Leaders in every industry face the daily challenge of keeping employees motivated, productive and focused on achieving goals. Yet over the years, Tommy Amaker, Harvard University’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach, has perfected the art of strategically cultivating winning teams.

Since 2007, Amaker has taken Harvard’s basketball program to unprecedented heights, racking up seven Ivy League championships, four NCAA tournament appearances, and three NIT berths, molding the Crimson into an internationally recognized, powerhouse team of consistent achievers. Along the way, he has dedicated his time off the court to diversity and inclusion initiatives that focus on ensuring people of color get every opportunity to achieve their full career potential. Following a simple yet powerful philosophy of “Teach. Lead. Serve.” Amaker encourages his players to “do well and do good,” to achieve the ultimate career goal of being productive and purposeful leaders in their communities.

Amaker’s approach to integrating social justice and leadership development into organizational programs landed him a position on the board of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), where he co-chairs the Committee on Racial Reconciliation. His work also caught the attention of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which honored him as a 2020 Champion for Diversity and Inclusion. Amaker is a trusted advisor and Special Assistant to the Harvard President, an Executive Fellow with the Harvard Business School, and a Hauser Leader at the Hauser Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. He also plays an anchor role in the John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative, which helps minority men and women forge paths into athletic administration, an area where representation is lacking.

A speaker with a gift for storytelling, Coach Amaker will happily share his powerful playbook for winning and his thoughts on developing more diverse leaders and decision makers through college athletics.