Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Represented At NFL Women's Career Forum
2/27/2019 12:43:00 PM | Football
INDIANAPOLIS – The home of the Big Ten Football Championship Game this week hosts an enormous professional opportunity for Wildcats Nate Hall, Montre Hartage, Clayton Thorson…and Ashley Cohrs.
While the linebacker, cornerback and quarterback prepare for the bench press and 40-yard dash, Cohrs, a Northwestern football operations assistant, is one of 40 young professionals invited to the third annual NFL Women's Career In Football Forum.
As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, the National Football League hosts the 2019 Forum this week ahead of the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Forum connects 40 female participants currently working in college football with leaders in professional and collegiate football, supporting the development of high-potential women to career opportunities in football. Over the course of the two-day event, participants network with hiring managers and football decision-makers and learn from experts at all levels of the game on how to further their careers in football.
Cohrs' passion for the game developed at an early age in college football hotbed Gainesville, Florida, but as a fan of the rival Florida State Seminoles.
"My dad was a walk-on at Florida State," she explains. "We started going to games when I was two years old, and as I got older all of our vacations centered around Seminoles football. We would travel around the nation, watching games. We went to Pasadena for the national championship. We went to Utah, which is where we ended up learning to ski, for FSU-BYU. Saw Jerry's World in Dallas. I visited Boston for the first time going to a Boston College game."
She went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Tallahassee, and spent two seasons as a Recruiting Operations Intern on Jimbo Fisher's staff.
A graduate degree and the chance to work with on of the nation's rising college football programs made her a Wildcat.
"I wrote Cody [Cejda, Northwestern's Director of Football Operations & Strategy] a letter because I wanted to work for a top football program, and earn a master's degree. I had walked the Evanston campus a few years before, and fell in love."
This is the second consecutive year in which a member of Pat Fitzgerald's staff has been invited to the NFL Women's Careers In Football Forum.
"It was a great opportunity for networking and professional development," said 2017 attendee Darby Dunnagan, Northwestern football's director of video operations, and president of the Collegiate Sports Video Association. "They had a lot of outstanding speakers, so I got to learn about parts of the game like scouting, operations and coaching that I don't have much experience with in college."
This year's participants will attend panel discussions, breakout sessions, and networking activities with executives and industry experts representing the NFL, NCAA, Canadian Football League, and Women's Leaders in College Sports, among other organizations.
Featured speakers and presenters will include NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, New York Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Gettleman, Owner and President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and Glazer Family Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott, Women's Leaders in College Sports Chief Executive Officer Patti Phillips, Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead.
The two-day program includes a series of breakout sessions focused on the following topics: Player Personnel, Football Operations, Football Administration, Coaching, and Research & Strategy. Additionally, there will be panels covering NFL Player Personnel, Coaching in the NFL, and Female Leaders in football.
Dunnagan understands why the event can be a real asset in talent development.
"Women are underrepresented everywhere, in the administration and coaching of football, but especially video staff," she said. "The organizers reached out to me this year with the opportunity to build a list of potential attendees - assistants, graduate assistants, and undergraduate students - from my peers around the industry. From that the NFL was able to invite more video people, which I was really happy about."
"This is one step in changing the culture of hiring managers within the organization to show them that females can be very successful, and to explain to them the benefits of having gender diversity within your organization," said Samantha Rapoport, NFL director of football development.
Alex Knisley, Dunnagan's second-in-command for the last two seasons at Northwestern, also earned a coveted invite to the 2019 Forum during her tenure in Evanston, and has since moved on to the top job with Kansas Jayhawks football during the offseason.
As a veteran, Dunnagan keeps her advice to the first-timer simple.
"She deserves to be there," she said of Cohrs. "When you go into an environment like that, you never know where you stand among the other participants, and that can be overwhelming and create some self-doubt. Walk in there and be open to connecting with as many people as possible. You belong."
And what does Ashley Cohrs' family think of the path she's chosen?
"They think I have the coolest job in the entire world."
Northwestern football kicks off the 2019 campaign on August 31 at Stanford. The 2018 Big Ten West Division and Holiday Bowl champions open the home schedule on September 14, and welcome Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and more to Ryan Field during the fall. Season tickets are on sale now by calling 888-GO-PURPLE or visiting NUSports.com.
