Hill Harper

Hill Harper Speaker Biography

Award Winning TV & Film Actor, NY Times Bestselling Author, Education and Youth Advocate

Hill Harper is an award-winning actor, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, diversity speaker, and nationally recognized advocate for education, financial literacy, and youth empowerment. A seven-time NAACP Image Award winner, Harper is best known for his role as Dr. Marcus Andrews on ABC’s hit medical drama The Good Doctor, as well as his acclaimed portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on the long-running CBS series CSI: NY. His extensive television and film career also includes appearances in Homeland, Limitless, Covert Affairs, Law & Order, He Got Game, Concussion, All Eyez on Me, and A Sun Is Also a Star.

Beyond entertainment, Harper has become one of the country’s most influential voices on leadership, economic empowerment, education, entrepreneurship, social justice, and diversity and inclusion. As a sought-after diversity speaker, he helps organizations foster inclusive cultures, strengthen leadership pipelines, and create greater opportunities for underserved communities. In 2024, he was the first African American Democratic candidate to seek a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan in nearly three decades, further expanding his work as a civic leader and advocate for economic opportunity and community development.

Civil Rights and Public Service

Harper has devoted much of his career to advancing civil rights, educational opportunity, and economic inclusion. He has served as a national spokesperson and advocate for organizations including The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Innocence Project, One Fair Wage, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Black Bank Foundation and was named Honorary National Co-Chair of the Redevelopment of Black Wall Street initiative. These experiences provide Harper with unique insights as a diversity speaker, allowing him to address equity, opportunity, representation, and social impact from both personal and professional perspectives. In recognition of his commitment to public health, President Barack Obama appointed Harper to the President’s Cancer Panel, where he helped shape national cancer prevention and treatment policy. A thyroid cancer survivor himself, Harper has become a respected advocate for health awareness, prevention, and wellness.

Bestselling Author and Youth Advocate

Harper is the author of several acclaimed books focused on personal development, financial literacy, relationships, and empowerment. His New York Times bestselling titles include Letters to a Young Brother, Letters to a Young Sister, The Conversation, and The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place. His groundbreaking work Letters to an Incarcerated Brother addresses the challenges of mass incarceration and the importance of hope, accountability, and opportunity. His debut book, Letters to a Young Brother, was named a “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association and continues to inspire young people across the country. Extending his commitment to mentorship and education, Harper founded The Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, which provides scholarships, mentoring, leadership development, and educational opportunities to underserved youth. He also established The Pierce and Hill Harper Arts Foundation to support arts education and creative expression.

Education

A lifelong advocate for learning, Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where he was valedictorian of his department. He later earned a Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School and a Master’s degree with honors from Harvard Kennedy School. His academic achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including ten honorary doctoral degrees from institutions such as Howard University and other distinguished colleges and universities. Harper is also a proud Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the nation’s first intercollegiate African American fraternity, whose members have long championed scholarship, leadership, and public service.

Entrepreneur and Investor

In addition to his work in entertainment and philanthropy, Harper is an accomplished entrepreneur and investor. His business interests span hospitality, consumer products, financial technology, real estate, and community development. He owns Detroit’s Roasting Plant Coffee franchise, co-founded A-Frame Brands, co-owns the award-winning International House Hotel in New Orleans, and serves on the board of LOVED01, the skincare company founded by John Legend. Harper has also been active in advancing financial literacy and economic empowerment through technology and innovation. In 2021, he helped launch The Black Wall Street digital financial platform, designed to increase access to financial education, investing, and wealth-building opportunities.

Leadership, Diversity, Financial Literacy, and Social Impact Speaker

Hill Harper’s unique combination of success in entertainment, business, education, and public service makes him one of today’s most compelling keynote speakers. Drawing from his experiences as an actor, entrepreneur, bestselling author, cancer survivor, investor, and community advocate, Harper delivers inspiring presentations on leadership, diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, education, social impact, and purpose-driven success. As a highly respected diversity speaker, he helps audiences explore the connections between opportunity, representation, economic empowerment, and community leadership while inspiring meaningful action. Recognized by People magazine and numerous national organizations for both his professional achievements and humanitarian work, Harper continues to inspire audiences worldwide to pursue excellence, overcome obstacles, build wealth, strengthen communities, and create lasting change. His unique perspective as an actor, entrepreneur, bestselling author, youth advocate, and diversity speaker makes him a powerful voice for organizations seeking to engage audiences around leadership, inclusion, and social impact.

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Hill Harper Speaking Topics

Manifesting Your Destiny & Conquering FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real)

Fear is the number one thing that holds the vast majority of us back from living our best lives and truly manifesting our destiny. Inspired by Nelson Mandela's philosophy "...that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it,” Harper will explore fear and the limitations that fear puts on the individual's potential. Harper helps develop the tool kit we need to identify our most debilitating fears and sharpens our self-awareness to enable us to conquer them. By reinforcing his personal philosophy that we all have our own unique and purposeful driven destiny, Harper's speech teaches us about the critical value of perspective in order to live fulfilled and lives at home, school, or in the workplace.

Black Lives Matter and the Legacy of King

In this speech, Hill Harper encourages the audience to find their purpose and lean into it just like King. Hill Harper first realized how much industry and money affects incarceration when he joined the Innocence Project, an organization that works to exonerate individuals who it claims have been wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reform the criminal justice system. According to Hill, you can’t have social justice without economic justice. He finds it imperative that the wealth gap in this country is something we need to look at and deal with. We need to see how it’s completely linked to the situation of incarcerated people. Referencing the destruction of the Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 where a flourishing community of Black-owned businesses was looted and bombed by a white mob, Harper envisions a new Black Wall Street that cannot be torn down. Technology will allow us to create our own virtual Black Wall Street. Harper, who is currently working on creating a platform that would facilitate this ideal, connects his work to the Black Lives Matter Movement and legacy of King. He hopes that formerly incarcerated individuals will be able to use the platform to find employment.

The Blueprint: Being an Active Architect of Your Own Life

We all have the potential to create the life we desire. Harper compares the individual's ability to build his or her own life, to an architect's design skills. An architect starts with a blueprint. The building shown on the blueprint is gradually erected and the structure is built. Harper explains how we can develop blueprints with the plans for our own lives. His speech coaches us to be active architects of our own lives, with a few simple tools. Harper leaves his audience inspired to both seek and create opportunities that empower them to use their unique creative skills and abilities.

Energy & Innovation in the Workplace: Reinvigorate Your Mind & Ideas

High-performing individuals and organizations understand how to cultivate positive energy and maintain momentum during periods of change. Harper shares strategies for overcoming mental barriers, sustaining creativity, and maximizing personal and professional performance. Attendees gain actionable tools for maintaining focus, resilience, and innovation in demanding environments.

The Conversation: Building Stronger Relationships Through Communication

Based on his best-selling book, Harper offers a thoughtful and engaging examination of communication, trust, and relationships. Through practical examples and audience interaction, he explores how men and women can strengthen personal and professional relationships through active listening, empathy, honesty, and meaningful dialogue.

Sailing the Seven C's of Success

One of Harper's most requested presentations, this keynote explores the principles that have guided his own life and career: Creativity, Courage, Character, Confidence, Commitment, Completion, and Calm. Through personal stories and practical lessons, Harper demonstrates how these seven qualities can help individuals achieve success while remaining grounded in purpose and integrity.