Entrepreneur Valerie Daniels-Carter, minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, to speak at Clemson’s Ethics Day

CLEMSON — A woman who leads the largest female-owned franchise business in the U.S. and who also is a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks will be the keynote speaker at Clemson University’s annual Ethics Day Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Valerie Daniels-Carter is president and CEO of V&J Foods Holding Companies, which consists of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels, Burger King, Coffee Beanery, Nino’s Southern Sides, MyYoMy Frozen Yogurt, Pizza Hut and Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen.

Presented by the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson and sponsored by Clemson University’s College of Business, pan-African studies department and Women’s Leadership, Daniels-Carter will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the Watt Family Innovation Center auditorium.

Insisting on integrity, respect, excellence and passion, she is known for her corporate philosophy, YATSE: “You are the standard of excellence.” She attributes her success to her faith in God, hard work and “nothing-is-impossible” approach to life.

Her keynote address, “By the Power Invested in Me: Unapologetically Walking the Path of Ethical Leadership in Awareness and Authenticity,” will focus on how these values have contributed to her success in the business world while maintaining the admiration of her peers, employees and customers.

Daniels-Carter graduated from Lincoln University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. In 1985, she earned a master’s degree in business management from Cardinal Stritch University. She also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letter from Cardinal Stritch University in 2008 and Lincoln University in 2016. She has chaired numerous boards spanning the arc of civic, corporate and nonprofit organizations.

Daniels-Carter is a board member of the Green Bay Packers and, in the spring of 2017, was appointed as the first African-American woman chair of the Automobile Association of America (AAA).

Both the keynote address and a small reception beforehand are free and open to the public, but registration is required. More information and the link to register can be found at: https://www.clemson.edu/ethics/programs/annualethicsday.html.