Artis Stevens, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and UGA alumnus, will present the 2025 Holmes-Hunter Lecture on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel.
Named in honor of Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes Sr., the first Black students to attend the University of Georgia, the lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President and has been held annually since 1985.
As president and CEO of the nation’s largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization, Stevens has expanded BBBSA’s mission to leverage mentorship as a transformative societal solution for the millions of young people in the U.S. who lack positive adult support. He is the first Black CEO in the organization’s 120-year history and is steadily expanding BBBSA’s reach through record-breaking fundraising efforts and strategic campaigns to engage thousands of donors, mentors and ambassadors.
Prior to his role at BBBSA, Stevens served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the National 4-H Council and led the organization’s brand position, alumni and marketing campaigns, digital transformation and local engagement efforts.
He is an experienced speaker and is known for dedicating his career to empowering young people and improving societal systems that hold them back. Stevens has been featured on “Good Morning America,” the “TODAY” show, CNBC and the New York Stock Exchange. He was named to ForbesBLK Top 50 List in 2024 and Worth Magazine’s Worthy list in 2023.
Stevens earned his bachelor’s degree at UGA, where he was president of the Black Affairs Council and a co-founder of the Rite of Sankofa ceremony. He also holds a master’s in public administration from Valdosta State University. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Erica, and two daughters.
