The Denver Broncos have nominated two of their executives to participate in the NFL’s Front Office and General Manager Accelerator Program. Last season the Broncos selected defensive backs coach Christian Parker to go through it.
Kelly Kleine Van Kelligan and Rich Hurtado will participate in this year’s program when the NFL’s league meeting occurs next week in Dallas, Texas. Kleine Van Kelligan is the Broncos’ Executive Director of Football Operations and Special Advisor to the General Manager.
She’s been an intricate part of the Broncos front office operations for the past three seasons, with her extensive background and experience in scouting.
Hurtado is the Broncos’ Vice President of Football Administration. He’s been with the team for four seasons and plays the crucial role of being the team’s lead negotiator when it comes to player contracts, and works alongside General Manager George Paton regarding the team’s salary cap, and player acquisition.
Both will participate in the league’s program next week. Here’s what the Accelerator Program entails per the NFL’s press release:
“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.”
