Muhammad Ali Center Appoints Peter Villegas to Its Board of Directors

By Jessel Thomas First Posted: Feb 09, 2022 11:48 PM EST

The Muhammad Ali Center announced today that Peter R. Villegas, Co-Chair of Actum global strategic consulting firm, has joined the Board of Directors of the Muhammad Ali Center.

Villegas, who also serves as Vice-Chair of the California State Athletic Commission, is a nationally recognized corporate leader with more than 27 years of experience managing various corporate, civic, political, and community issues and initiatives with a focus on multicultural communities.

(Photo : Muhammad Ali Center)

Villegas said: "As far back as I can remember, I have been a Muhammad Ali fan. So I am honored to have been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Muhammad Ali Center and help to promote the organization's programs, which will benefit future generations around the world. Muhammad Ali once said, 'Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.' I look forward to paying my rent."

Prior to joining Actum, Villegas served as Vice President & Head of Latin Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company, where he acted as a national spokesman responsible for North America for more than six years.

During that tenure, he developed and executed local, regional and national strategies that positioned The Coca-Cola Company as a leading corporate citizen in the U.S. Hispanic community, using his well-established relationships with Hispanic and multi-cultural political, business, civic and community leaders across the country. He was also a member of the Coca-Cola North America Executive Leadership Team and the Coca-Cola Social Justice Committee.

Villegas also served as the Vice President of the Office of Corporate Responsibility at JP Morgan Chase & Co. before his time at The Coca-Cola Company. For over two decades he developed unique approaches that made a lasting economic, environmental and social impact on communities the company served. Villegas started his career as a bank teller, working his way up through various roles in the financial industry.

Marilyn Jackson, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center said: "We are honored to have Peter serve on our board. His longstanding success as a professional dedicated to social justice, multiculturalism, and corporate citizenship is impressive and will be invaluable in helping the Center magnify our reach through new audiences and ideas."

This sentiment was echoed by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. "I know firsthand of Peter's commitment to Muhammad's legacy," Fischer said. "With Peter's worldwide reach, he will be able to expand the Ali Center's supporters and programs."

Currently, Peter Villegas is Vice-Chair of the California State Athletic Commission, Secretary of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and board member the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute and the National Association of Latino Appointed & Elected Officials.

In addition to appointing Villegas to the Muhammad Ali Center Board of Directors, the Center named Bennie Ivory as the Ali Center Board Chair and Roula Allouch as Vice-Chair. Laura Douglas, formerly Interim President and CEO of the Ali Center, rejoins its Board as head of Governance.

For a full list of the Ali Center's Board of Directors, visit HERE.

About the Muhammad Ali Center

The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was cofounded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, racial and gender equity, and global citizenship.

The Ali Center is formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, and in 2020, became one of the newest stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The Center's headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org.