Tickets Now Available for Tennis Legend Venus Williams, Great Names
Legendary tennis champion, New York Times bestselling author, and entrepreneur Venus Williams will be the next guest in Hamilton’s Sacerdote Great Names series on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m., in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. The event will be free and open to the public, but tickets will be required.
Venus Williams has made a lasting impact on and off the court with her entrepreneurship, advocacy, and fight for equality. Formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, she has won seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships, and four Olympic gold medals. One of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports, she has been a steadfast advocate for equal pay, women’s empowerment, and social justice. Williams is also the New York Times bestselling author of Come to Win. She shares her insights in motivational speaking events for groups including Capital One, Ernst & Young, Infor, Gannett, and many others.
Heralded for her innovative business acumen, Williams is the founder of V Starr, a full-service commercial and residential design firm, as well as the plant-based protein company Happy Viking. Additionally, she serves as the Chief Brand Officer to Asutra, a wellness self-care brand that provides various natural and organic products. Williams recently served as the executive producer on the Academy Award-winning Warner Bros. biopic King Richard, which told the story of her father’s impact on her childhood and career as she and her sister, Serena, became tennis icons and changed the sport for generations to come.
Venus Williams has been honored with Variety’s “Power of Women” Award and as Glamour Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” and ESPN’s “WTA Player of the Year.” She earned the CARE Impact Award for Gender Equality and has been named one of Forbes’ “Celebrity 100.” Most recently, Williams has received the inaugural US Open Billie Jean King Champion of Equality Award, acknowledging her continued dedication to promoting equality and leveling the playing field for athletes.
Great Names
Sacerdote Series
The Sacerdote Series is named in recognition of a significant gift from the family of Alex Sacerdote, a 1994 Hamilton graduate. Other speakers in the series have included Tina Fey, Aretha Franklin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Jon Stewart, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Susan Rice, F.W. deKlerk, and David Cameron.
Venus Williams
Legendary tennis champion
Tina Fey
Emmy award-winning writer, actress, and producer
Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice
Former national security advisors
Neil deGrasse Tyson
American astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium
David Cameron
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-16)
Derek Jeter
Former New York Yankees captain and five-time World Series champion
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Former Secretary of State
Shirin Ebadi and Bernard Kouchner
Nobel Laureates
Condoleezza Rice
Former Secretary of State
Jon Stewart
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Comedy Central comedian
Aretha Franklin
Recording Artist and Multiple Grammy Award Winner
Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States
Tom Brokaw
Broadcast Journalist, Anchor and Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News
Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States
Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State
Jimmy Carter
39th President of the United States
Desmond Tutu
Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa
Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
B.B. King
Blues Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter
F.W. de Klerk
President of South Africa
Elie Wiesel
Holocaust Survivor, Author and Peace Advocate
James Carville & Mary Matalin
Senior Political Advisor to President Bill Clinton; Deputy Campaign Manager for President George Bush
Colin Powell
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 65th Secretary of State of the United States
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Matthew McConaughey Great Names Series Appearance Postponed
The planned Great Names series appearance of actor and philanthropist Matthew McConaughey at Hamilton College originally scheduled for Thursday, April 18, has been postponed due to a conflict with filming for a new McConaughey movie. Organizers are working to reschedule his visit for a date in the fall. A new Great Names guest for April 18 will be announced soon.
Tina Fey Charms Classes and Sold-Out Field House
As part of the Sacerdote Great Names series at Hamilton College, students had the opportunity to have a small group question-and-answer with Tina Fey. Fey, the executive producer, head writer, and star of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy “30 Rock,” visited Hamilton.