Richard Lapchick
"Leaders Breaking Down Barriers: Sport as a Model to Bridge the Racial Divide"
Underwritten by: The Richard & Helen De Vos Foundation

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“Sports captures people’s imaginations, their love, their hate, their passion,” said Richard Lapchick, chair holder at the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sport Business Management Program and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. He believes that sport can be an effective instrument of positive social change and can be used to break down barriers between different racial groups. Lapchick, often described as ‘ the racial conscience of sport,’ will challenge the audience as leaders in their community to address the crises faced by America’s youth from violence to drugs. He will draw from his own experience as the son of Joe Lapchick, the famous Original Celtic center who became a legendary coach for St. John’s and the Knicks.

• Endowed Chair/Director of De Vos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida
• Executive Director, National Consortium for Academics and Sports
• First recipient of the Ford Foundation’s Martin Luther King Fellowship for research on international race relations
• Author of “Leaders Breaking Down Barriers: Sport as a Model to Bridge the Racial Divide”