Seattle Seahawks announce Karen Wilkins-Mickey as new Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

RENTON, Wash – The Seattle Seahawks announced today Karen Wilkins-Mickey as the organization’s new Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. A new role for the team, Wilkins-Mickey will lead the Seahawks’ overall diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy, as well as act as a liaison for the team, its senior management group, players and the community to drive strategic DEI initiatives and programs. She will report to Seahawks President Chuck Arnold.

“I am thrilled to welcome Karen to the Seahawks family as our organization’s first Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” said Chuck Arnold, President, Seattle Seahawks and First & Goal Inc. “Our organization is guided upon core values of acceptance and understanding that help us create a culture of respect, equality and inclusiveness both on and off the field. Over the past year, we’ve looked to take additional meaningful steps to directly address inequality and social justice efforts and felt it was critical to add this position to our senior leadership team. We look forward to Karen’s vast expertise in this area to further strengthen our organization as we strive to continually make a lasting impact both internally and in our community.”

In addition to leading the organization’s overall DEI strategy, Wilkins-Mickey will oversee the team’s internal DEI Council and will represent the team as its liaison for NFL social justice initiatives. She will also act as an internal consultant to department leaders across the team’s football and business operations to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are part of the decision-making process throughout the organization.

Wilkins-Mickey brings more than 20 years of DEI leadership experience to the team. Prior to the Seahawks, she was Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Alaska Airlines, and has previously held diversity and inclusion leadership roles within Expedia Group and Microsoft. She recently completed the first McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program and is a founding member of the DEI Community of Practice, which is a growing network of professionals committed to establishing and enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion practices within Seattle-area organizations. She was recently appointed to the Leadership Council for UNCF, which supports a goal of providing every local minority student with the funds they need to support their college education. She was honored in 2018 by the Seattle Mariners as part of African American Heritage Day, where she was recognized for her contributions to the Northwest community. She is also a Certified Diversity Recruiter.

A native of New York City, Wilkins-Mickey has Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from California State University Chico. She lives in Bothell, Wash. with her husband and two children.