Yale

Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. is one of the most prolific Men’s Basketball players in Yale History. As a four-year starter and captain, he is the college’s all-time leading scorer and ranks third on the Ivy-League’s all-time scoring list with 2,090 career points. A three-time Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention and two-time First Team All-Ivy honoree, Graves led the Ivy League in scoring in 1981-82 (19.9), 1982-83 (22.1) and 1983-84 (23.6). 

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University in 1984, Graves was selected in the third round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He enjoyed a brief professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, before pursuing his master’s in business administration at Harvard Business School from which he graduated in 1988.

Graves joined Black Enterprise in 1988 and after holding several positions within advertising and marketing, was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in 1998 and named Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Under Graves’ guidance, Black Enterprise has grown from a single-title publication into a robust multimedia company. 

In 2002, Graves was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Achievement and in 2009 he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award - presented annually to former NCAA student-athletes recognizing their collegiate and professional achievements. 

Graves, who was selected as one of Yale’s Legends of Ivy League Basketball in 2018, currently holds positions on the corporate boards of several other companies including AutoZone, the Pepsi African American Advisory Board, and the Magazine Publishers of America.