Talk featuring Niele Ivey, Eddie George and Derrick Mayes kicks off historic ND-TSU weekend

Three former athletes who have gone on to high-profile leadership roles will be the special guests for a panel discussion marking the historic Fighting Irish-Tennessee State University home opener weekend.

“Tom Mendoza Presents: Leadership, Culture and the Power of Diversity,” hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, will feature Tennessee State University Head Football Coach Eddie George; Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Notre Dame All-American basketball player Niele Ivey; and Notre Dame All-American football player, team captain and Patrick Industries Board Director Derrick Mayes.

The event takes place noon-1 p.m., September 1 (Friday) in Mendoza’s Jordan Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public. No registration is required but seating is limited and will be on a first come, first served basis.

“Leadership, Culture and the Power of Diversity” is part of the University’s celebration of the historic matchup between the Fighting Irish and TSU Tigers — the first time in the Notre Dame football program’s history to face off against a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) school. The full schedule of events for the weekend, both TSU-ND-specific and general campus game day events, may be found here.

The discussion is hosted by Tom Mendoza, former president and vice chairman of NetApp, current board director of UiPath, Varonis and Vast Data. Mendoza joined NetApp in 1994 and was responsible for sales until becoming president in 2000 and vice chairman in 2009. During his 25 years with NetApp, he was considered instrumental in the development of the company’s corporate culture and its global recognition as one of Forbes’ “Great Places to Work.” Mendoza earned his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 1973 and is an alumnus of Stanford’s Executive Business Program.

The format of the annual Tom Mendoza Presents series includes a 30-to-40-minute one-on-one interview between Mendoza and guests followed by 20 minutes of audience Q&A. Mendoza interviews top business executives about their journey to success, what they learned along the way in forging great companies and their advice to students and professionals as they build their careers.

Lectures are sponsored by The Eugene Clark Distinguished Lecture Series endowment. For more information, visit Tom Mendoza Presents or contact Jean Meade, program manager, at Jean.Meade@nd.edu.