As the NFL looks to continue its efforts to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates across all levels of the league, the league will host its Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program from Dec. 11-13 at the league meeting in Dallas, Texas.
The Chargers will be represented by Director of Player Personnel JoJo Wooden, who will attend the event for the third time.
This will be the fourth installment of the program since it launched in 2022.
Wooden will be one of 42 qualified candidates in attendance. Those in attendance were invited after being nominated by their club and then vetted by an NFL selection committee with people from across player personnel, football operations and assistant general manager disciplines 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.
Wooden is in his 11th season with the Chargers and has been with the team since 2013. He oversees the team's pro and college scouting departments.
Prior to joining the Chargers, he spent 16 seasons with the New York Jets (1997-12), including the last six as their Assistant Director of Player Personnel.
He joined the Jets in 1997 and served many roles throughout his time there including as a pro personnel assistant (1997-98), pro scout (1999-00), senior pro scout/AFC (2001-02), assistant director of pro scouting (2003) and director of pro scouting (2004-06).
Wooden graduated with a degree in sociology from Syracuse University, where he also started two seasons at outside linebacker. The university went to five bowl games during his time with the team and posted back-to-back 10-2 seasons during his junior and senior seasons, finishing both years ranked nationally in the Top 10. Following college, Wooden spent training camp with the Arizona Cardinals in 1993.
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