University of Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman to speak at virtual Community Leaders Breakfast

Josh Whitman 1 — University of Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman speaks a press conference in 2018. Whitman is the keynote speaker at the 2020 Virtual Community Leaders Breakfast on Thursday.
JOEY WAGNER, HERALD & REVIEW

Matthew Flaten

DECATUR — Before the University of Illinois football team kicks off its 2020 season against No. 14 Wisconsin on Friday, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman will be the keynote speaker at the virtual Community Leaders Breakfast on Thursday, Oct. 22.

The breakfast, originally scheduled for April and then rescheduled for June, is now a virtual breakfast that can be viewed at pantagraph.com at 7:30 a.m. No ticket is required for the event.

"I think it is a great opportunity with so many things happening right now, and, in my opinion, Josh is a dynamic speaker who is really motivational," said Kara Demirjian Huss, president of DCC Marketing.

DCC Marketing, Archer Daniels Midland Co. and the Herald & Review are co-sponsors of the event.

"I think not only will you get an inside look at how navigating the current situations have had an impact on the Fighting Illini athletics, I also think you will also hear from him on leadership in general and what it takes to build winning teams and guide as a leader," she said.

Demirjian Huss said moving the breakfast to the virtual setting allows the event to reach a much larger audience.

"I think we should expect a lot of interest and I think that one of the things that a virtual event has done for us is that it what might have been more of a community breakfast has really expanded into not just a regional event, but we hope alumni and fans from a larger area can tune in and use the power of social media to really promote it and give exposure to it. I think that it is really an exciting event," Demirjian Huss said.

Whitman is an alumnus of Illinois. He joined the university in 2016 as the youngest athletics director in the Power 5 conferences. In a short time, Whitman has overseen renewed excitement in Illini athletics, particularly the men's basketball and football teams. Last season, the Illini played in a bowl for the first time since 2014.

"When (Josh) came to athletics in Illinois, he had a lot of work to do in building winning teams," Demirjian Huss said. "When he talks about it, he talks about it from staff to facilities and the strategy of building those winning teams.

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"Winning means a lot more than just a win or loss in a game. I think he'll also talk about his commitment to athletics and not just the high-profile sports."

Demirjian Huss sees a direct connection between the passion athletes have for sports and the passion that entrepreneurs bring to their companies.

"They have that drive and they have that perseverance and the goal-oriented approach to things and the winning spirit to have what it takes to continue to strive for excellence," she said. "Those are all very important characteristics to student-athletes and another thing I think Josh is going to talk about is his commitment to those student-athletes both on and off the field, and the impact that that has long term on the careers of these kids."

Chicago Bears NFL Hall of Fame member Dan Hampton was the guest speaker at the last Community Leader's Breakfast in 2019. Demirjian Huss said getting a chance to communicate with peers in these COVID-19 times is more important than ever.

"I think the breakfast, in general, gives us peer insights for our community and to be able to learn from speakers that they can take that back and implement it and their own businesses," she said. "I think by opening this up will be able to reach so many more people and I think that that is really exciting.

"Every time you go in hear a motivational speaker on topics that interest you, you take away pieces that you can then reflect on and use in your own personal and professional growth. That is really what is exciting about this expansion is that we get to touch so many more people with them."