Janice Howroyd
Born 1952 · Age 73
Entrepreneur, founder and CEO of The ActOne Group; first African-American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company. Author, business leader and frequent advisor to government and nonprofits.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Tarboro, North Carolina
Janice Bryant born as fourth of 11 children in Tarboro, NC.
Participated in high school desegregation
As a teen, she was one of the first African American students to take part in desegregation of her town's high school in Tarboro.
Enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University
Attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (degree in business education reported by some sources). Exact enrollment/graduation years not publicly specified.
Graduated college (approx.)
Reported alumna of North Carolina A&T State University with a business education degree; exact graduation date not given so date is estimated.
Hired as temporary secretary at Billboard magazine
Worked as a temporary secretary for her brother-in-law Tom Noonan at Billboard; exposure to executives and travel helped shape her future business.
Moved to Los Angeles with minimal savings
Packed up and moved from Tarboro, NC to Los Angeles with only a small amount of money (sources report $900, $1,000, or $1,500).
Founded The ACT•1 Group (ActOne)
Launched Act 1 (now The ActOne Group) from a small Beverly Hills office (noted as in front of a rug shop in some sources). Initial start-up capital variously reported as $900–$1,500 or about $1,000.
Tom Noonan first client
Tom Noonan (her brother-in-law) is cited as Act 1's first client, helping the company get early traction.
ActOne Group – created multiple staffing and services subsidiaries (ongoing)
Over time ActOne expanded to include companies and brands such as AppleOne, All's Well, AT-Tech, ACT-1 Personnel Services, Agile-1, ACT-1Govt, A-Check Global, DSSI. Specific founding/acquisition dates vary and are not specified in the provided sources.
Married Bernard Howroyd
Janice Bryant married Bernard Howroyd (marriage year listed as 1983; spouse later died in 2020).
Received BET Honors Entrepreneur Award
Honored at The BET Honors with the Entrepreneur Award.
Published 'The Art of Work'
Published The Art of Work: How to Make Work, Work for You! (Act1, 2009).
Served on various boards and advisory bodies (ongoing)
Has served on boards and advisory groups including U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Initiative Board, Women's Business Enterprise National Council, WeConnect, National Utilities Diversity Council, Harvard Women's Leadership Board, California Science Center, Los Angeles Urban League, and ITAC on Services & Finance (dates vary).
Named to National Association of Women Business Owners Hall of Fame (reported)
Reported NAWBO Hall of Fame honoree (citation in Wikipedia unsourced); included with lower confidence.
Inducted into National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame
Recognized by the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame (2015 class).
Became officer (Treasurer) of Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board
Since 2016 served on the CBCF Board of Directors as an officer and Treasurer.
Received Black Enterprise A.G. Gaston Award
Honored by Black Enterprise with the A.G. Gaston Award (2016).
Joined Board of Trustees, North Carolina A&T State University (reported)
Listed as serving on the Board of Trustees for her alma mater North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (exact appointment date not specified in provided sources).
Appointed ambassador to Department of Energy Minorities in Energy Initiative (reported)
Named an ambassador of the U.S. Department of Energy's Minorities in Energy initiative (date not precisely stated; listed among her public service roles).
Appointed to President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs
President Barack Obama appointed Howroyd to the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Joined FCC Diversity Committee
Named to the Federal Communications Commission's Diversity Committee (reported September 2017).
Recognized widely in media as a trailblazer
Featured in major media outlets (Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, NPR) as the first African-American woman to run a billion-dollar business and as an influential entrepreneur and speaker.
Recognized as first African-American woman to run a $1B company
Profiled in Los Angeles Times as the first African-American woman to build and run a billion-dollar business (ActOne annual revenue milestone reported at ~$1B).
Interviewed on NPR 'How I Built This'
Featured on NPR's How I Built This (episode about The ActOne Group and her entrepreneurship).
Published 'Acting Up'
Published Acting Up: Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom (Lioncrest, 2019).
Death of spouse, Bernard Howroyd (reported)
Wikipedia entry lists spouse Bernard Howroyd (m. 1983) as having died in 2020; details sparse in provided sources.
ActOne achieves Ecovadis Silver and UN Global Compact membership
ActOne Group attained Silver Ecovadis sustainability rating and joined the United Nations Global Compact (reported by company materials; date around 2021).
Named Black Enterprise Woman of the Year (reported)
Company site and press list cite Black Enterprise's 2022 Woman of the Year recognition for Howroyd.
Received Women's Entrepreneurship Day Business Pioneer Award at UN
Received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization Business Pioneer Award at the United Nations (award recognized in Congressional Record, Nov 17, 2022).
Profiled by Harvard Business Review; Forbes list mention
Harvard Business Review profile (Feb 2, 2023) notes she recently made Forbes' list of the wealthiest self-made women in the U.S.
ActOne company scale reported (multiple figures)
Various 2024 sources report ActOne Group operating in 19–32 countries, employing ~2,600 people, serving ~17,000+ clients, and generating multi-billion-dollar annual revenue (reports vary: ~$3.0B–$3.4B).
Net worth estimate reported by AfroTech
AfroTech profile (Dec 12, 2024) estimates Janice Bryant Howroyd's net worth at $675 million and lists ActOne as generating ~$3 billion in revenue and operating in 32 countries with 17,000 clients.
Honorary membership inducted, Delta Sigma Theta (reported)
Listed as a 2025 honorary membership inductee into Delta Sigma Theta sorority (reported in press coverage of 2025 induction class).
Key Achievement Ages
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