The 2025-26 Jepson Leadership Forum addresses the significance of sports in American life. We will explore sports in the contexts of ethical and effective leadership, cultural significance, the impact of analytics, and recent changes to the guidelines governing college and professional sports. Speakers will discuss these topics from a variety of perspectives, drawing on their personal experiences, academic research, and industry expertise.
2025–26 Jepson Leadership Forum Speakers
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Sept. 10 • 5:30 p.m. • Modlin Center for the Arts, Camp Concert Hall
Leadership and Values On and Off the Field
Desmond Howard
A member of ESPN’s College GameDay crew, Desmond Howard covers college football week in and week out during the season. His award-winning and record-setting college career at the University of Michigan earned him the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and first-team All-American honors. His NFL career lasted 11 seasons, during which he also received the Super Bowl MVP award.
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Nov. 17 • 5:30 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center
The Push for Data-Driven Decisions in Sports
Dean Oliver
Currently a data scienctist at ESPN, Dean Oliver pioneered the basketball analytics movement and is the author of Basketball on Paper and Basketball Beyond Paper. He incorporated analytics in his roles in the NBA front offices and as an assistant coach, and helped create ESPN’s sports analytics group in 2011.
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Feb. 2, 2026 • 5:30 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center
When the NBA Became Black: Race and Labor
in Professional Basketball
Theresa Runstedtler
A scholar of African American history and professor and department chair at American University, Theresa Runstedtler's research examines Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, gender, labor, and sport. She is the author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved the Soul of the NBA.
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