Ouachita is great because the people of Ouachita are Difference Makers. The "Difference Makers" section of this website will be bringing you some of their stories.
More Difference Makers
- Gov. Mike Huckabee
- Rex M. Horne Jr.
- Bill Downs
- John Ware
- Jeanie Curry
- Jane Chu
- Bobby Shepherd
- Gene Whisenhunt
- Rex Nelson
- David Uth
- Julie B. Bowman
- Kevin Heifner
- Donna Adkins
- Zine Smith
- Ryan Hankins
John Ware
Bachelor of Arts, 1973
President/CEO, 21st Century Group
Dallas, Texas
“At Ouachita, I learned not to take situations
at face value,
but instead ask questions, seek
advice from trusted advisors 
and set a vision
for the future.” —John Ware
Fast Facts about John Ware:
- John is president and CEO of the 21st Century Group, a successful private equity firm located in Dallas with over $80 million of institutional capital under management.
- Black Enterprise magazine named him one of the “75 Most Influential Blacks on Wall Street” in October 2006.
- John served as city manager for Dallas, Austin, Newport News (Virginia) and New Rochelle (New York). During his stint as city manager of Dallas, Financial World named Dallas the “Best Managed City in the Country.”
How Ouachita prepared him for careers in public service and business:
- John says that Ouachita instilled in him a sense of purpose and boldness when it comes to tackling challenging projects and career goals.
- His college mentor was Jim Ranchino, who encouraged his students to question everything and take nothing at face value...even if a professor said it!
- John’s colleagues at Syracuse University—the majority of whom were Ivy League graduates—were at first skeptical of his college degree. “They said, ‘You graduated from Washa-what in Arka-where?’ They stopped laughing after they posted the nine week grades.”