MONTGOMERY – Ted Dalton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development of the Boston Celtics, and Dr. Marc Williams, the CEO of the award-winning brand marketing firm Williams Communications, LLC, will speak to students at Alabama State University, Wednesday August 26th, to kick off the 2nd Annual ASU Speaker Series entitled “Advice from the Pros.”
The event, presented by ASU Athletics, Career Services, Student Government Association, and Williams Communications LLC, will be held from 6-8 p.m. in Abernathy Auditorium on the Alabama State campus. Attendance is free and open to the public.
The event will be a part of the “Striving for Excellence Leadership Academy” for ASU student-athletes. The speakers will give career advice about their industry, the importance of networking, relationships, and their personal brand. Dr. Williams and ESPN anchor Jay Harris are the co-creators of the “Advice From the Pros” series that began at Indiana University in 2009.
“I am extremely pleased Mr. Dalton and Dr. Williams have accepted our invitation to speak to our student-athletes,” said Melvin Hines, Alabama State University Interim Athletics Director. “Ted and Marc are considered to be two of the most respected executives in the sports industry, and have worked for some of the most decorated and recognized sports brands in the world. I am excited our student-athletes will be able to learn from former student-athletes and how they were able to make the transition to becoming successful businessmen.”
Dalton enters his 11th season with the Celtics of the National Basketball Association. In this role, Dalton is responsible for managing partnership sales and activation, community relations and business development. The Celtics have been recognized for their innovative and best-in-class approach to sponsorship by the industry and the NBA, and in 2009 were named Professional Sports Team of the Year by the Sports Business Journal.
Prior to joining the Celtics as Director of Corporate Partnerships in 2005, Dalton served as Director of Business Development for 16W Marketing, a full service sports marketing company that he helped launch with the company’s founders in October 2000. Before working at 16W Marketing, Dalton held positions with SFX Sports, Integrated Sports International, and Walt Disney Attractions.
Along with his duties at the Celtics, Dalton currently serves on the Wesleyan University Athletic Advisory Council, and is the Chairman of the Wesleyan University Cardinal Club, both of which provide support for student-athletes at the school. Dalton is a graduate of Wesleyan, with degrees in Economics and Government, and earned a Master’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts.
“I’ve known Dr. Williams since our days together at UMass where we received our post graduate degrees in Sports Management,” Dalton said. “Since that time, he has been focused on helping student-athletes realize their full potential beyond athletics. Today’s student-athletes are under tremendous pressure and scrutiny, and the Striving For Excellence Leadership Academy is a fantastic way to better equip the next generation with critical life-skills developed in conjunction with experts across multiple disciplines. I look forward to seeing the program in action at Alabama State University.”
Dr. Williams is a sports marketing pioneer, one of the nation’s experts on branding, sports marketing, networking and preparing athletes for life after sports. Williams is the CEO of Williams Communications, LLC, a brand management consulting firm, and the founder of the Striving For Excellence Leadership Academy, an empowerment program that encourages personal and professional development for athletes. His insights have been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, USA Today, ESPN and CNN.
Dr. Williams recently received his Doctorate in Education from West Virginia University. Dr. Williams will make his debut as a film director and producer later this year by directing a documentary about the history of life skills programming for student-athletes at the University of Nebraska. In addition, Dr. Williams will be featured this fall in a PBS documentary about the challenges of competitive sports and how sports can be used to have a positive impact on society.
Prior to creating Williams Communications, LLC firm, Dr. Williams worked for three of the largest sports brands in the world: Reebok, Footaction, and Champs Sports. As the former Brand Director for Champs Sports, a division of Foot Locker, Williams was in charge of global marketing, sponsorships, partnerships and helped Champs Sports become a $1 billion footwear and apparel brand. In addition to his Doctorate, Dr. Williams is a graduate of William Paterson University with a degree in sociology, and a Masters in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to introduce Ted Dalton to the Alabama State University family,” Dr. Williams said. “Ted is one of the most respected sports executives globally, and is a man of integrity, passion and excellence. The student-athletes and coaches at Alabama State University are among the nation’s best and I am honored to continue our partnership with them.”
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