Thibodeaux, Lewis to be honored with 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association will recognize Joe Lewis and Keith Thibodeaux with the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award.

The Outstanding Alumni Award is the highest honor UL Lafayette gives to a former student. It recognizes professional and personal achievements that have brought honor and distinction to the University. Graduates and former students who attended no less than 10 years ago are eligible to receive this award.

Lewis and Thibodeaux will be honored during a private reception on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the UL Lafayette Alumni Center.

“Mr. Lewis and Mr. Thibodeaux have distinguished themselves in their respective fields for numerous reasons, not the least of which is an ability to influence the lives of countless others,” said Amy Armstrong, UL Lafayette’s associate vice president for Alumni Engagement and chief operating officer of its Alumni Association. 

“They are both extraordinary ambassadors for our University, and possess traits and attributes that epitomize what it means to an ‘Outstanding Alumni,’” Armstrong added.

Joe Lewis oversees a global network of over 360 franchises as president and CEO of Famous Brands International, the parent company of the iconic Mrs. Fields and TCBY brands. He holds over 25 years of C-suite executive experience in high-growth franchising.
 
Lewis was part of the founding ownership group of Smalls Sliders. As president and CEO, he propelled the Smalls Sliders franchise platform from startup to over 40 franchise commitments in less than nine months. The rapid growth translated to a number 14 ranking on the quick-service restaurant industry publication QSR Magazine's “40/40 List for 2022: America’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals.”
 
Lewis has also served as CEO of Twist Brands, managing three national brands with over 380 locations across the U.S and internationally. Under his leadership, the company added over 160 franchise locations in two and a half years.
 
During his tenure at Smoothie King, Lewis held many executive leadership roles – serving as president and CEO, vice president and general counsel. He was a driving force in the brand’s growth from 39 stores to over 1,000 stores, generating over $350 million in systemwide revenues. 
 
Lewis, a franchise attorney, has contributed to the International Franchise Association and the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising. He achieved the Certified Franchise Executive designation and currently serves on the IFA’s Franchise Relations Committee.
 
Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University. In addition, he holds a law degree from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Lewis, whose undergraduate academic career began at the University of Washington, was a member of the school’s 1982 Rose Bowl champion football team.
 
He met and married his wife, Liz Wimberly, while both were students at UL Lafayette. The couple have a daughter, Jolie.

Keith Thibodeaux is best known for his role as “Little Ricky Ricardo,” the drum-playing son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on one of the most recognizable, influential programs in television history – “I Love Lucy.” 

The sitcom, which aired in the 1950s, was voted best TV show of all time in a survey conducted in 2012 by ABC News and People magazine.

After “I Love Lucy” ended in 1957, Thibodeaux, known by the stage name Richard Keith, moved on to many other TV roles. Among them was on “The Andy Griffith Show” as Johnny Paul Jason, best friend of Opie Taylor, the character played by actor and director Ron Howard. 
 
Thibodeaux’s career in show business started as a child prodigy. He began playing drums at age 2. His early drumming career, which included touring nationally with the Horace Heidt Orchestra, led to an audition for the role of “Little Ricky.”
 
Thibodeaux never abandoned his musical roots. In 1969, while a student at UL Lafayette, he joined “David and the Giants,” a mainstream rock and roll band that evolved into one of the nation’s top contemporary Christian music groups. 
 
Thibodeaux toured extensively for many years in the U.S. and internationally with “David and the Giants.” In 2023, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge.
 
Among his current interests is his role with “Ballet Magnificat!” Thibodeaux helped his wife Kathy, a onetime silver medalist at the II USA International Ballet Competition, form the Christian dance company in 1986. They also launched “Ballet Magnificat Brazil,” a professional dance company, trainee program and lower school in Curitiba, Brazil, in 2017. 
 
The couple have a daughter, Tara, and a grandson, Bryson. 

Photo caption: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association will honor Keith Thibodeaux (left) and Joe Lewis with the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award. Thibodeaux is an entertainer best known for his role as “Little Ricky” on the “I Love Lucy” TV show. Lewis is president and CEO of Famous Brands International, the parent company of the Mrs. Fields and TCBY brands. Submitted photos