Ten second-year MBA students from the two universities were selected to participate in the intensive five-month fellowship where two participants will have the opportunity to become future franchisees of Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill. The debut of the Yum! Franchise Accelerator follows last year’s launch of the , within UofL’s College of Business. 

“Yum! Brands is proud to work with both the University of Louisville and Howard University on this groundbreaking partnership to train and advance underrepresented people of color and women entrepreneurs interested in building a career in the franchise restaurant industry,” said Scott Catlett, chief legal and franchise officer of Yum! Brands. “The fellowship is a win-win as the students will receive educational experiences, mentoring and hands-on training unlike any other, while Yum! has the opportunity to welcome two talented business leaders and aspiring, diverse franchisees to our U.S. system.”  

The participants – six MBA students from Howard University and four from UofL – receive scholarships and extensive education on the franchise business model through the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence’s franchising curriculum, along with one-of-a-kind mentorship from some of Yum! Brands’ top franchisees in the U.S., in-restaurant training, a sponsored trip to Yum! Brands’ Louisville Restaurant Support Center and a number of unique curated franchising professional experiences during the semester. The Yum! Franchise Accelerator provides each student with learning focused on scholarship, mentorship and entrepreneurship that culminates in a pitch competition where two grand prize winners will receive seed money, additional training and mentorship, as well as an opportunity to become a future Yum! franchisee.  

“I am thrilled for the University of Louisville to partner with Howard University and Yum! Brands on this exciting, synergistic fellowship to create exceptional opportunities for underrepresented people of color and women,” said Lori Stewart Gonzalez, interim president of UofL. “This program of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence exemplifies our commitment to enhanced student experience and upholds our antiracism promise. I am certain it will have life-changing impact not only on participating students but far beyond, through their future entrepreneurial success and with those they mentor and inspire.” 

“Howard students have always been passionate about entrepreneurship because of the potential it has to impact not just their own lives, but the lives of people in their communities. The Franchise Accelerator is an incredible opportunity for Howard students to gain training in and access to a sector that has served as a wealth-building engine for so many communities,” said Yuvay Meyers Ferguson, assistant dean of impact and engagement and associate professor of marketing at Howard University. “We are so grateful and excited about our partnership with UofL and Yum! Brands and what it will mean for increasing representation of women and people of color in the franchise industry.” 

Since June, more than 200 students have participated in programs at the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, including more than 100 undergraduate students, 55 graduate students and more than 75 participants in the executive-level Franchise Management Certificate program. The center is the first business program of its kind at a public university to provide existing and potential franchisees multiple levels of online education focused on the franchising model across industries. It focuses on recruiting and educating underrepresented people of color and women on the possibilities of franchising as a pathway to entrepreneurship. 

“From the beginning, the goal of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence was to amplify our world-class franchising model and give more underrepresented people of color and women access to franchise ownership and the ability to create generational wealth and a legacy,” said Wanda Williams, head of Yum! Global Franchising. “This program is consistent with our goal of becoming the world’s multi-brand franchisor of choice which strives to create a global franchise system as diverse as the communities we serve. Adding the faces and voices of underrepresented people of color and women leads to diversity of ownership and thought, builds on our legacy of developing and growing franchising and creating jobs and broadens the reach of Yum!’s world-class franchising model.”  

During the semester, each student will take part in sessions that allow them to learn directly from Yum! Brands executives, successful franchisees and restaurant operators, as well as interacting with brand franchise recruiters. Each student participating in the Yum! Franchise Accelerator will be paired with a current Yum! Brands franchisee who will serve as a mentor and thought partner during the semester-long program.  

“Franchising is a proven model to empower communities to build and sustain generational wealth,” said Kathleen Gosser, assistant professor of franchise management and director of the UofL Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence. “This pilot program will accelerate this process for our deserving cohort of talented MBA students, allowing them to become the future of franchising success within underrepresented populations. And when this success occurs, the entire community benefits.” 

The creation and funding of the UofL Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence is part of Yum! Brands’ global Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, in which the company committed $100 million over five years to promote equity and inclusion, education and entrepreneurship for employees, frontline restaurant teams and communities around the world. Across KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill, and in close collaboration with Yum!’s franchisees, the Unlocking Opportunity Initiative builds on more than 20 years of investing in the Company’s people-first culture.  

The franchising model is strong in the U.S. and globally and makes business ownership accessible to many individuals. When 2021 year-end data is finalized, the  projects the franchising industry will have  in the U.S. alone.  

Undergraduate student Edison Pleasants is part of the Society of Porter Scholars and Muhammad Ali Scholar Program and said she appreciates how the new space enhances cross-cultural interactions and educational opportunities.

“As president of a student organization, we have a lot of incoming freshman trying to make connections on campus, and I always tell them to go to events held in the cultural center because they can meet lifelong friends,” she said.

Students challenged university leadership to create a centralized home for the diversity centers. That challenge was met as plans included space within the new Belknap Residence Hall, which opened in August. Located on the first floor of the building, the Cultural and Equity Center provides a unified environment for the diversity centers, previously scattered throughout campus.

