Speaker Details
NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks
Derrick Brooks was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, where he remained to play his entire fourteen-season professional career. He is widely considered one of the best linebackers in NFL history.
An eleven-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, Brooks was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII seasons.
In February 2014, Derrick received one of the highest honors of his life by being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was inducted in Canton, Ohio in August of 2014 and inducted into the Capitol One Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Brooks graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business communications at Florida State University where he was a three-time first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, two times first-team All-American, and a member of the 1993 Seminoles National Championship team. He went on to earn his Master’s in Business Communications from FSU in 1999, and his Doctorate in Humane Letters from St. Leo’s University in 2006.
Recognized as often for his hard work in the community as he is for his hard hits on the football field, Brooks is the founder of Derrick Brooks Charities and has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2000 Walter Payton/NFL Man of the Year award, the 2003 Bart Starr Award, the 2004 Bryon “Whizzer” White Award, and the 2008 JB Award through the NFL Players association, all of which recognize an NFL player annually for their commitment to the communities in which they live.
By partnering with the DeBartolo Family, he was able to realize a lifelong dream with the opening of the very first traditional charter high school in the Tampa Bay area – Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School.
Brooks co-chaired the Super Bowl LV Host Committee in Tampa where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
As Co-Chairman for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee, Derrick helped lead the Committee in all areas of business relationships. In addition to these duties, he was equally excited to help spearhead the host committee’s social impact and Forever 55 legacy initiatives – aimed at progressing the Tampa Bay region forward forever.
Scott Mallwitz, Executive Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering
As an executive creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering, Scott is responsible for overseeing the strategic development and conceptual design of World Celebration – a reimagined land in the historic transformation of EPCOT.
Throughout his 33-year career working on theme parks, museum exhibitions, visitor centers, resorts and Olympic Games, he has focused on the creation of physical spaces and emotional connections – dimensional, immersive and experiential storytelling – to realize compelling guest experiences. His Disney portfolio includes Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion at Walt Disney World Resort, and other transformative projects that set the stage for attendance growth, revenue generation and guest satisfaction.
Scott has served on the International Board of the Themed Entertainment Association, the Board of Directors for the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, and was founding president of the Museum Committee for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
Walt Disney Imagineering is the unique innovative organization that creates – from concept through construction – all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions, cruise ships, real estate developments, and regional entertainment venues worldwide. Imagineering’s unique strength comes from the teamwork and syntheses of creative and technical professionals representing more than 100 diverse disciplines.