The 8th Annual Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series, featuring Dr. Richard Lapchick. His keynote presentation is “Facing Uncomfortable Truths” and will focus on his lived experience as a social Justice Advocate in sport settings, what the future holds in social justice work, and what students and the community can be doing right now in the fight for equity, inclusion and improved access in sport.

Dr. Richard Lapchick is the Director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport and the President of The Institute for Sport and Social Justice at the University of Central Florida.

Human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports and social issues, scholar and author Richard E. Lapchick is often described as “the racial conscience of sport.”

He brought his commitment to equality and his belief that sport can be an effective instrument of positive social change to University of Central Florida in August 2001 where he launched the DeVos Sports Business Management Program.

In 2015 it was named the number 2 program in the world by SportsBusiness International.

Lapchick is a prolific writer. His 17th book was published in 2018. Lapchick is a regular columnist for ESPN.com and The Sports Business Journal.

He has spoken in the United States Congress, at the United Nations, in the European Parliament and at the Vatican.  He has given more than 3,000 speeches and written more than 600 articles.

He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of the Commonwealth Nations in the category of Humanitarian along with Arthur Ashe and Nelson Mandela.

Lapchick was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He was named as one of Beyond Sports Inspirational 50 people (living and passed) who used sport to change the world along with Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.

In 2021, Lapchick was chosen as the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year by the Muhammad Ali Center.  He also received the Arthur Ashe Institute Leadership Award in recognition of his trailblazing work and dedication to diversity and social justice.

In 2022, he was named the Central Floridian of the Year by the Orlando Sentinel.  Lapchick was presented with the John Carlos and Tommie Smith Social Justice Champion Award. He was also named the Champion of Courage by Harbor House, Central Florida’s leading group working against domestic violence. He received the Legacy Award from Heart of Florida United Way. Lapchick won the John and Martha Hitt Honorary Alumni Award.

He received the Stuart Scott ESPY Enspire Award in 2023 as well as the American Athletic Conference Trailblazer Award.

Lapchick was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports.

He has received 10 honorary degrees.

Lapchick was one of 200 guests personally invited by Nelson Mandela to his inauguration after leading the American sports boycott of South Africa from 1975 until the end of Apartheid.

He has been married to Ann Pasnak since 1989.  They have a son, Joe, and two daughters, Chamy and Emily.  Rich and Ann have four granddaughters: Taylor, Emma, Molly and Lauren.