From the Streets to the Suites — And Now to the Future
This week in Minnesota, I had the honor of speaking at BestPrep’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Fifty years strong.
But this wasn’t just an anniversary event.
It was a reminder that movements evolve.
In the 20th century, we had a movement in the streets.
In the 21st century, we must have a movement in the suites.
And Minnesota understands that.
5,000 Volunteers. That’s a Movement.
BestPrep has mobilized more than 5,000 volunteers — business leaders, professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs — who show up as role models for young people across the state.
Five thousand.
That’s not a program.
That’s infrastructure.
That’s what happens when the business community decides that economic preparation is not optional — it’s essential.
These volunteers walk into classrooms.
They mentor.
They coach.
They expose students to career pathways.
They help young people see what is possible before the world tells them what is not.
This is what I call a “movement in the suites.”
Corporate leaders stepping beyond profit margins and into purpose. Not as charity — but as enlightened self-interest.
Because talent is evenly distributed. Opportunity is not.
BestPrep is in the opportunity business. And the talent development business.
Honoring the Founder: Bob Kaitz
None of this happens without vision.
Founder Bob Kaitz saw something fifty years ago that many did not: that business and education must not live in separate worlds.
He understood that preparation creates confidence, and confidence creates mobility.
Institutions don’t just appear. They are built — brick by brick, volunteer by volunteer, relationship by relationship.
Bob Kaitz helped build an institution that now shapes thousands of lives every year.
That is legacy.
Welcoming the Future: Jason Sanders
Every great institution must evolve.
I was pleased to meet Jason Sanders, BestPrep’s new President.
Leadership transitions are moments of vulnerability for organizations — but they are also moments of renewal.
Jason inherits a powerful foundation.
Now his opportunity is scale.
Because the next 50 years will not look like the last 50.
They will move faster.
They will be more digital.
They will require new literacies.
And that brings me to what walked across the stage.
HOPE 2 — The Future on Four Legs
At the celebration, I introduced HOPE 2, a Unitree Go2 Pro robotic dog — part of Operation HOPE’s new HOPE AI initiative.
Some smiled.
Some leaned forward.
Some were unsure what they were looking at.
But everyone understood the message:
The future is not coming.
It is here.
AI literacy is not optional.
Financial literacy is not optional.
They are the new civil rights issues of the 21st century.
Minnesota recently enacted a financial literacy requirement for every graduating high school student. That is leadership. And many of the individuals responsible for making that happen are part of the BestPrep support family.
That’s what alignment looks like.
Policy.
Institutions.
Volunteers.
Business leaders.
Students.
Working together.
From Financial Literacy to AI Literacy
The last movement in the streets demanded access.
This movement in the suites must demand preparation.
Preparation now includes:
• Financial literacy
• Credit literacy
• Entrepreneurial literacy
• AI literacy
Because if we don’t teach our young people how money works — money will work against them.
And if we don’t teach them how AI works — AI will work around them.
Through HOPE AI, Operation HOPE is building pathways to ensure underserved communities are not left behind in the AI revolution.
Imagine the power of BestPrep’s 5,000 volunteers combined with HOPE AI’s tools and curriculum.
Imagine financial literacy plus AI literacy in every Minnesota classroom.
Imagine preparing not just students — but families.
That is scalable transformation.
Shared Opportunity
There is already a baseline for partnership.
U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo supports both BestPrep and Operation HOPE. Greg Cunningham, our mutual primary leader within US Bank in MN, was present, supportive and I was honored — introduced me before I spoke.
That matters.
When corporate partners support aligned missions, you create synergy — not duplication.
Minnesota has the ingredients:
• A 50-year institution in BestPrep
• A statewide financial literacy graduation requirement
• Engaged corporate leadership
• Policy alignment
• Community credibility
And now — the opportunity to expand into AI literacy at scale.
The Next 50 Years
The 20th century movement fought for rights.
The 21st century movement must fight for readiness.
BestPrep has proven that volunteers can change a state.
The next step is proving that institutions working together can change a nation.
Fifty years ago, Bob Kaitz planted a seed.
Today, under Jason Sanders’ leadership, that tree can grow even taller.
And if BestPrep and Operation HOPE come together intentionally — Minnesota could become a national model for integrating financial literacy, AI literacy, and business mentorship into one cohesive ecosystem.
That’s not just celebration.
That’s strategy.
The movement in the streets changed laws.
The movement in the suites must change lives.
And the future — powered by preparation — is just getting started.
— John Hope Bryant
