Earl Graves Jr.

Earl G. Graves Jr. (Butch) is president & CEO of BLACK ENTERPRISE. He is responsible for the strategic positioning and overall profitability of the corporation which includes magazine publishing, television production, digital media, and business and lifestyle events.

Butch joined BLACK ENTERPRISE in 1988 after earning his M.B.A. from Harvard University. After holding several positions within advertising & marketing, he was appointed president and chief operating officer in 1998 and named CEO in 2006. Under his guidance BLACK ENTERPRISE has expanded the reach of its signature magazine to include more than 4 million readers, redefined its Wealth for Life mission for the digital age with a revitalized multimedia website and iPad edition, and successfully launched broadcasts of Our World with Black Enterprise and the Black Enterprise Business Report into television syndication.

Butch received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University in 1984. As a four-year starter and captain of the Yale basketball team, he became the school’s all-time leading scorer and finished his college basketball career as the second leading scorer in Ivy League history. Butch was drafted in the third round by the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and enjoyed a brief professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Butch is a powerful advocate of doing business with minority media and advertising agencies. He holds positions on the corporate boards of several other companies including AutoZone, the Pepsi African American Advisory Board, Channel Thirteen/WNET’s Educational Broadcasting Corp. and the Magazine Publishers of America. In 2002 Butch was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Achievement and in 2009 he was honored with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented to former student-athletes who have gone on to excel in their chosen professions.