On an island that welcomed millions chasing the American Dream, this year’s honorees prove that dream is still very much alive
Last night, Chaitra and I had the honor of standing on sacred American ground — Ellis Island — to celebrate some extraordinary people we are proud to call friends.
We were there as the personal guests and friends of Sarah Friar, the Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI, a board member of Operation HOPE and a dear friend, who was among 76 distinguished Americans receiving the 2026 Ellis Island Medal of Honor during a black-tie gala in the historic Great Hall. We were joined by Sarah’s husband, also our dear friend David Riley, members of her family, and their other close friends. It was the kind of evening that reminds you why you do the work.
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is among the most prestigious awards in our nation, officially recognized by both the United States Senate and House of Representatives, with each year’s recipients entered into the Congressional Record. Since 1986, it has honored Americans — both native-born and naturalized — whose contributions reflect the rich mosaic of this country. Past recipients include eight U.S. Presidents, Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, Muhammad Ali, and Malala Yousufzai. To be in that company is to be in rare air.
Sarah Friar belongs in that rare air. And I do not say that simply because she is a friend.
Sarah’s story is inspiring. She grew up in the small town of Sion Mills in Northern Ireland during some of that region’s most turbulent years. She won a scholarship, earned an engineering degree from the University of Oxford, completed her MBA at Stanford as an Arjay Miller scholar, and went on to build one of the most remarkable careers in global finance and technology — from Goldman Sachs, to Salesforce, to taking Square public as its CFO, to leading Nextdoor as CEO, and now serving as the first-ever Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI, arguably the most consequential technology company of our generation. She sits on the board of Walmart (and because of that and Sarah we now also have a strong partnership between Walmart and Operation HOPE). She was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to entrepreneurship. She co-founded Ladies Who Launch, a nonprofit empowering women entrepreneurs.
But here is what means the most to me: Sarah Friar also serves on the board of Operation HOPE, Inc. She is a major investor in our work — not just financially, but intellectually and spiritually. She does not just write checks. She shows up. She leans in. She brings the full weight of her brilliance and her network to the mission of economic empowerment and financial dignity for everyone. Sarah understands, as I do, that free enterprise and capitalism are not the problem — they are the solution, when everyone has a seat at the table.
Her journey from a small town in Northern Ireland to the C-suite of OpenAI is the American Dream in action. And that is exactly what the Ellis Island Medal of Honor was created to celebrate.
I also want to recognize several other friends who were honored last night.
Dominic Ng, the Chairman and CEO of East West Bank, received the Medal, and it could not be more deserved. Dominic has transformed East West from a small savings and loan into one of the most successful banks in America, with more than $80 billion in assets — all while staying true to the institution’s original mission of serving underbanked communities. East West Bank has been named the number one best-performing bank in the United States by S&P Global, and Dominic was named Banker of the Year by American Banker. He has been an early and enduring supporter of Operation HOPE, Inc., and I am proud to call him a friend and ally in the work of financial inclusion.
Beatriz “Bea” Perez, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Communications, Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships Officer at The Coca-Cola Company and Chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation, was also among the honorees. Bea has spent more than three decades at Coca-Cola, rising from associate brand manager to one of its most senior leaders, pioneering the company’s sustainability vision, and stewarding partnerships that have touched communities around the world. She is a friend of Operation HOPE, Inc. and a friend of mine, and her recognition is well earned. And she is also just very good people. Always trying to get caught ‘doing good.’
HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States — the first woman in her country’s history to hold that role — and a history maker in her own right on so many levels (including the empowerment of women in Saudi Arabia and around the world) also received the Medal. Ambassador Reema has dedicated her career to the advancement of women and social progress, from co-founding the Zahra Breast Cancer Association to serving on the International Olympic Committee. She is a trailblazer, and a dear friend. I am so proud of her, also.
Standing in the Great Hall at Ellis Island — the very room where twelve million immigrants once stood, hearts pounding, clutching their papers and their dreams — I was reminded of something I believe deeply. The American story is not a finished story. It is written fresh every generation by people who believe that where you start does not determine where you end up.
That is the story of Sarah Friar. That is the story of Dominic Ng. That is the story of Bea Perez. That is the story of Ambassador Reema. And if I am being honest, it is my story too.
Congratulations to all 76 honorees of the 2026 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. And a special, personal congratulations to Sarah — my friend, my partner in this mission, and now, an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient.
You earned this. All of it.
Let’s go.
John Hope Bryant — founder of Bryant Group Ventures, Operation HOPE, Inc, publisher of the Bryant Journal and author of his 7th book Capitalism for All: Inclusive Economics and the Future Proofing of America, now a bestseller. Bryant was recently named a member of the Forbes 250.
