NASCAR‘s Managing Director of Social Responsibility, Pete Stuart (’03), a Hart School alumni, visited campus to discuss Driving Progress: Inside NASCAR’s Transformation.

Significant efforts have been made to increase the diversity across the sport of racing, including recruiting and developing Black, Brown and women drivers and pit crew members, banning the confederate flag and taking races to new cities with large diverse racial compositions, like Los Angeles and the upcoming move to host a NASCAR race in downtown Chicago. Read more. 

Hart School alumni, Emmanuel Baiden (’17), visited campus to teach and cook with JMU students from across the university. Baiden is a private chef and the executive chef at Penny’s Wine Shop in Richmond. While visiting JMU Baiden made Korean beef short ribs with sweet potato grits and roasted oysters with apple poblano butter, two of his already famous dishes at Penny’s. Their event ended with an opportunity for students to ask questions and sample Baiden’s dishes, which were greatly enjoyed. Read more.

Image by @Praise.portraits on Instagram.

Former NYC Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver, spoke to students about his “Framework for an Equitable Future,” a roadmap he established to reverse decades of inequity by creating and restoring public places in all five boroughs. Silver sought to transform neighborhoods through the provision of active, inclusive and lively public spaces that would serve as catalysts for community engagement, development and resiliency. Read more or Listen to highlights.

Carnevale recalled how he began his prfessional career working in sales in a presentation titled, “My Journey into Professional Sports Broadcasting.” Students were inspired to follow their passions while remaining flexible in their pursuit of professional goals.

As the senior vice president of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Jason Aughey (‘03) coordinates the commission’s direct sales and marketing strategies and leads the effort in attracting, as well as organizing events of all sizes on behalf of the community. While visiting campus, Aughey presented “Sports Tourism Equals Big Business: An inside look at how Tampa Bay recruits and hosts some of the biggest sporting events in the country.” Read more. 

In collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Student Services, the Hart School hosted season nine champion of the TV series “MasterChef,” Chef Gerron Hurt. The evening highlighted the background and history of Soul Food, with the master chef taking students through a demonstration and answering questions throughout the process. Read more.