On June 21, in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame, the NFL is hosting the inaugural Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum.
"There is an immense amount of diverse talent in the front office and on the offensive side of the ball around the country," said Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder Doug Williams. "It is important to allow these bright individuals the opportunity to showcase their skills to NFL executives and media. We hope the exposure the participants receive from this event results in advancement opportunities."
Per the NFL, the forum was established to connect current and aspiring football personnel executives and will provide a platform to help prepare, educate, and identify quality minority candidates.
Two members of the Chargers Player Personnel department will be partaking in the forum, director of player personnel JoJo Wooden and senior director of pro personnel Louis Clark.
"It's an honor just to be invited to listen to former general managers like Ozzie Newsome and Rod Graves," Clark said. "It's going to open up opportunities for minorities like myself … It's fantastic. We've been looking forward to having our voices (heard) and to listen to people that have done it and done it at a high level. This can only enhance our ability to move forward."
"It's about the next Ozzie Newsome," Wooden added. "Helping, growing, and developing and passing the torch. Whatever you can do to help people get to where they want to get to, I think it's always fantastic when they do things like this. I've taken part in a few of these (forums like this) and they were well-received. You always walk away better at your job by sitting and listening when people like Ozzie speak."
The forum will feature sessions and panels led by NFL owners and front office personnel including:
- Baltimore Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti
- Black College Football Hall of Fame co-founder James "Shack" Harris
- New York Giants Owner John Mara
- Miami Dolphins Senior Personnel Executive Reggie McKenzie
- Baltimore Ravens Executive Vice President Ozzie Newsome
- Buffalo Bills Owner and President Kim Pegula
The NFL and Black College Football Hall of Fame are also hosting their fourth annual quarterback coaching summit June 22-23.
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