Four-Time Olympian, Author and Businesswoman Joetta Clark Diggs Selected as Keynote Speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast

Posted by: admin on December 17, 2015, No Comments

Joetta Clark DiggsEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania selected Joetta Clark Diggs, 1988, 1992, 1996 & 2000 Olympian, as the keynote speaker for the 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast, which will be held on Monday, January 18, 2016 at 8 a.m. in the Mattioli Recreation Center.

Joetta Clark Diggs is a track and field legend and one of the greatest athletes of her generation. Many have called Clark Diggs America’s greatest middle distance runner ever. Her prolific athletic career spanned nearly three decades as a four-time Olympian competing in the 800 meters in the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Some of her most recent awards are: Inducted into the University of Tennessee Hall of Fame 2001, USA National Track & Field Hall of Fame 2009, The New Jersey Hall of Fame, 2013 and the Star-Ledger named her “New Jersey’s Woman Athlete of the Century.” Additionally, Joetta Clark Diggs was selected as the Women’s Olympic Team Captain for the 2000 Olympic Games and was ranked in the top 10 in the 800 meters in the United States for 22 consecutive years. She graduated from the University of Tennessee as a 15-Time All American, 9-Time NCAA Champion and 11-Time All-Southeastern Conference Champion.

Clark Diggs is not the only athlete who accomplished greatness in her family though. In 2000, Clark Diggs was joined by younger sister Hazel Clark, sister-in-law Jearl Miles Clark and their coach, brother JJ to make Olympic history as the only family to comprise all three sports on the Olympic Team in the same event. A highly sought-after motivational extraordinaire speaker, she is the daughter of noted educator Dr. Joe Clark, the subject of the movie, “Lean on Me,” and Jetta Clark. Clark Diggs has continued to use her extraordinary talents and unique experiences in sports, marketing, consulting and public speaking to provide services to the community, state and nation. As President of Joetta Sports & Beyond, LLC, she delivers messages empowerment, diversity, health, wellness and fitness to corporations, colleges, school districts, medical programs and civic organizations.

Clark Diggs is the author of Joetta’s “P” Principles for Success. “Life Lessons Learned from Track & Field.” This acclaimed book has been considered a tremendous resource to both corporate executives and to the youth.

Joetta is also the Executive Director of the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation, which promotes involvement with physical activities and the direct correlation physical activities have on academic improvement for school-aged children. The Foundation also introduces the many career opportunities that exist in the sports and entertainment industry.

Clark Diggs graduated from the University of Tennessee and she is married with one child.

Reserve a Space Today

Reservations are now being taken for the breakfast at a cost of $40 for faculty, staff and community members and $15 for students, with proceeds to benefit the Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund. The Boddie Fund provides financial assistance to undergraduate students of color at ESU. In 1904 Ms. Boddie was the first African-American student to graduate from what was then known as East Stroudsburg State Normal School and ultimately became East Stroudsburg University in 1983.

As a result of the breakfast, three Boddie Scholarship awardees will each receive a $2,530 scholarship award for the Spring 2016 semester. Scholarship winners are selected based on their ability to demonstrate, through community service work or university involvement, a commitment to Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity, and a respect for humanity.

Breakfast organizers are also asking regional business organizations to consider becoming a sponsor of this community event. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, call 570-422-3156.

For more information about the Celebration Breakfast or for special accommodations, contact Cornelia Sewell-Allen, director of multicultural affairs, at 570-422-3896 or email at csewell@esu.edu.