LOUISVILLE, KY, Feb. 22, 2024 – The Muhammad Ali Center, a cultural cornerstone for Louisville and the nation, officially began its search for a new CEO Thursday, as outgoing president and CEO Marilyn Jackson advances to join the American Alliance of Museums as their next president and CEO.

“I am deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as the president and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center. Ali, a global icon, dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, inspiring positive change worldwide. It has been an immense honor to be a part of this legacy,” Jackson said. “Louisville is fortunate to have the Center, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who supported us since the Center’s founding in 2005. I have full confidence and trust this great institution will continue the progress we’ve made together.”

Over her two years at the Center, Jackson focused on creating and implementing a strategic plan, with influence from community leaders. This roadmap for the Center’s success supported the creation of new educational programs, expanded partnerships at the local and global levels, and attracted new corporate partners and philanthropists who have provided resources to improve the physical space. Now, more than 100,000 visitors connect with the mission of the Center each year, advancing the legacy of Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie Ali.

“Marilyn was instrumental in creating a new path forward for the center, reenergizing our initial mission: to promote positive social change through education, community, and Muhammad’s legacy,” Lonnie Ali said. “As we begin our search for a new CEO, I am confident our transition team will find the best leaders our communities have to offer.”

The Center’s transition team is chaired by Nicole Yates with members including Lonnie Ali, Greg Fischer, Ingrid Gentry, Bennie Ivory, and Stephen Reily. This team will identify potential applicants over the coming weeks. Those who are interested in the position can learn more and apply here.

“Marilyn Jackson brought a wide range of skills to the Ali Center, and her success in Louisville was noticed by the nation. She is now assuming one of the most important museum jobs in the country, supporting the 35,000 museums and museum professionals who are members of the American Alliance of Museums,” said Stephen Reily, a former member of the Ali Center Board of Trustees, former director of the Speed Art Museum, and founding director of the Remuseum Project.

Jackson will soon begin her role as president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, after an extensive nationwide search. “It’s been an honor to chair the search committee for AAM’s next leader,” said Dr. Chevy Humphrey, President and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago. “In Marilyn, we found a visionary and transformative leader that will help drive AAM to new and different heights; that much has been proven by her lasting impact at the Muhammad Ali Center.”

Jackson will remain in her current position at the Center for several weeks, supporting the transition team in their search for the next leader for one of Louisville’s greatest cultural institutions.

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The Muhammad Ali Center is a 501(c)3 corporation, cofounded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, racial and gender equity, and global citizenship. The Ali Center is formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, and in 2020, became one of the newest stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org.

08.28.23

MEDIA ADVISORY

Ali Center announces 2023 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award recipients

Awardees include KIND Bars Founder, Innocence Project co-founder, LMPD Officers, HollyRod Foundation

LOUISVILLE, KY (August 28, 2023) — The 10th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards will take place Saturday, November 4, and boasts another esteemed panel of honorees.
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, the Center’s largest annual fundraiser, incorporates two categories: Seasoned Awards, honoring individuals who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to humanitarianism, and Six Core Principles Awards, presented to young adults 30 years of age or younger.

Daniel Lubetzky, a social entrepreneur best known as the Founder of KIND Snacks, will receive the first-ever Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Civility & Compassion for his commitment to building businesses and civic movements that empower people to solve problems together across perceived divides. Lubetzky, the son of a Holocaust survivor, strives to prevent what happened to his father and others from happening again. He conceived civic movements, OneVoice and Starts With Us, to give voice and agency to the vast majority of people who favor common sense solution-building over extreme partisanship and hateful divisiveness. He is also a reoccurring Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank.

Jason Flom will receive the Muhammad Ali Lifetime Achievement Award. Jason is the Founder and CEO of Lava Records, and Lava Media, LLC, and the former chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records and Virgin Records. Jason is an outspoken advocate for the wrongfully convicted. Through his work co-founding the Innocence Project and Families Against Mandatory Minimums, he’s raised significant awareness and funds toward criminal justice reform. He hosts the hit podcast Wrongful Convictions and serves as a board member of numerous criminal justice reform organizations.

Actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, will receive the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award. The couple founded the HollyRod Foundation to raise awareness and provide resources to families with a loved one who has received an autism or Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis. The Peetes were inspired to start the foundation to honor Holly’s father, actor Matthew T. Robinson Jr., who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 45, and their son RJ, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. The couple works to provide compassionate care for families and empower individuals to live their best lives.

This year’s Kentuckian of the Year Award will be given to Officer Nickolas Wilt of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), who was one of the first officers on the scene of the Old National Bank Shooting earlier this year. Wilt, who was severely wounded in the incident, was motivated to join LMPD to serve and protect his community while educating and providing aid to those in need. He previously worked with Oldham County EMS and as a local firefighter and dispatcher.

Joining those Seasoned Awardees will be six young international humanitarians doing work in their countries and communities which embodies one of Muhammad Ali’s Six Core Principles: Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality.

Andrew Brennen (25) will become the first-ever Kentucky-native Core Principle honoree when he receives the Confidence Award for his work co-founding Kentucky Student Voice. Brennen also co-authored Kentucky HB 236, a bill vying for Kentucky student inclusion. He is pursuing his law degree from Columbia University in the Fall and is a National Geographic Society fellow. Pashtana Durrani (25) will receive the Conviction Award for her courageous work as founder of LEARN Afghanistan to educate girls and women in the country. Durrani has educated 7,000 girls and boys in Kandahar and trained more than 80 teachers in digital literacy. She was previously honored by the Malala Fund and among the BBC 100 and Time 100 influence lists.

Anna Luísa Beserra Santos (25) of Brazil will receive the Dedication award for her work to provide safe drinking water, handwashing, and sanitation to rural families. She is the founder of Sustainable Water and Development for All and a United Nations “Young Champion of the Earth.” Nidhi Pant (30) of India will receive the Giving Award. Pant is the co-founder of S4S Technologies and her work focuses on sustainability and inclusion by empowering women to be climate champions, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

Leon Ford (29) was paralyzed when he was shot by police officers during a traffic stop in Pittsburgh in 2012. He will receive the Respect Award to honor the work of his organization, the Hear Foundation. Through his collaboration with Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert, Ford’s Hear Foundation tackles issues of gun violence, racial justice, and police reform.

Dr. Daniel Nour (27) will become the first Australian Awardee when he accepts the Spirituality Award. Dr. Nour founded Street Side Medics – a mobile medical service specifically created for people experiencing homelessness.

If you are interested in sponsoring the event or reserving a table for 10, please email Theresa Burridge (tburridge@alicenter.org). Individual tickets will go on sale in September.

To involve the larger Louisville community and introduce them to the 2023 honorees, the Ali Center will hold a public event on November 3rd. More information on that event to follow.

Notes to Media:

Credential requests are now open!

Please submit your information here: https://alicenter.org/awards/media-credential-form/ by Monday, October 30.

Photos of awardees available upon request.

The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards are made possible through the generous support of Brown-Forman, as well as by travel sponsorships from Louisville Tourism and 21C Museum Hotel, and by all the corporate and individual donors who support this event.

Contact:

Annie Moore

Muhammad Ali Center

amoore@alicenter.org

502.992.5338 or 812.786.1072 mobile