JPMorgan Chase elected Mellody Hobson to its board of directors. Hobson will also join the boards of the company’s affiliates, including JPMorgan Chase Bank, Chase Bank and JPMorgan Chase Holdings.

Concurrently, director Crandall C. Bowles decided to retire from the board and will not stand for reelection in May.

Hobson has served as president of Ariel Investments, a Chicago-based investment management firm, since 2000. In addition, she serves on the boards of Starbucks and The Estée Lauder Companies. Hobson also works with a number of civic, non-profit and professional organizations, including, among others, the Chicago Public Education Fund, the Economic Club of Chicago and the George Lucas Education Foundation. She serves as a regular commentator on financial and investor literary for CBS News, Black Enterprise magazine, and other media outlets.

“Mellody Hobson is one of the most highly respected and knowledgeable leaders in business today, with valuable experience in corporate governance, financial markets, communications and leadership. We are extremely fortunate to attract such an outstanding director to our firm, and we are looking forward to working with Mellody and learning from her,” said Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase.

Mellody Hobson said, “JPMorgan Chase is one of the most dynamic, successful companies in the world today — impacting the financial lives of millions of people and doing so with integrity and expertise. I’m very excited about bringing my knowledge and experience to the company and helping make it an even more valuable resource for its customers and communities.”