Earl Graves, Founder and Publisher of
Black Enterprise Magazine, to Deliver Keynote Address at NSU Spring
Commencement
NORFOLK, Va. — Earl Graves, a nationally recognized authority on Black business development and the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, will speak to approximately 1000 graduates at Norfolk State University’s commencement ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m.,
Saturday, May 10, at William “Dick “ Price Stadium. The procession will begin at
9:30 a.m.
Elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science in 2000, Graves is continually sought after as a keynote speaker by small and large corporations, as well as the public and non-profit sectors of business in America. He is also the author of How to Succeed in Business Without Being White, a chronicle of success strategies of America’s premier African-American businessmen.
A staunch advocate of higher education and a dynamic businessman, Graves is also chairman and chief executive officer of Earl G. Graves, Ltd, parent corporation for the Earl G. Graves Publishing Company, publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, a business-service publication targeted to Black professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and policy makers in the public and private sector. He also served as chairman and chief operating officer of Pepsi-Cola of Washington, D.C., the largest minority-controlled Pepsi-Cola franchise in the United States.
Prior to owning his own publishing company and heading Pepsi-Cola, Graves was an administrative assistant to the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy from 1965 to 1968. After Kennedy’s assassination, Graves formed his own management consulting firm to advise corporations on urban affairs and economic development.
During the span of his business and professional careers, Graves has received numerous awards and honors for his outstanding business and leadership, and community service. In 2002 Fortune Magazine named Graves one of the 50 most powerful and influential African Americans in corporate America. In 1999, he received the 84th NAACP Spingarn Medal, the highest achievement award for African Americans, and was named the Top 100 Business News Luminaries of the Century by TJFR, a publication that covers business journalism.
He was appointed to serve on the current administration’s Presidential Commission for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He also serves on the Board of Selectors of the American Institute for Public Service, director of Aetna, Inc., AMR Corporation (American Airlines),
Damler Chrysler AG Corporation and a host of other boards and community organizations.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Graves is a member of the National Black College Hall of Fame and has also lectured at Yale University as a Poynter Fellow. He received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Morgan State University and has received honorary degrees from 53 colleges and universities, including his alma mater.
Graves currently resides in Westchester County with his wife, Barbara. They have three married sons, all successful professionals who work in the family’s business.
Norfolk State University
700 Park Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23504 USA
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