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said the center represents one concrete action leading to change on campus as the university strives to become anti-racist and more inclusive and welcoming for the entire Cardinal community.

“The Cultural and Equity Center will help Cardinals build community across identities and provide programming that creates a sense of belonging – a key factor in eliminating bias and creating an appreciation for everyone because of our unique differences, rather than in spite of them,” she said.

The university’s first vice provost for diversity, Mordean Taylor-Archer, was a driving force to make the center a reality. Her work continued following retirement in 2019 through the Office of Diversity and Equity, under the leadership of V. Faye Jones, interim senior associate vice president.

“The Cultural and Equity Center is not only key to graduating students who are engaged citizens prepared for a diverse and global society, but it also is crucial to ensure social justice and fairness across identities,” Jones said. 

The diversity centers together help fulfill the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategic goals through many intentional initiatives. The efforts include unconscious bias training, coaching and mentoring, along with other services that support academic, personal and professional development for students and cultural experiences for employees.

“Since UofL is predominately a white institution, it is important that students know of resources available through this center,” Pleasants said. “Diversity is essential for enhancing the college experience, and preparing students to engage with the world around them both now and in the future.”

 Take a virtual tour of the Cultural and Equity Center .

Oleka, who graduated from UofL with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in political science, is president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities. Sullivan, executive director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, graduated from UofL with a bachelor’s degree in political science, law and public policy, and a minor in economics and later earned his JD from Brandeis School of Law.

UofL News talked to Oleka and Sullivan about their new coalition.

UofL News: Can you describe AntiRacismKY?

Oleka: AntiRacismKY is a coalition focused on rooting out any vestige of institutional racism in Kentucky state or local government policy. It is not an official organization, but rather a collection of hundreds of Kentuckians who want to finally deal with the problem of the remnant of institutional racism in Kentucky.

UofL News: What inspired you to start AntiRacismKY?

Oleka: After seeing the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Terrance Sullivan and I were texting one another and decided we had to do something. We concluded that gathering a groundswell of support to pass specific legislation was the best way we could help.

UofL News: What are your goals for AntiRacismKY?

Oleka: Our goals are to achieve some meaningful reform in several key areas: agriculture, education, economic development, housing, health care, criminal justice, wealth generation and the workplace. These are the areas we identified in which there could be some issues regarding the remnants of institutional racism that could be negatively impacting Black communities in Louisville and all over Kentucky. We hope to achieve a set of laws that allow people and communities to have full and total access to the American experience, unharmed from the remnants of a bygone era in American history.

UofL News: Why do you think AntiRacismKY and its work is so important?

Oleka: Right now there are portions of Kentuckians who do not have full access to the American experience. They do not have access to capital to start businesses, a quality education to get the skills they need to get employment, or the food, shelter, healthcare and wealth opportunities they need to sustain their family.

Sullivan: We have many people in Kentucky who are bursting at the seams with great ideas and strategies to improve lives and address some of these issues, but they don’t feel welcome at the table. Many people have reached out to say they don’t feel like they know enough or have the right background to effect change, and to that I say they are wrong. We want to encourage them to be part of the process, not just the usual voices.

UofL News: What do you think AntiRacismKY’s biggest challenges will be?

Oleka: The biggest challenge will be coming to bipartisan agreement. Unfortunately, anti-racism issues have turned into a partisan debate designed to inflame people on either side of the political aisle.

Sullivan: Bipartisanship (or non-partisan work, if I have a say) is integral to getting things done. We need to make it clear that we are just tackling racism and that should not be a partisan or political issue.

UofL News: How do you plan to overcome that challenge?

Oleka: By speaking to the issues and explaining this is a benefit for all Kentuckians. When everyone has the opportunity to build a business, get a quality education and provide for their families, they are more likely to be contributing members of society, require less direct support from state and local governments and have a higher quality of life.

Sullivan: Another way we plan on overcoming these challenges is to be honest about our own positions. OJ and I are on different sides of the proverbial aisle, and I think that is important to note. …Having two people coming from different viewpoints to achieve the common goal can be powerful and encouraging for others to do the same.

UofL News: How did your experience at UofL help prepare you for your careers?

Oleka: It was tremendous help. I had the chance to serve as student body president, which gave me the opportunity to pull together a coalition of students to make the Student 2020 Plan, which was a set of five areas of improvement in the student experience. I have approached this work with that same vigor and even some of the same organizational structures of soliciting ideas and forming working groups.

Sullivan: UofL prepared me because I was able to learn how to advocate and use my voice. One thing that was encouraged in the Political Science department and in Honors was to do research and discover more about yourself, and to then use that to make changes you wish to see.

UofL News: Is there anything you’d like to encourage the people reading this to do?

Sullivan: Be informed. Learn more about the community around you.

Oleka: Get involved in your community in a civic way! Serve on a board, volunteer for a campaign and advocate for a cause. An engaged society is a vibrant society.