rogers Jr. and Desiree Rogers

John Rogers Sr. nurtured an early interest in the stock market in his son, giving birthday and Christmas gifts of stocks that paid dividends.WhoRunsGov.com interview with John W. Rogers Jr. Rogers graduated with a degree in economics from Princeton in 1980, where he was captain of the varsity basketball team.Princeton University biography Three years later, with financing from friends and family Rogers founded an investment management firm, Ariel Capital Management, now known as Ariel Investments.Young, Lauren, “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” SmartMoney Magazine, March 2002

Passing along his father’s lessons, Rogers Jr. now nurtures an interest in the economy and the stock market in young Chicagoans as benefactor of a public elementary school named Ariel Community Academy that specializes in teaching financial literacy to kids. His company has donated more than $3 million dollars to the school since it opened in 1996, and helps raise more from other donors. The idea for an academy to teach financial literacy grew out of a non-profit offshoot of Ariel, led by Arne Duncan, now Obama's Education Secretary. Incoming classes get a $20,000 stock portfolio to manage, and share in the profits when they graduate eighth grade. Ariel lets students attend board meetings, and arranges for big-name guest speakers such as movie-maker George Lucas, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), and Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto.WhoRunsGov.com Interview with John Rogers Jr. and Arne Duncan, Ariel Community Academy annual report

He’s also served as director of the Chicago Urban League and president of the Chicago Park District, and in 2008 received the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award honoring Princeton alums whose lives embody the ideals expressed in President Woodrow Wilson’s speech “Princeton in the Nation’s Service.” Rogers was the first African American recipient of the award.Arne Duncan biography

Before the recession hit, Ariel had grown to employ 100 and manage $15.5 billion in client assets. But over the course of 2008, as the stock market dived and nervous clients pulled out their money, the portfolio dwindled to $7.1 billion.Princeton University biographyThis past summer, for the first time, Ariel had to lay off 19 employees. “It’s a sad day for all of us,” Rogers told ChicagoBusiness.com at the time. “The hugs and tears were unimaginable.”WhoRunsGov.com Interview with John Rogers Jr.,

Rogers still plays basketball, on occasion with Obama. He was on the court with the President on Election Day. “You pinch yourself sometimes,” he says.

The Issues

At 50, Rogers is old enough to remember the epic civil rights struggles during Dr. Martin Luther King’s day, but too young to have been involved. He is keenly aware of this, and contributes personal and financial capital to contemporary civil rights causes, including better schools for inner city kids, fundraising for the first African-American Senator from Illinois, Carol Moseley Braun (D), and advocating for business opportunities for African-American professionals and firms.Ariel Investments biography

Over the years, Ariel has chosen to invest in small and medium sized firms that have stellar histories but are currently out of favor. Rogers says their investment style is similar to Warren Buffett’s.Strahler, Steven R., "Ariel sees first layoffs amid market woes," Crain's Chicago Business, August 15, 2008

The Network

From his University of Chicago Lab School chums to fellow Princeton alums, to Chicago political and business elites, Rogers’ network is hard to beat.

Shortly after returning to Chicago from Princeton, he met Mayor Richard M. Daley at a party, and helped his early mayoral campaigns, in 1983 (when he lost to Chicago’s only elected African-American mayor to date, Harold Washington) and 1989 (which Daley won). He got to know Daley’s wife Maggie through charity work, and today, is close family friends with the Daleys.WhoRunsGov.com Interview with John Rogers Jr and Young, Lauren, “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” SmartMoney Magazine, March 2002 One of Ariel’s vice presidents is a Daley in-law. Aimee Daley, VP of marketing communications, is married to the Mayor’s nephew, Bill Jr.WhoRunsGov.com Interview with John Rogers Jr and Young, Lauren, “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” SmartMoney Magazine, March 2002

“He’s a person who develops longterm friendships,” says ex-wife Desiree Rogers.WhoRunsGov.com Interview with Desiree Rogers Two Ariel officials, Charlie Brobrinski and Bob Solomon, went to University of Chicago Lab School with him, as did Arne Duncan and Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Duncan calls Rogers the most influential figure in his life, other than his parents. At the K-12 U. of C. Lab School, Duncan admired Rogers and the other older basketball players, and despite a six-year age gap, he “took me under his wing.” Rogers later hired Duncan to run his non-profit educational foundation.

As part of the Obama team, Rogers has the ear of economic advisor Austan Goolsbee. He relays stories of the economic pains felt by small businesses and corporate America  from his perspective as a board member of three publicly-traded Chicago-area corporations: Aon Corporation, Exelon Corporation, and McDonald’s Corporation.Novak, Tim, "Company that hired mayor's nephew wants to take over Midway Airport," The Chicago Sun-Times, June 1, 2008

In conversation, Rogers repeatedly credits Princeton basketball coach and mentor, Pete Carril, whose lessons on teamwork he absorbed.

Finally, he maintains a cordial relationship with his ex-wife, Desiree Rogers, the incoming White House social secretary, even suggesting her as a contact for this profile. The next generation, daughter Victoria, is a freshman at Yale.

Campaign Contributions

In addition to funds raised and donated to Obama’s presidential race Rogers and Ariel have contributed large sums to state and local campaigns.WhoRunsGov. Interview with Desiree Rogers Rogers personally donated $100,000 to the 2007 re-election of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and $36,500 to Rod Blagojevich’s campaigns for governor. Ariel Capital gave another $72,750 to elect, and re-elect, Blagojevich.WhoRunsGov. Interview with John Rogers Jr.

Over the past ten years, Rogers personally contributed $278,000 to local and state campaigns; Ariel donated $626,000.Center for Responsive Politics and Illinois State Board of Elections Web site