Registration
Join us for a moderated discussion led by former UofL basketball player, Luke Whitehead '04 and panelists Wade Houston '66, '73 and Eddie Whitehead '67, two of UofL's first Black athletes from the 1960s. During this meaningful discussion, our panelists will share their experiences, on and off the court, and what it was like to be the first Black basketball players in UofL history. As pioneers that broke the color barrier, Houston and Whitehead helped pave the way for future Black athletes and students at the University of Louisville.
As part of the registration process, attendees are encouraged to submit questions for the panelists to be answered during the Q&A portion of the event.
This event is part of the Black Alumni Summit. Be sure to register for our other events.
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Date & Location
Date: 10/23/2020
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom Video Conferencing
Luke Whitehead '04
Moderator
Luke Whitehead is a diversity & inclusion professional, motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur. He is well known in the Kentuckiana area for being a former UofL men's basketball star. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in communication in 2004.
Luke went on to play professional basketball for six years. He traveled the world playing the game he loved in Australia, Germany, Korea, and the Philippines. In 2010, he retired from basketball to pursue a new dream.
Luke is the Founder & CEO of Mixed Nation, a multicultural brand and movement with more than 500,000 supporters worldwide. He runs a successful website and online store. Mixed Nation offers diversity & inclusion consulting and training for organizations, groups, and schools. Luke recently joined Brown-Forman to lead Diversity & Inclusion for the USA and Canada regions.
Wade Houston '66, '73
Panelist
Wade Houston is the owner and co-founder of Houston-Johnson, Inc. (HJI Supply Chain Solutions). The Louisville-based company has provided logistics services to leading corporations since 1994. HJI is the largest minority-owned transportation company in North America. Wade, Eddie Whitehead, and Sam Smith were the first African Americans to play basketball at UofL. The three all played on the freshman team in 1962-1963 before joining the varsity team the following season. Wade played and coached professional basketball in France and served as head coach at Ahrens and Male High School. He later became an assistant coach at UofL. In 1989, Wade became the first Black head coach in the SEC when he accepted the position at the University of Tennessee. Wade is a founder of The Back Coaches Association and co-founder of the African American Business Alliance.
Eddie Whitehead '67
Panelist
Eddie Whitehead serves as managing principal at Whitehead Venture Partners, LLC. Both he and his wife Lynn formerly had successful careers in real estate. Eddie served as president and CEO of KPST Channel 66 in San Francisco and Golden Link TV. He was also president and general manager of HSN Broadcasting in Florida and president of Whitco Broadcasters and J-Pax Broadcasters. After college, Eddie served four years in the Air Force.
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