As first-year GM Ryan Poles continues to re-shape the front office, a familiar name within the franchise continues to make moves up the organizational ladder.
Ashton Washington, who began her stint with the Bears last summer as a coaching intern, has earned another promotion from the team:
Chicago @Bears scout @aawashington_3 has been promoted from Scouting Assistant to Player Personnel Coordinator. @NFL Women’s Forum alum making big moves. 🙌#forwardprogress pic.twitter.com/IiOrcDA9c9
— Sam Rapoport (@samrap10) May 7, 2022
I’ve gotta say it’s really cool to see Washington get another promotion into a larger role in the organization so quickly. If you’ll recall, the Bears brought Washington in as part of last year’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching/Nunn Wooten Scouting Fellowship class. Washington began as an intern, then moved into a full-time scouting role later that summer — becoming the team’s first-ever woman scout. Nine months later, it’s another promotion. And to get it from a new regime suggests Washington is doing quality work. Good stuff. Let’s keep it going.
The NFL still has work to do when it comes to representation, inclusion, diversity, and things of that nature. But I feel as if these Fellowship programs are a good start. And I think the Bears have done a solid job in using them as a launching pad for careers. While Henry Burris and Michael Pitre have since left, Ronnell Williams (who was a Walsh Fellowship recipient under Matt Nagy) remains with the team on the defensive side of the ball working on Matt Eberflus’ staff. I’m looking forward to seeing the next wave of coaching and scouting talent come through these programs, and it would be swell to see the Bears continue to be a leader in using these outlets as a stepping stone in their organization.