Venus Williams – Thomas Colloquium on Free Enterprise

The YSU Thomas Colloquium on Free Enterprise presents Venus Williams on Wednesday, October 23 at 7:00pm at YSU Beeghly Center.

With 7 Grand Slam Singles Titles, 14 Grand Slam Doubles Titles, 2 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Titles, 5 Wimbledon championships and 4 Olympic gold medals, tennis champion Venus Williams is one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports.

Beginning at age 14, Williams quickly took the world of tennis by storm rising to the top-ranked position and breaking countless records. Encouraged by her mother to explore her creative side, Williams enrolled in fashion school and parlayed her fine-tuned business acumen with her healthy competitive spirit into two successful design ventures. After obtaining an Interior Decorator certification, Williams founded V Starr, a full-service commercial and residential design firm. Williams then earned an Associate’s Degree in Fashion Design, and later, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She partnered with Credo Beauty to debut an award-winning line of clean, mineral-based products. Her entrepreneurship in the health and beauty space also includes her role as Chief Brand Officer to Asutra and creator of the plant-based protein company, Happy Viking. Sticking to her entrepreneurial spirit, Williams and her sister, Serena, became the first female African Americans to have a stake in an NFL franchise after joining the ownership group of the Miami Dolphins.

Williams is the author of two books: her motivational book, Come to Win which reached No. 5 on the New York Times Best Sellers list and Strive, released in 2024, an inspiring and innovative guide on how to live your best life. Williams served as Executive Producer on the Academy Award-winning biopic King Richard, which detailed the influence her father and coach had on her childhood and careers.

Throughout her career, Williams has been an advocate for equality. UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, titled her as the first “Promoter of Gender Equality.’ Williams led the fight to make Wimbledon award women players the same pay as their male counterparts. She also launched an awareness initiative called the #PrivilegeTax to bring attention to the wage inequality and to encourage women to address the issue on a grassroots level.

Williams’ achievements have merited her accolades, including being honored as Variety’s “Power of Women”, Glamour Magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year,’ CARE Impact Award for Gender Equality, ESPN’s ‘WTA Player of the Year,’ and Forbes’ ‘Celebrity 100’ among others.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but tickets are required and will be available September 16. Visit the Lecture Series website for more information.