Wally "Famous" Amos to Speak at Norfolk State University

AMERIGROUP Foundation to Sponsor April 22 Event

NORFOLK, Va.  — Wally “Famous” Amos, entrepreneur, author, talent agent and founder of Famous Amos Cookies, will speak Tuesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at Norfolk State University’s L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center. The event, which is part of the AMERIGROUP Foundation’s Leaders Forum, is free and open to the public. 

Last year, Norfolk State University received a $50,000 grant from the AMERIGROUP Foundation to fund a Leaders Forum for its School of Business. Amos is the third distinguished speaker in the forum to discuss the intricacies of business including entrepreneurship, strategic marketing, supply chain management and other topics of interest.

Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos was raised in New York City and dropped out of a vocational high school to join the U.S. Air Force. While in the Air Force, he earned a general equivalency diploma that made him eligible to train at the New York Secretarial School.

Despite his humble beginnings, Amos was ambitious, and worked his way to the top of every job he ever had. He ultimately joined the William Morris Talent Agency, where he represented Simon & Garfunkel and The Supremes. After years of working in the entertainment industry, where he used his bite-sized chocolate chip cookies as calling cards, he launched the Famous Amos Cookie Company in 1975. Due to his tireless promotion and the cookies’ taste, the company was a $10 million business by 1985. 

Amos has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows. He is the author of four books -- Man With No Name Turns Lemons Into Lemonade, The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips, The Power in You, and his most recent, Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life. He devotes a great deal of time and energy to literacy causes including, serving as national spokesman for the Literacy Volunteers of America and serving as a board member for the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools. He has also received an honorary doctorate in education from Johnson & Wales University, the President’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence and the National Literacy Honors Award.

“The AMERIGROUP Foundation is committed to giving people the tools they need to lead healthy and productive lives,” said Herman Wright, AMERIGROUP Foundation board member. “Wally Amos has succeeded in business because he placed a value on education and was willing to take risks. His story encourages young people to stay in school and follow their dreams.”

“Programs like the AMERIGROUP Leaders Forum provide role models for our community,” said Marie V. McDemmond, president of Norfolk State University. “Wally Amos shows our youth and others in our community that you can never give up on your dream of success, no matter what obstacles you have to over come.”

Founded in 2001, the AMERIGROUP Foundation is the charitable arm of the AMERIGROUP Corporation (NYSE: AGP), a managed health care company focused on serving people who receive health care benefits through Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and FamilyCare. The Foundation serves as a national resource that helps create healthy communities by fostering access to heath care and ensuring safe and healthy children and families.

For more information, call 757-823-8373.

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