Per Scholas Awards Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin for Championing Diversity

Change Maker Honored with Diverse by Design North Star Award For His Contributions to DEIB

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Per Scholas, a national nonprofit committed to advancing economic mobility and increasing access to tech careers, awards Mike Tomlin, the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL), its Diverse by Design North Star Award. This award celebrates change makers who are leading the charge when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

The Diverse by Design North Star Award honors leaders who are transforming diversity in the technology sector and beyond. As one of five minority head coaches for the NFL, Coach Tomlin is a passionate advocate for DEIB. Through his role at the NFL, he actively promotes racial equity and intentional progress around challenges attached to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This year, Per Scholas and Diverse by Design award Coach Tomlin in acknowledgment for all of his work to advance DEIB.

"It is my distinct honor to award this year's Diverse by Design North Star Award to Coach Mike Tomlin," said Damien Howard, Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer at Per Scholas and co-founder of Diverse by Design. "We're working to transform the diversity landscape within tech and are inspired by leaders like Coach Mike – who is literally changing the playing field and driving transformation in major league sports. He embodies all that Diverse by Design and Per Scholas stand for."  

This year alone, Per Scholas will enroll more than 4,000 learners across 19 cities and partner with over 650 companies where Per Scholas graduates launch their tech careers. Powered by Per Scholas and ITSMF, Diverse by Design helps companies establish a pipeline of diverse entry, mid and executive-level candidates with skills tailored to their business needs.

"I am both honored and humbled to receive this award. I am a big believer in results – not just talk – especially when it comes to diversity in hiring," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "It is amazing that Per Scholas has been helping skill diverse professionals and launch careers in technology for more than 25 years. Their results in tech are a model for what's possible across other industries – and gives me hope for bringing more equity in hiring to the NFL."

"I am thrilled that Mike is being recognized with the Diverse by Design North Star Award," said Shaun Alexander, NFL Legend, Community Influencer, and Per Scholas ambassador. "Beyond his team's winning record, Mike is a powerful diversity champion at the NFL. He is not only vocal about where gaps exist, but also very purposeful and proactive in putting processes in place to give diverse applicants a fair chance in the NFL."

2022 marks the second annual Diverse by Design North Star Award and Coach Tomlin joins fellow 2022 honorees Michael Buckham-White, Global Managing Director, Deloitte Technology; Stephen DeStefani, SVP, Technology Diverse Segments, Representation & Inclusion, Wells Fargo; and Janet Pope, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Capgemini Global Consulting Group. Inaugural recipients include Jay Alvather, President of TEKsystems; Maurice Jones, CEO of OneTen; and Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Comcast Corporation. 

To learn more about Per Scholas and its mission to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses, visit: https://perscholas.org/. To learn more about Diverse by Design please visit www.diversebydesign.org.

About Diverse by Design 
Powered by Per Scholas and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), Diverse by Design launched in 2016 to make a meaningful impact and increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in technology. Diverse by Design promotes solutions-driven conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the tech. We also produce meaningful content that empowers C-suite leaders to make both valuable and socially impactful decisions for their organizations and provide access to sophisticated customized training and talent sourcing solutions to meet companies' talent demands while transforming the diversity landscape of their organizations.

About Per Scholas 
Per Scholas is a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for more than 27 years. Through rigorous training, professional development, and robust employer connections, we prepare individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the industry. We partner with leading employers to build more diverse talent pools, directly connecting our graduates to new career opportunities at businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups. With campuses in 19 cities, Per Scholas has trained more than 17,000 individuals in tech skills, building bridges to careers in technology. To learn more, visit PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE Per Scholas