Ted Gonder

Ted Gonder (born January 4, 1990) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founding CEO of Moneythink, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building the financial capability of young adults through technology-enhanced peer mentorship. Until July 2015, he was also a member of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans.

Ted Gonder
Born
Theodore Gonder

(1990-01-04) January 4, 1990
La Crescenta, CA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
OccupationCEO and Co-Founder, Moneythink

Early years and education

After seeing Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth and attending the 2006 Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation Seminar, Gonder launched Project Cooldown, a nonprofit that brought climate change awareness campaigns to high schools across his native California.[1] In 2007, The Climate Project, an organization founded by Gore, appointed Gonder as a student advisor.[2]

Gonder earned a BA in Geography from the University of Chicago. As a student at the university, he co-founded Moneythink as a service learning club. Gonder also founded the University of Chicago Entrepreneurship Society (now called Edge UChicago).

Career

In 2008, Gonder, Shashin Chokshi, David Chen, and Greg Nance established the “American Investment Fellows” club at the University of Chicago based on Nance’s idea to send students from the university’s investment club into local high schools to teach workshops.[3] After the success of a pilot program at the South Shore School of Leadership, the initiative began to spread to campuses across the country. In 2009, the organization was officially rebranded as Moneythink, at which point Morgan Hartley joined as the organization’s fifth co-founder.

In 2011, Gonder interned at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he researched the relationship between government and startups in Chile.[4] After completing his assignment in Chile and returning to the U.S. later that year, he decided to pursue Moneythink as a full-time venture.

In 2012, Gonder spoke on behalf of Moneythink when it was named a White House Champion of Change, and declared that the organization’s goal was to make youth financial capability a social norm in the U.S. by 2030.[5][6] He also became the organization’s first executive director.

From February 2012 to May 2013, Gonder served as entrepreneur in residence at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he collaborated with other entrepreneurs and senior government officials on initiatives to streamline pathways for foreign entrepreneurs to more easily immigrate to the U.S., grow businesses, and create jobs.[7][8]

In June 2013, Gonder founded the World Economic Forum's Chicago Global Shapers hub.[9] He remains an active Global Shaper today.

From February 2014 to June 2015, Gonder served on the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. The council’s report addressed methods of improving the financial capability of young people in the U.S., including better financial education training for teachers; more access to information about post-secondary education for low-income and minority youth; greater involvement of cities and local communities in young adults’ financial education; and increased integration of technology in promoting access to finance.[10]

Honors and awards
  • In 2015, Gonder was named to Forbes' “30 Under 30 in Finance”. He was the youngest person on the Finance list.[11]
  • In 2014, Gonder was named a Bluhm-Helfand Social Innovation Fellow by Chicago Ideas Week.[12]
  • In 2014, Gonder was named to Crain's Chicago Business's "Twenty in their 20s" list.[13]
  • In 2013, Gonder was awarded the Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs award by The Hitachi Foundation.[14]
  • In 2013, Gonder was named a New Leaders Council Chicago Fellow.[15]
  • In 2013, Gonder was named an Emerging Leader by TEDxMidwest.[16]
  • In 2012, Gonder was named a White House Champion of Change.
  • In 2012, Gonder became a Kairos Society K50 entrepreneur.
  • In 2011, Gonder became a StartingBloc fellow.
  • In 2011, Gonder was selected as an Opportunity Scholar at the first annual Opportunity Nation Summit.
  • In 2010, Gonder was awarded a Jefferson Award for Public Service for Outstanding National or Global Service by a Young American Twenty-Five Years or Under.[17]

References
  1. Shen, Jason (2011-06-11). "An Embarrassed Eagle Scout: Ted Gonder in Kick Ass Interview 5". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  2. "Ted Gonder's profile on Big Think". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  3. "Moneythink: History". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  4. Gonder, Ted. "Why entrepreneurs should join the government". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  5. Reef, Leor (2012-04-13). "White House Campus Champion Teaches Young Americans Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  6. Gonder, Ted (2012-03-15). "Abandoning Mediocrity and Seizing Opportunity". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  7. Escobar, Felicia and Doug Rand (2012-04-19). "Entrepreneurs in Residence: Start Your Engines..." Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  8. Gonder, Ted (2013-05-09). "My Experience with the Entrepreneur in Residence Program". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  9. "Ted Gonder – Moneythink". Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  10. "President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans Final Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  11. "2015 30 Under 30: Finance". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  12. "Leslie Bluhm, David Helfand and Chicago Ideas Week Announce 2014 Bluhm/Helfand Fellows". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  13. Kapos, Shia. "Twenty in their 20s: Ted Gonder". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  14. "Moneythink's Ted Gonder accepts Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs award". 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  15. "2013 NLC Fellows: Chicago". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  16. "TEDxMidwest Emerging Leaders Program". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  17. Gonder, Ted (2013-02-19). "Moneythink and Opportunity Nation". Retrieved 2015-07-13.
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