person in the university’s history to serve in this position. According to Muir, “The No. 1 priority is making sure that the student athletes know that there is somebody who’s here to champion their cause and make sure they have the best experience possible, both on and off the playing field.” AGE: 36
Tyler Perry, Playwright, Actor, Producer
Why he’s hot: Tyler Perry has made more than $75 million staging and producing plays. This year’s screen adaptation of Diary of a Mad Black Woman, one of his earlier pieces, grossed $50 million at the U.S. box office. The film cost just $5 million to make, half of which was provided by Perry. A second film adaptation, Madea’s Family Reunion, is scheduled for release next year.
Perry has moved beyond the genre of low-budget, gospel-heavy melodramas, often dismissed as the “Chitlin’ Circuit.” But his journey to success has been thorny. He wrote his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed, from letters he wrote to himself about being a survivor of child abuse. Early stagings of the show failed repeatedly, and Perry ended up homeless. Then his fortunes changed. Perry went on to create new musical comedies as well as adapt and direct two plays based on Bishop T.D. Jakes’ novels Woman, Thou Art Loosed and Behind Closed Doors. Today, hundreds of thousands of fans, mostly African American, religiously attend Perry’s plays in major cities nationwide and purchase DVDs of the performances from his Website. Perry has remained faithful to his audience, fearing that a more traditional method of staging his plays would detract from the realness found in urban theatres—to which his fans would say a resounding “Amen.” AGE: 36
DAVID L. NICHOLS, Executive Partner;Practice Lead GLOBAL SOA, ACCENTURE
Why he’s hot: David Nichols and his global team of about 350 architects are in very high demand. With their cutting-edge, multitasking technology integration software, they help Accenture’s Fortune 100, Fortune 500, and Fortune 1000 clients do business more efficiently and increase productivity. Nichols’ job is twofold. He’s responsible for all aspects of group operations in the company, including human resource growth, training and capability development, as well as financial growth. Since Nichols has been global practice lead, revenues for the business unit have increased about 400% in just one year, adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars for the company. AGE: 36
ADRIAN D. PARKER, Advertising Manager FOOT LOCKER INC. USA
Why he’s hot: From negotiating media and marketing partnerships to developing broadcast and print ads, Adrian Parker is charged with delivering first-rate advertising to support Foot Locker Inc. USA, the $5.3 billion retail giant, which encompasses more than 3,200 Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and Footaction USA retail stores. Recently he formed alliances with entertainment powerhouses such as ESPN, MGM Studios, and Universal Music Group to support the brand’s urban youth position. In 2003, the then 22-year-old revitalized Footaction’s in-store television network of some 6 million viewers by creating TRENDZ, the first retail entertainment show. AGE: 26
Stephen Stoute, Founder,