Nzinga Shaw

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club

Atlanta

Nzinga Shaw is currently the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club. She is the first person to hold this position in the National Basketball Association and for all North American professional sports teams including the NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Shaw serves as a member of the Executive Committee and provides guidance to the leadership team in an effort to engender inclusivity in every facet of the business. Shaw has developed a strategy to embed equity in all programmatic activities, governance and daily administration of the organization. She is focused on building a foundation that will advance this strategy as a core component of the Atlanta Hawks brand, and to drive the business. This initiative extends to fans, customers, community partners and to every employee within the workforce. Prior to joining the Atlanta Hawks, Shaw has been at the forefront of leadin organizational change through diversity. She served as Senior Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at Edelman, the world’s largest and most profitable public relations agency. Shaw also worked as a human resources practitioner at ESSENCE Magazine, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, and the National Football League. Recently, Shaw was appointed by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum to

serve on the NBA’s Global Inclusion Council. The GIC provides strategic guidance and serve as a catalyst for the league-wide diversity and inclusion strategy that activates Our Calling, drives an inclusive and innovative culture and increases the economic value of the NBA and teams. She is also on the Board of Directors of youthSpark and ADMAG (Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group). Shaw is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and is an alumna of Spelman College (BA), the University of Pennsylvania (MLA) and was a study abroad scholar at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.