Jason Gomillion Wright (born July 12, 1982) is an American

business consultant A business consultant (from Latin ''consultare'', "to discuss") is a professional who provides professional or expert advice or service in a particular area such as security ( electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resource ...

. He attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in the early 2000s and played

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

while earning a degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. Wright played as a reserve running back and

special teamer In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He additionally served as the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and president J ...

representative for the Cardinals during the 2011 NFL lockout before retiring. Wright graduated with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

degree from the

University of Chicago Booth School of Business The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (branded as Chicago Booth) is the graduate business school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1898, Chicago Booth is the second-oldest ...

. He moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 2013 and began work for the

management consulting Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...

firm

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

advising companies on

workplace culture A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of th ...

. Wright, the first black president of an NFL franchise, served as

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

team president from August 2020 to July 2024. He is also a business partner with the

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

, Greater Washington Partnership, and The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.

Early life and college

Wright was born on July 12, 1982, in

Upland, California Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, on the border with neighboring Los Angeles County. The municipality is located at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population ...

, and grew up in Pomona. He attended

Diamond Bar High School Diamond Bar High School (DBHS) is a public high school located in Diamond Bar, California, as part of the Walnut Valley Unified School District. Diamond Bar High School's mascot is the Brahma, and the school colors are purple and gold. Diamond ...

Diamond Bar, California Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 55,072. It is one of a few cities in California with a majority Asian population (59.24% as of 2020). It is named after the ...

, where he lettered in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and track before earning a football scholarship at

. He enrolled there in 2000 and played for the Northwestern Wildcats football team originally as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

before switching to

. In August 2001, a teammate at Northwestern, Rashidi Wheeler, died from an

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

attack during practice. Wright later cited the event as a "transformative experience" that strengthened his faith in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Wright was named co-

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the

2003 Motor City Bowl The 2003 Motor City Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Bowling Green Falcons on December 26, 2003, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Northwestern led early after shutting down Bowling Gr ...

after rushing for 237 yards on 21 carries, and was also named to the

2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team The 2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2003 Big Ten Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the B ...

. He finished his Northwestern career with 32 touchdowns on 487 carries and 577 yards and two touchdowns on 54 receptions. He also returned 31 kickoffs for 828 yards and a touchdown. He left as Northwestern's fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,625 yards, the third all-purpose yards leader with 4,030 yards, and the fourth leading scorer with 210 points. Wright graduated with

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

from the school's

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois. Chartered by the Illinois ...

. He was also a member of the

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity and was president of the school's

Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international nonprofit Christian sports ministry based in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. History FCA was founded in 1954 by Eastern Oklahoma State College, Eastern Oklahoma A&M basketball c ...

chapter, being named the inaugural recipient of the Bobby Bowden Award by the latter in 2003.

NFL playing career

Wright attended the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

but went unselected in the

2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...

. He signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

after the draft but was released as a part of the team's final roster cuts prior to the regular season. Wright then signed with the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

, being released and re-signed several times during his tenure there. He was elevated to the active roster in December 2004 and appeared in two games before signed with the

during the 2005 offseason, scoring his first NFL touchdown in a game against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

that year. Wright played for the Browns for three seasons as a backup and third-down back behind

Reuben Droughns Reuben Droughns (; born August 21, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Oregon Ducks, he was selected by the Detroit Lions i ...

and Jamal Lewis until signing a two-year, 2 million contract with the

in 2009. He served as a team captain with Arizona and was their

representative during the 2011 NFL lockout before retiring in July. Wright finished his NFL career with 168 rushes for 633 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 72 receptions for 581 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Business career

Following his playing career, Wright enrolled at the

and graduated with a

(MBA) degree in operations and finance in 2013. Later that year he became a consultant for the

firm

where he advised companies on

organizational culture Organizational culture encompasses the shared norms, values, corporate language and behaviors - observed in schools, universities, not-for-profit groups, government agencies, and businesses - reflecting their core values and strategic direction. ...

workplace diversity Diversity, in a business context, is hiring and promoting employees from a variety of different backgrounds and identities. Those characteristics may include various legally protected groups, such as people of different religions or races, or ...

, and failure at organizational branding and historical honorifics. Wright has served on the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

for the

in New York since 2017, and as co-chair with

Sheila Johnson Sheila Crump Johnson (born January 25, 1949) is an American billionaire businesswoman, co-founder of BET, and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts. Johnson is a vice chairman and partner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, a professional sport ...

on the Greater Washington Partnership's Inclusive Growth Strategy Council since 2021. He is also a member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and spoke at a event in February 2022.

Washington Football Team / Commanders

In August 2020, Wright was hired by the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

as their team president to lead their business operations, financing, and marketing. The move made him the first black president of an NFL team in history, as well as the youngest active one at the time of his hiring. Additionally, he is only the fourth former player to be president of an NFL team. Wright helped lead the franchise during their rebranding process to become the Commanders in 2022. In 2024, Wright was regarded as a finalist to succeed Mark Murphy as president and CEO of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He stepped down as Commanders' president in July 2024 and remained as a senior adviser with the team until the end of the season.

Personal life

Wright's family has a history with

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

. His great-great uncle, Charles Gomillion, was a

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

professor and the plaintiff in '' Gomillion v. Lightfoot'', a landmark 1960

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

case regarding

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in ...

that became instrumental in the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

. Wright was given the middle name Gomillion in honor of him. His paternal grandfather, Harvey Wright, was also an educator and activist who started several

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

chapters in Texas. Wright's sister Allison is a

public defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Belgium, Hungary and Si ...

in Massachusetts. Wright married Tiffany Braxton in 2007; the two met as students at Northwestern. He is close friends with Michael Blake, a fellow Northwestern graduate who later served as the Vice Chair of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

from 2017 to 2021. Blake served as an advisor during Wright's transition as Commanders president in the early 2020s. Wright was the recipient of the "Best Hire of 2020" award by the ''

Sports Business Journal This is a list of subsidiaries of the American media company Advance Publications Inc. Local media groups The following subsidiaries are owned through Advance Local Advance Media New York *'' The Post-Standard'' (Syracuse, New York) **Syracuse. ...

'' and was named to ''

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' (stylized in all caps) is an American multimedia company. A Black-owned business since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African American businesses with a readership of 3.7 mil ...

'' "Top 40 under 40" list in 2021.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders bio
(archived)
McKinsey & Company bio
(archived)

(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Jason 1982 births 21st-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American business executives African-American Christians African-American sports executives and administrators American chief executives of professional sports organizations American football running backs American management consultants Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Christians from California Cleveland Browns players Diamond Bar High School alumni Living people McKinsey & Company people NFL team presidents Northwestern Wildcats football players People from Upland, California Players of American football from Pomona, California Players of American football from San Bernardino County, California San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Diamond Bar, California University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni Washington Commanders executives Washington Football Team executives