While the linebacker, cornerback and quarterback prepare for the bench press and 40-yard dash, Cohrs, a Northwestern football operations assistant, is one of 40 young professionals invited to the third annual NFL Women's Career In Football Forum.
As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, the National Football League hosts the 2019 Forum this week ahead of the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Thanks to all participants and presenters for making the 3rd Women's #CareersInFootball Forum a success. Visit #NFLOps to learn more about the ongoing efforts to expand opportunities for women in football: https://t.co/bog3znnOll pic.twitter.com/bJgyLpfE3H
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) February 27, 2019
The Forum connects 40 female participants currently working in college football with leaders in professional and collegiate football, supporting the development of high-potential women to career opportunities in football. Over the course of the two-day event, participants network with hiring managers and football decision-makers and learn from experts at all levels of the game on how to further their careers in football.
Cohrs' passion for the game developed at an early age in college football hotbed Gainesville, Florida, but as a fan of the rival Florida State Seminoles.
"My dad was a walk-on at Florida State," she explains. "We started going to games when I was two years old, and as I got older all of our vacations centered around Seminoles football. We would travel around the nation, watching games. We went to Pasadena for the national championship. We went to Utah, which is where we ended up learning to ski, for FSU-BYU. Saw Jerry's World in Dallas. I visited Boston for the first time going to a Boston College game."
She went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Tallahassee, and spent two seasons as a Recruiting Operations Intern on Jimbo Fisher's staff.
A graduate degree and the chance to work with on of the nation's rising college football programs made her a Wildcat.
"I wrote Cody [Cejda, Northwestern's Director of Football Operations & Strategy] a letter because I wanted to work for a top football program, and earn a master's degree. I had walked the Evanston campus a few years before, and fell in love."
This is the second consecutive year in which a member of Pat Fitzgerald's staff has been invited to the NFL Women's Careers In Football Forum.
"It was a great opportunity for networking and professional development," said 2017 attendee Darby Dunnagan, Northwestern football's director of video operations, and president of the Collegiate Sports Video Association. "They had a lot of outstanding speakers, so I got to learn about parts of the game like scouting, operations and coaching that I don't have much experience with in college."
This year's participants will attend panel discussions, breakout sessions, and networking activities with executives and industry experts representing the NFL, NCAA, Canadian Football League, and Women's Leaders in College Sports, among other organizations.
Featured speakers and presenters will include NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, New York Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Gettleman, Owner and President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and Glazer Family Foundation Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott, Women's Leaders in College Sports Chief Executive Officer Patti Phillips, Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead.
The two-day program includes a series of breakout sessions focused on the following topics: Player Personnel, Football Operations, Football Administration, Coaching, and Research & Strategy. Additionally, there will be panels covering NFL Player Personnel, Coaching in the NFL, and Female Leaders in football.
Dunnagan understands why the event can be a real asset in talent development.
"Women are underrepresented everywhere, in the administration and coaching of football, but especially video staff," she said. "The organizers reached out to me this year with the opportunity to build a list of potential attendees - assistants, graduate assistants, and undergraduate students - from my peers around the industry. From that the NFL was able to invite more video people, which I was really happy about."
"This is one step in changing the culture of hiring managers within the organization to show them that females can be very successful, and to explain to them the benefits of having gender diversity within your organization," said Samantha Rapoport, NFL director of football development.
Alex Knisley, Dunnagan's second-in-command for the last two seasons at Northwestern, also earned a coveted invite to the 2019 Forum during her tenure in Evanston, and has since moved on to the top job with Kansas Jayhawks football during the offseason.
As a veteran, Dunnagan keeps her advice to the first-timer simple.
"She deserves to be there," she said of Cohrs. "When you go into an environment like that, you never know where you stand among the other participants, and that can be overwhelming and create some self-doubt. Walk in there and be open to connecting with as many people as possible. You belong."
And what does Ashley Cohrs' family think of the path she's chosen?
"They think I have the coolest job in the entire world."
Northwestern football kicks off the 2019 campaign on August 31 at Stanford. The 2018 Big Ten West Division and Holiday Bowl champions open the home schedule on September 14, and welcome Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and more to Ryan Field during the fall. Season tickets are on sale now by calling 888-GO-PURPLE or visiting NUSports.com.
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