Two members of the Browns – assistant GM & vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook, as well as assistant GM & vice president of football operations Catherine Raiche – will have the opportunity to participate in the NFL's Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program during the league meeting Dec. 11-13.
This is the fourth time the league has hosted the Accelerator Program as part of the NFL's efforts to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates across all levels of the league. It was first launched in 2022 and follows the Coach Accelerator that was held in May 2023.
As part of the selection process for the program, NFL Clubs were asked to nominate individuals both internally and externally to their organizations. In total, 42 candidates with diverse backgrounds across player personnel, football operations and assistant general manager disciplines were selected for this opportunity. They will get the chance to build relationships with club owners and executives ahead of the hiring cycle.
"I think it's an amazing opportunity for all the candidates, not only to gain professional and personal development opportunities, exposure to ownership and top executives, but also to get to know each other," Raiche said. "And I think that's something that I found really valuable as I over the last few years, just to, again, get to know my counterparts and see how much talent we have out there. And credit to the NFL for putting this together, and obviously, major thanks to Andrew (Berry) and Jimmy (Haslam) for nominating us."
Candidates will also participate in personal and professional development programming, such as practice interviews, and leadership sessions from outside experts. There will also be personal development workshops to focus on candidates' overall wellness and mental preparedness when applying to roles.
This December, the league meeting will be held in Dallas, Texas.
This is the third time both Cook and Raiche will attend the event, as each have been a part of the program in May 2022 and again in December 2022. Both Cook and Raiche have interviewed for general manager jobs in previous hiring cycles.
Raiche became the assistant GM & vice president of football operations for the Browns prior to the 2022 season. She was previously with the Eagles beginning in 2019 – first as a football operations coordinator for two years and then as vice president of football operations from 2021-22 – before joining the Browns in her current position. Raiche has worked in football administration since 2015.
Cook first started with the Browns in 2016 as their assistant director of scouting. He then became the vice president of player personnel in 2020 and was promoted to assistant GM and vice president of player personnel in 2022.
"It's always an honor to be recognized as someone who could potentially lead a team in this league," Cook said. "So, I'm always grateful to get this opportunity. And then, secondly, I never turn down a chance to learn and grow and be around some really talented people at the league office and a part of other organizations. So, I'm really excited to do that and see if I can continue to grow my craft and develop across all the different areas that are important to lead an organization."
