Speaking
Former NFL player Wade Davis is a thought leader, writer, public speaker, and educator on gender, race, and orientation equality. Wade is the NFL’s first LGBT inclusion consultant and currently consults for numerous professional sports leagues on issues at the intersection sexism, racism and homophobia. Wade creates league-wide inclusive leadership strategies, leads inclusion-training sessions for coaches and players, and builds and launches national engagement initiatives.
Beyond his work in sports, Wade currently consults for Netflix, Google, Viacom and others to co-create transformative solutions to build inclusive corporate cultures. Additionally, Wade in an inclusive leadership coach, where he challenges senior leaders to adapt and flex their leadership styles to meet the needs of and develop their entire employee population. Wade is a Global Champion for Innovation for UN Women and a founding member of VICE’s Inclusion Advisory board with Gloria Steinem, Roberta Kaplan, Tina Tchen and others.
Wade’s work around gender equality includes partnering with Planned Parenthood, the Ms. Foundation and Huffington Post Women, separately, launching initiatives and PSA’s to define, establish and achieve the political, social and economic equality for women and men. In collaboration with the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up Now, Wade develops curricula and initiatives for male leaders. Additionally, understanding the importance of engaging men around gender equity and equality, Wade built a ‘Men’s Gender Equality Development’ leadership program that he launched with the United Nations and other organizations in 2018.
A former national surrogate for President Obama, Wade has been an Adjunct Professor at the NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business and has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration. He continues to lecture on the intersections of race, sexuality, gender, and sports at universities nationally and internationally. Wade Davis was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In 2014 Wade received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Northeastern University for his leadership and ongoing efforts to eradicate homophobia and sexism in athletics.
Speaking Topics Include…
LGBT & Sports: The Coming Out Process
As a former NFL player and one of the few openly gay former professional athletes, Wade shares his own coming out process and the work he does as an LGBT consultant for the NFL and as Executive Director of the You Can Play Project, an organization with partnership with including the NHL, MLS, CFL and others.
At Risk vs. At Promise: Defining Inner City Youth
When working in marginalized communities, the words and the language that we use matters, and how we talk about the young people we are trying to impact can determine how we show up – as social justice advocates or as saviors. Do we see their promise? Do we see them as we look at ourselves in the mirror? While working with marginalized youth at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, teaching at the Harvey Milk High School, and creating the country’s only inner city LGBT sports camp, Wade explains how to embody this idea of fictive kinship and see the promise in young people.
Masculinity: An Imaginary Friend
How do you define masculinity? Wade defines masculinity as an imaginary friend, and if left unchecked, masculinity can be highly toxic. Through his teachings and training, he’s learned we must do the work to unlearn the seductive nature of sexism and toxic masculinity, and move to create space for all without stigma and shame being attached. Wade talks about the work he’s done to undo the constraints of perceived masculinity, and move forward in a positive way.
Intentional Diversity & Inclusion
Have we emptied the true meaning of intersectionality by only changing the optics of organizations, without understanding the structural and institutional challenges that go unnoticed? Through practical and tangible examples, see how Wade can help your business evolve into a space where diversity and inclusion become part of your organizational DNA.
Sexism: How Ending Sexist Oppression Will Free Men
Far too often we imagine that ending sexism impacts only women. Yet if we re-imagine the gender roles and expand our understanding of masculinity and femininity, men benefit from the expansion: how they can show up in the world without the pressures of performing toxic forms of hyper masculinity. Wade explores his own dialog with feminism, tools to be pro-active about ending the sexist dialog, and leads conversation around the topic.
What people are saying…
Wade was amazing! Those who attended said it was the best IDEA session they've been to.
The students truly enjoyed listening to Wade’s incredible story and I believe they took away valuable lessons about diversity and inclusion in the workforce. Once again, thank you for an enlightening Keynote Address and we hope you had a great visit to Columbia Business School.
We were thrilled to have Wade on campus, and I've heard nothing but glowing responses from all of the people who attended his talk. He was so easy to work with, and we would love to find opportunities to bring him back to Bentley University in the future.
Wade is very eloquent and engaging, and I know attendees got a lot out of his remarks. Our CEO had a chance to briefly meet Wade before the event and even asked a question after Wade’s remarks—we noted that it was the first time our CEO attended a Pride event!
Wade just wrapped up his event -- WOW!!! He is such a good speaker, and a delightful human being. I was amazed. We filled up our event venue and had to bring in extra seating.
Your perspectives on what it means to be an active male feminist (focusing on purpose vs praise) and approaches to breaking down patriarchal systems made a huge impact on me.
Wade is a delight! We had a great lunch with youth from Side by Side, a non-profit organization serving LGBT youth in Richmond. He was so open and thoughtful when responding to their questions, and sparked good conversations!
Wade Davis is a wealth of information, honesty and passion for his work which he delivers on each time. Each time I have had the opportunity to be in Wade’s presence I am impressed with his articulate and captivating nature as he shares his story. Wade’s impact on the LGBTQ sports community is authentic and BETRUE in every way.
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