CONVERSE CEO G. SCOTT UZZELL STARS IN HIS OWN MOVIE
BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
G. Scott Uzzell was at the top of his game. The Converse CEO and president had just delivered a rousing ESPN-style countdown of how his alma mater prepared him to succeed. Inside the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Gymnasium, the packed arena was abuzz with the crowd gathered there for the 2019 Florida A&M University Homecoming Convocation.
The CEO shares a few words of wisdom with his fellow Rattlers during a 2019 convocation
16 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Later, as the Marching “100” band played and alumni danced in the stands, Uzzell was mobbed by former classmates from his days as a student in the FAMU School of Business and Industry (SBI). Their picture-taking continued even as Uzzell’s hosts waited to whisk him to lunch upstairs. “Scott shared an inspiring message that resonated with students and seasoned alumni alike during our 2019 Homecoming Convocation. He is truly a role model with whom our students relate,” said SBI Dean Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., vice president for University Advancement, recalling the excitement of the event almost a year and a half later. “It is awesome that while Scott has ascended to the top position at Converse, he has not forgotten from whence he’s come.” Uzzell’s bond with his alma mater, his former classmates and the next generation of Rattler entrepreneurs and business executives is integral to his success and his climb up the corporate ladder to become CEO of Converse, a global brand owned by Nike known for its iconic Chuck Taylor® sneakers. “FAMU provided the foundation for education and connections that are everlasting,” said Uzzell. “I stay connected to my FAMU roots weekly.” When he isn’t thinking and talking about his FAMU education, Uzzell said, he’s leveraging his FAMU network for advice and mentoring. “I probably have 50 people within the FAMU community I stay in constant contact with through today,” said the FAMU Foundation Board member in a telephone interview from Atlanta. “Yesterday, I was on a call with a couple of those folks.” To understand Uzzell’s ascent from SBI grad to being the CEO of a billion-dollar global corporation, one must know where he’s from, who he is and who he’s always been. “When I think of Scott, I think of discipline, focus, compartmentalization and being real. I have never seen him not being authentic,” said Michael Bracey, a boyhood friend and fellow Rattler who is an executive with Honda America in Columbus, Ohio. “He’s real.”
