BEREA, Ohio – December 9, 2024 – As a part of the NFL's ongoing commitment to develop talent and build relationships across the league's leadership, the NFL will host its Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program from December 9-11 at the league meeting in Irving, Texas. This year, the Cleveland Browns are excited to announce that Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Glenn Cook and Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations Catherine Hickman are invited to participate in the Accelerator.
This year's accelerator marks the sixth iteration of this program and follows the 2024 Coach Accelerator that was held at the Spring League Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. Cook and Hickman have previously attended the Accelerator program, both were part of the inaugural event in May 2022, returned to the program in December 2022 and December 2023, with this upcoming program marking each of their fourth time participating in the event.
"We know how important it is for Glenn and Catherine to return to the NFL's accelerator program, as It will again provide them with incredible networking opportunities as well as participating in professional and personal development programming," said Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry. "As we approach the upcoming hiring cycle, as a leadership team at the Browns, we feel strongly about nominating them to represent or organization as we know they are both ready to take on top roles within the NFL and use this program to help capitalize on the relationship building opportunities amongst their talented peers as well as other club executives and ownership."
Cook and Hickman and 32 other highly qualified candidates across player personnel, football operations, and assistant general manager roles were selected to participate in the Accelerator program. Through a series of leadership development workshops and networking sessions led by renowned academic leaders and industry experts, candidates will leave with valuable insights and practical tools to support their journey to future leadership roles.
Cook is in his third season as the Browns assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel after being promoted from vice president of player personnel in 2022 and is in his 14th season in the NFL. Cook spent the previous four years as the club's assistant director of pro scouting. In his role, Cook works with the senior football staff to contribute to all roster and strategic football decisions. Additionally, he leads the day-to-day operations of the player personnel department, including driving the free agency and draft processes. He also aids in managing the football operational functions of the team. Additionally, Cook also serves as the personnel and front office liaison to the business side of the Browns organization, creating better cohesion cross-organizationally.
Catherine Raiche is in her seventh season in the NFL, and her third year with the Cleveland Browns. She serves as Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations. With the Browns, she works with football leadership to manage the day-to-day operations of the team, including player and staff development and contributes to all strategic roster decisions across the player personnel and football operation verticals. Before coming to Cleveland, Raiche spent four seasons working for the Philadelphia Eagles and in 2021, she was promoted to Vice President of Football Operations after serving as a football operations & player personnel coordinator from 2019-21.
