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Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Corporate Luncheon

Friday July 18th, 2025

Location: Indiana Convention Center

Continuing the theme of Our Legacy, Our Influence, Our Future, the Pacers Sports and Entertainment Corporate Luncheon presented by Indiana University will honor those individuals who have made significant contributions to the community as well as those who continue to tell the story about who we are and pave the way for our communities.

On behalf of our organization, thank you in advance for supporting IBE’s year-round youth and family programs by joining us in celebration of cultural excellence at our luncheon. 

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corporate luncheon honorees

Our 2025 Award Recipients

Deniece Williams

Living Legend Award
Deniece Williams, a four-time Grammy winner and 12-time nominee, is a legendary vocalist with a four-octave range and a career spanning five decades. Raised in Gary, Indiana, she was mentored by Minnie Riperton and went on to shape R&B, Pop, and Gospel music with #1 hits and powerful anthems of self-empowerment. Her multi-platinum classics include Let’s Hear It for the Boy, It’s Gonna Take a Miracle, Free, Black Butterfly, I’ve Got The Next Dance, and I Surrender All. Known for blending soul, disco, and gospel, she remains a musical force. Williams is now set to return with her new single When You Love Somebody from her upcoming album Gemini. Her influence continues to inspire a new generation of vocalists, cementing her place as an enduring icon in American music.

Alfre Woodard

Lifetime Achievement Award
Oscar-nominated actor Alfre Woodard earned BAFTA and Spirit Award nods for her role in Clemency. She stars next in Apple TV+’s The Last Frontier and Netflix’s The Boroughs, produced by the Duffer Bros. Recent work includes Salem’s Lot, Summer Camp, and The Book of Clarence. She voiced “Mimi” in Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and starred in Apple TV+’s See and Netflix’s Juanita and Luke Cage. Other highlights: 12 Years a Slave, The Gray Man, Captain America: Civil War, The Lion King, Fatherhood, Annabelle, Love and Basketball, Crooklyn, Scrooged, Mandela, and Miss Evers’ Boys. She’s won 4 Emmys, 3 SAGs, 1 Golden Globe, 9 NAACP Image Awards, and was Oscar-nominated for Cross Creek and BAFTA-nominated for Clemency.

Wendell Pierce

Screen Image Award
Wendell Pierce is an award-winning actor with 30+ years across stage, film, and TV. He currently stars as Captain C.W. Wagner on CBS’s ELSBETH, earning an AAFCA TV Honor and Critics Choice Celebration award. He also recurs as Ishmael “Snaps” Henry on Starz’s Raising Kanan. Known for iconic roles like Det. Bunk Moreland on HBO’s The Wire and Antoine Baptiste on Tremé, he also played James Greer in Amazon’s Jack Ryan opposite John Krasinski. This summer, Pierce appears in Marvel’s Thunderbolts, James Gunn’s Superman for Warner Bros., and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, which premiered at Cannes 2025. In 2022, he returned to Broadway as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, earning a Tony nomination for Lead Actor in a Play.

Chiney Ogwumike

Excellence in Media Award
Chiney Ogwumike is a two-time WNBA All-Star and ESPN host seen on NBA Today, NBA Countdown, First Take, and Women’s College Gameday. The 2014 No. 1 draft pick and Rookie of the Year from Stanford also served as WNBPA VP (2018–2022). She became one of ESPN’s youngest full-time NBA analysts while still playing professionally. In 2020, she made history as the first Black woman to host a daily national sports radio show. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and executive producer of the ESPN film 144, she’s also a U.S. advisory council member on African Diaspora Engagement. A passionate advocate, Ogwumike works with NBA Africa to lead youth sports programs, including Nigeria’s first Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA camps. She holds a Stanford degree in International Relations and was mentored by Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Corporate Luncheon Table Order Form

Friday, July 18th 2024

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