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Drew Brees
Cumberlands had the honor of hosting Super Bowl Champion and MVP Drew Brees as the keynote speaker of the 15th annual Excellence in Leadership Series event, sponsored by Forcht Group of Kentucky. Brees is the 2009 Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He retired from the NFL after completing the 2020 season. For the course of the event, Brees answered a series of questions focused on his experiences in football, faith and family, and philanthropy. He said, "Leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire, the ability to bring out the best in others around you. First and foremost, it’s leading by example. As a leader, you’re always asking, ‘What can I do to help you accomplish your goals?’ The minute they know you care about them beyond just the task at hand, that’s when you’re truly going to have the strongest connection with them." As well as explaining how God has led his life and offering his perspective on the importance of gratitude, respect, and humility, Brees gave advice for how to best walk through a profession: master a skill, then mentor others in that skill, and use your influence to make a difference. His interactions with students and community members were both thought-provoking and inspiring.
Derrick K. Ramsey received this year’s Leadership Award for his decades of positive influence in Kentucky athletics, education, and business. Most recently, Ramsey served as Secretary of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and Secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. He and his wife, Li, attended the event.
Cumberlands’ new head football coach, Shan Housekeeper, and two Cumberlands football players stepped onstage to thank Brees for attending the event and ask him to sign and pass a football. Good news: the student caught the ball.
The football Brees signed was given as a surprise to Chase (left) and Drew (right) Shearer, who arrived at the event wearing Brees’ now-iconic No. 9 Saints jerseys. The downside is that they have to share the ball. The upside is that they met one of their heroes in person.
