Over the past decade, women have made history in the NFL by joining the players on the field as coaches or carving out roles in the front office.
Multiple females have been hired throughout the league to positions few ladies have held in the male-dominated sport.
Add Kathleen Wood to the list of females who were elevated to previously unattainable positions.
NFL Network analyst Scott Pioli posted on Twitter that Wood is set to become the Cleveland Browns’ Scouting/Personnel Assessment and Development.
HUGE congratulations to Kathleen Wood & well done Andrew Berry & the @Browns
Please consider taking a couple of minutes & learn a little bit about Kathleen's story on the link below ⬇️#nfl @NFL @WomensSportsFdn @_WomenLeaders @seniorbowl @woodykathleen https://t.co/2QdYIIuBIx— Scott Pioli (@scottpioli51) May 19, 2024
Pioli acknowledged GM Andrew Berry for making the hire before sharing Wood’s story of how she broke into the profession as a scout.
In his LinkedIn post, Pioli said Wood broke into the league by working with colleges in Delaware and Maryland as an unpaid scout to hone her craft.
After working at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Wood caught Berry’s eye and eventually became one of the first full-time female scouts in the league.
Her work with the Browns included serving as the team’s Northeast Area Scout in 2020 where she scouted schools from Maryland to Maine.
As of 2022, Wood was part of a female workforce that had grown to nearly 42% of the overall staff, according to the NFL.
Connie Carberg was recognized as the first female scout by the NFL in the late 1970s, serving in that role for several years and helping the team find multiple players that comprised their AFC Championship team in 1983.
Pioli is a part of the Women’s Sports Foundation, serving as a board of trustees member for the organization.
