New York – The Heisman Trophy Trust today announced the election of Dan Reed, Vice President of Global Media at Meta, and Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brand, ViacomCBS to the board of trustees. Reed and Smalls join the Trust as the organization looks to further its charitable mission of utilizing sports and educational opportunities to enhance the lives of underserved youth in diverse communities across the country.
The Heisman Trust fulfills its mission by providing funding for youth development programs. These programs are vetted and funded through partnerships with the New York Community Trust, the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and the Communities Foundation of Texas. In furtherance of its charitable mission, the Heisman Trophy Trust also sponsors the Heisman High School Scholarship, which honors the nation’s most academically accomplished, community-minded high school senior athletes, as well as the Heisman Humanitarian Award, which recognizes selfless professional athletes who provide opportunities to underserved youth. Collectively, these programs have allowed the Heisman Trust to inspire, empower and reward America’s youth.
“Marva Smalls and Dan Reed are distinguished professionals recognized for their leadership and achievements,” Heisman Trust President Michael Comerford said. “Smalls and Reed bring decades of experience in media, sports, and diversity & inclusion to further elevate the Heisman Trophy Trust’s mission of utilizing sports to enhance the lives of underserved youth in our country.”
Dan Reed is the Vice President of Global Media at Meta, where he leads the company’s business partnerships and strategic operations with the global media industry. His team is responsible for entertaining and engaging billions of people and growing Meta’s business by partnering closely with broadcasters, streamers, studios, digital publishers, MCNs, and sports organizations to grow their audiences and businesses leveraging Meta technologies. This work entails building, bringing to market, and scaling innovative, digital-first media and content-powered business models in collaboration with Meta’s product, engineering, sales and marketing teams across the Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Reality Labs platforms.
Reed also leads Meta’s initiatives to equitably serve historically underserved, diverse communities through its business partnerships and activities in multiple areas. Reed joined Meta after a 10-year career at the National Basketball Association, where he served as President of the NBA G League. In that role, he drove significant growth in franchise values, revenues, and fan engagement, leading to a business turnaround of the league.
“The Heisman Trophy is one of the most prestigious brands in all of sports. It epitomizes elite performance and teamwork, with the ability to overcome obstacles, apply rigor and persevere through adversity,” Reed said. “I deeply believe in the Trust’s mission to utilize the power of sports to change people’s lives for the better and am honored to join this distinguished group of leaders and help continue to grow this property, so we can have an even greater impact on America’s underserved and diverse communities.”
Marva Smalls is Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brand, ViacomCBS, where her mission is to ensure Viacom practices its values when it comes to diversity and inclusion and that their responsibility to kids and families is reflected both on and off their platforms. Smalls’ numerous accomplishments include recognition for her work in childhood obesity, where she spearheaded the launch of community-based programs that reached millions of kids annually to highlight the importance of quality sports, games, and recreation for all children.
With more than three decades of leadership experience in the public and private sectors, Smalls is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in media. Her global role regularly connects Smalls with elected officials, regulators, and social justice advocates around the world. She is regularly sought after to lend her expertise on matters of global corporate citizenship, diversity and inclusion strategy, politics, and policy.
“I look forward to working with Mike Comerford and the Heisman Trophy Trust board of trustees to help amplify the values of the Trophy and deliver on the ideals that Heisman represents,” Smalls said. “Creating initiatives to address the disparities that exist in under-resourced communities and that prevent many youth from access to and full participation in sports is a game changer. I am excited to be a part of driving that change.”
Reed and Smalls will commence their board service effective immediately.
About the Heisman Trophy Trust
The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player in the United States. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award. The Trust also has a charitable mission of utilizing sports and educational opportunities to enhance the lives of underserved youth in diverse communities across the country. Our goal through these charitable endeavors is for the Heisman Trophy to symbolize its dedication to enhancing the lives of underserved youth through sports, recreation activities and educational opportunities. For more information visit www.Heisman.com.
