{"id":47,"date":"2023-08-25T14:45:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T18:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/?page_id=47"},"modified":"2026-03-19T17:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T21:03:51","slug":"speakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Keynote Speaker<\/h2>\n<h3>Ralph H. Groce III<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/metsymposium\/files\/2026\/03\/17-1856-JUMPGROCE-005.png\" class=\"speaker-photo\" alt=\"Ralph H. Groce III\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><strong>Ralph H. Groce III<\/strong> is an entrepreneur, technology executive, investor, author, and thought leader focused on responsible innovation, capital access, and the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and long-term value creation. He currently serves as <strong>President &amp; Chief Operating Officer of Scroobious<\/strong>, a platform focused on expanding access to capital and strategic support for underrepresented founders. In this role, he works with entrepreneurs, investors, and institutions to help build more inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. He is also the <strong>co-founder and CEO of Knowhere Art Gallery<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Groce brings more than two decades of leadership experience in global financial services and technology. Over the course of his career, he has held senior executive and technology leadership roles at major financial institutions including <strong>Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase, MetLife, <\/strong><strong>Wells Fargo<\/strong>, <strong>BNY Mellon<\/strong>, and <strong>Everest Global Services<\/strong>, where he led large-scale digital transformation initiatives, enterprise technology strategy, and global operations supporting complex capital markets and banking environments.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his corporate leadership experience, Mr. Groce is an active entrepreneur and investor with interests spanning technology, financial markets, and the arts. His work frequently focuses on the discipline of responsible entrepreneurship encouraging founders and business leaders to build organizations that combine innovation with governance, resilience, and long-term societal impact.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Groce is also the author of the book <em><strong>We Have Nothing to Lose: A Dark Optimist\u2019s Call to Action<\/strong><\/em>, which explores leadership, risk, resilience, and the importance of disciplined optimism in navigating periods of profound technological, economic, and societal change.<\/p>\n<p>He is deeply engaged in education, mentorship, and civic leadership. Mr. Groce serves as <strong>Chairman of the Boston University Metropolitan College Advisory Board<\/strong>, helping guide initiatives that expand access to professional education and leadership development. He serves on the <strong>board of trustees of Johnson C Smith University<\/strong>. And he is also active in nonprofit and cultural organizations, including service on the <strong>Board of Directors of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A graduate of <strong>Boston University<\/strong>, Mr. Groce earned degrees from the <strong>College of General Studies, the Questrom School of Business, and Metropolitan College<\/strong>, reflecting a lifelong commitment to interdisciplinary learning and professional growth.<\/p>\n<p>Through his writing, speaking, and leadership, Mr. Groce advocates for a forward-looking model of entrepreneurship one that balances innovation with responsibility and recognizes that the most enduring enterprises are those built with integrity, discipline, and a commitment to strengthening the communities they serve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keynote Speaker Ralph H. Groce III Ralph H. Groce III is an entrepreneur, technology executive, investor, author, and thought leader focused on responsible innovation, capital access, and the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and long-term value creation. He currently serves as President &amp; Chief Operating Officer of Scroobious, a platform focused on expanding access to capital [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19676,"featured_media":551,"parent":0,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1053,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions\/1053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/metsymposium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}