Accelerator held December 11-13 will feature curated development and ownership networking opportunities for 42 high potential candidates in an effort to promote diverse executive hiring
DALLAS — December 7, 2023 — Continuing the NFL’s efforts to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates across all levels of the league, the NFL will host its Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program from December 11-13 at the league meeting in Dallas, Texas.
This Accelerator is the fourth time the league has put on the event since it was launched in 2022 and follows the Coach Accelerator that was held May 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“The NFL is committed to improving diversity throughout the league, and a large part of that is providing leadership opportunities to diverse candidates,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “The Accelerator Program provides our clubs and owners an opportunity to connect directly with some of the finest candidates in the league who they may not know. Our intent is that these efforts translate into more diversity in leadership roles across the League.”
In a refresh to the selection process, Clubs were asked to nominate individuals internal and external to their organizations, which were then vetted by an NFL selection committee.
42 highly qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds, across player personnel, football operations and assistant general manager disciplines were selected for the opportunity to build relationships with club owners and executives ahead of the hiring cycle.
In addition to networking, candidates will participate in a range of personal and professional development programming, including practice interviews led by former general managers and leadership sessions from outside experts. For the first time, personal development workshops, have been included to focus on candidates overall wellness and mental preparedness when applying for roles.
To date, the program has successfully contributed to more diverse candidates being interviewed for open positions, which has translated to recent front office hires.
“For the past several years, the NFL Front Office and General Manager program has played a key role in helping qualified diverse front office candidates develop relationships with owners and club leadership,” said Chicago Bears President & Chief Executive Officer Kevin Warren, member of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. “The value of this initiative is both profound and powerful, and I look forward to encouraging participants to take full advantage of this unique, educational networking and professional development opportunity.”
This year’s Front Office & General Manager Accelerator candidates include:
| Arizona Cardinals | Quentin Harris |
| Atlanta Falcons | Dwaune Jones |
| Baltimore Ravens | Mark Azevedo |
| Baltimore Ravens | David Blackburn |
| Buffalo Bills | Malik Boyd |
| Buffalo Bills | Terrance Gray |
| Carolina Panthers | Samir Suleiman |
| Carolina Panthers | Adrian Wilson |
| Chicago Bears | Ian Cunningham |
| Chicago Bears | Francis Saint Paul |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Steven Radicevic |
| Cleveland Browns | Glenn Cook |
| Cleveland Browns | Catherine Raiche |
| Dallas Cowboys | Brett Maxie II |
| Denver Broncos | Rich Hurtado |
| Denver Broncos | Kelly Kleine |
| Detroit Lions | Ray Agnew |
| Green Bay Packers | Richmond Williams |
| Green Bay Packers | Lee Gissendaner |
| Houston Texans | Chris Blanco |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Regis Eller |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Tim Terry |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Dwyane Joseph |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Champ Kelly |
| Los Angeles Chargers | JoJo Wooden |
| Los Angeles Rams | Ray Farmer |
| Miami Dolphins | Reggie McKenzie |
| Minnesota Vikings | Demitrius Washington |
| New England Patriots | Steve Cargile |
| New Orleans Saints | Khai Harley |
| New York Giants | Brandon Brown |
| New York Jets | Chad Alexander |
| New York Jets | Brian Shields |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Ameena Soliman |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Charles Walls |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Sheldon White |
| San Francisco 49ers | Tariq Ahmad |
| San Francisco 49ers | Josh Williams |
| Seattle Seahawks | DJ Hord |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jacqueline Davidson |
| Tennessee Titans | Kevin Turks |
| Washington Commanders | Eric Stokes |
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