The University of Notre Dame will host its from Saturday (Jan. 24) through Jan. 31 (Saturday). A cherished campus tradition, the week will feature more than 20 University, department and student-sponsored events that invite members of the Notre Dame community to reflect on how to foster a deeper sense of belonging and inclusion, and build the Beloved Community — referencing the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — on campus and beyond.
The annual observance of Walk the Walk Week is rooted in Notre Dame’s mission as a Catholic university and in the principles of Catholic social teaching, which call us to live in solidarity with all people, particularly the most vulnerable, and to honor the God-given dignity of every person.
Among the week’s events is a keynote conversation titled “Champions of Hope” at 4 p.m. Monday (Jan. 26) in the Reyes Family Board Room (215/216 McKenna Hall). The talk, which will focus on what it means to lead with integrity, moral courage and hope, will feature two distinguished business leaders, both of whom are members of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees and former Notre Dame football student-athletes — Tracy Graham ’95 and Byron Spruell ’87, MBA ’89 — in conversation with University President This event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed.
Graham is the founder and managing principal of Graham Allen Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in technology and tech-enabled businesses across the U.S. He is currently focused on leveraging data and artificial intelligence to help companies evolve via digital transformation.
Graham began his career by founding Internet Services Management Group, which became one of the largest privately held ISPs in the United States. He then went on to co-found GramTel Inc., a managed data center provider, in partnership with The Jordan Company. As CEO of GramTel, he led the company to become the largest provider of managed data center services in Indiana and the largest privately held provider in the Midwest. He successfully sold GramTel to Cincinnati Bell in 2007.
Graham completed a bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame, where he was a member of the Fighting Irish football team from 1992-95. He is also a dedicated public servant, philanthropist and community advocate who serves on the boards of Lippert Components and 1st Source Bank, in addition to his role on the University’s Board of Trustees.
Spruell serves as president of league operations for the National Basketball Association, where he oversees critical league operations. In that role, he effectively integrates the departments of domestic and international basketball operations, referee operations and basketball strategy and analytics.
Spruell also collaborates with USA Basketball and the International Basketball Federation to promote the global growth of the game and development of players worldwide. He joined the NBA in 2016 from Deloitte where he last served as a managing principal and marketplace leader.
He has served on several charitable boards and committees, and is currently on the boards of Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago, the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York and Aon, a leading global professional services firm. He is also on the board of governors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Spruell earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the football team from 1984-87, serving as co-captain in 1987. On the University’s Board of Trustees, he chairs the Undergraduate Education and Student Life Committee.
An annual Candlelight Prayer Service for members of the Notre Dame community will also take place at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Main Building Rotunda, with Father Dowd presiding and a keynote reflection from vice president for belonging, engagement and mission and advisor to the president.
The prayer service will be followed by a candlelight procession to the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue and a dessert reception in the Sister Thea Bowman Center in the LaFortune Student Center.
Other Walk the Walk Week events include a for classroom, cleaning and art project supplies for local organizations working with children and teens, as well as a on Saturday (Jan. 24) packaging after-school kits for local youth.
A complete list of events is available at .
Contact: Carrie Gates, Associate Director of Media Relations, 574-993-9220, c.gates@nd.edu