Steering Committee 

Jason W. Young

Jason Young is a fierce proponent of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and the pursuit of knowledge.  He has learned from personal experience that embracing these ideals can lead to self-determination and prosperity, and most importantly, the ability to contribute to one’s community.  His journey began nearly two decades ago when at the age of nine he had the chance to work for his friend’s father, a local plumber and small business owner.  Inspired by the example which had been set, it was only a matter of time before he launched his own endeavors.  In 1995, Jason became one of the country’s youngest travel agents at the age of 13.  After several prosperous years as a travel agent, Jason decided to switch to a career that would better leverage his strengths as an accomplished student and seeker of knowledge.  In 1997, New World Tutoring Services was formed with the goal of helping underperforming students realize their full academic potential.  The company’s successes included teaching a 7-year-old girl to read and helping a 40-year-old business student ace her statistics class.

In 2000, after graduating as the first black valedictorian from Pacific Hills High School (formerly Belair Preparatory School), Jason chose to further his entrepreneurial endeavors by, ironically, choosing a school that lacked an undergraduate business program, Harvard College.  During his time at Harvard, he shifted his focus to social entrepreneurship.  As the vice president of the Harvard Black Men’s Forum, Jason helped to renew the organization: more than doubling its membership, raising nearly $200,000 (making it Harvard Colleges third highest-grossing student organization), increasing attendance at its flagship event, the Celebration of Black Women by 10-fold and establishing a scholarship for young black women who demonstrate both academic excellence and strong leadership potential.

After graduation, Jason went to work for Merrill Lynch.  As part of a two-man team, he played a major role in determining Merrill Lynch’s pricing strategy for the company’s wrap products (8 wealth management platforms spanning nearly a quarter trillion dollars in assets).

In 2007, Jason left to join Nvest, Inc., a stealth mode startup with the mission of providing everyday investors with high quality investment research at a reasonable price (for free).  As a product manager for Nvest, Jason led their efforts to build out their data platform and their personal finance section. He also managed a team of over 40 contributors.  In 2009, Jason left to launch his own venture, which focuses on providing unbiased financial guidance to students and young professionals.

Jason serves on the steering committee of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, a scholarship program dedicated to developing successive generations of African-American leadership.  He also serves on the boards of the Harvard Club of San Francisco and the Harvard Black Alumni Society.