Guest Speaker: Howard Wright

The SMBA ’11 class was fortunate enough to have Howard Wright, Vice President of Corporate Business Development at Qualcomm and former NBA player, come in today to speak. Wright told us about his attempt to complete his MBA at San Diego State, until a Qualcomm shareholder meeting led to a chance meeting with Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs, which led to a job.

While Wright’s Qualcomm success is impressive, his other love is a charity his late father, former NFL great Ernie Wright, started. Howard Wright, along with his job at Qualcomm, now serves as Chairman of the Board for Pro Kids Golf Academy, a not-for-profit that challenges underserved youth to excel in life by promoting character development, life skills, and values through education and the game of golf.

Currently, the Academy is located in City Heights, but there are plans to replicate the program at an Oceanside location. Wright told us that in the last 15 years, 2,200 kids per year have gone through the program. Even more, 85% of the kids go on to 4-year colleges, thanks to the mentoring, test prep programs, and possible scholarships.

SMBA ’11 member, Luke Epp, continues to volunteer for Pro Kids Golf Academy and Luke's former employer, Callaway, donates $1 million in golf clothing to the Academy each year. Wright’s accomplishments after his basketball career have been nothing short of amazing and the SMBA ’11 class is ready to help Pro Kids Golf Academy this year.

If you’d like to learn more about Wright’s charity, please visit their website.