Chris LaPlaca, who spent more years than anyone behind the scenes at ESPN, will talk about the network’s rise from “scrappy startup to global icon” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at St. Bonaventure University’s Doyle Conference Center.

Free and open to the public, the talk is the highlight of LaPlaca’s two-week visit to the area as the 2025 Lenna Endowed Visiting Professor. The Lenna program is sponsored by Jamestown Community College and St. Bonaventure and features programs on both college campuses.

During his visit, LaPlaca will speak in a dozen classes, including English, writing, business, ethics, broadcasting and public relations. He will also offer the keynote talk at SBU’s annual Communications Day for area high school students on April 4.

A 1979 journalism and mass communication graduate of St. Bonaventure, LaPlaca spent 43 years contributing to ESPN’s growth at every stage of its ascension to become the industry leader in sports broadcasting. He retired on Dec. 31, 2023, departing as the longest-tenured behind-the-camera employee in ESPN history. Only Chris Berman and Dick Vitale have been at ESPN longer.

LaPlaca joined the network in July 1980, just 10 months after ESPN went on the air. Since 2008, he served as senior vice president of Corporate Communications, working closely with every ESPN leadership team throughout his tenure. This included worldwide internal, public and media relations strategies with oversight of consumer, corporate and employee communications.

LaPlaca sat at two leadership tables: ESPN’s and The Walt Disney Company’s corporate communications group, and worked in close collaboration with Disney’s investor relations team on matters involving ESPN.

LaPlaca received the Corporate PR Professional of the Year Award from PR News in 2014; was inducted into the PR News Hall of Fame in 2015; and was named to PRWeek’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

A longtime supporter of St. Bonaventure who serves on the Jandoli School of Communication’s Advisory Council, LaPlaca has been honored several times by his alma mater:

• 1995: Named the Jandoli School’s Alumnus of the Year, awarded to a graduate who exemplifies the highest professional standards and for service to the journalism program at St. Bonaventure.
• 2001: Received the Jandoli School’s John Domino Award for Excellence in Sports Media.
• 2003: Was inducted onto the Jandoli School’s Wall of Distinguished Graduates.
• 2017: Received an honorary doctorate at Commencement and served as keynote speaker.
• 2024: Named an SBU Alumnus of the Year at Reunion Weekend.

The Lenna Endowed Visiting Professorship, established in 1990, is funded through gifts from the late Betty S. Lenna Fairbank and Reginald A. Lenna of Jamestown. It is designed to bring scholars of stature in their field to St. Bonaventure and JCC for public lectures.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).