By John Ingoldsby
Engagement Insider

NEW YORK, NY June 5, 2013 – Kimberly Fields is living proof that indeed you can go home again.

And home for her is the National Football League, where she worked last decade for six years and returns this week to become a top Lieutenant to Troy Vincent, Senior Vice President of Player Engagement.

This will be familiar turf for Fields, who worked for NFLPE early last decade for three years before moving into the League’s Events Department for three years, with work ranging from Super Bowls to the Monday Night Football Katrina Telethon.

But now she brings an impressive new set of skills to the table after spending five years as the Director of Civic & Business Affairs with the Minnesota Vikings, where she was involved in the Metrodome roof collapse as well as the arrival of Brett Favre to the team.

Those epic events helped prepare Fields for her next and most recent venture, which was with a Minneapolis communications company where she honed her crisis communications skills for a wide variety of clients in various industries.

Now, as she starts as the Vice President of Strategic Development & Operations during a hyper-growth period for PE, all her diverse skills will come into play. She is ready.

“I am very excited to be heading back to the League office,” exclaimed Fields. “It feels like I have come full circle in returning to my roots, and I am ready to jump into this wonderful opportunity and immediately begin to both learn and contribute.”

There will be lots to learn, but no doubt Fields is up to the task as evidenced by her obtaining a law degree while with the Vikings to go with her Masters degree in engineering from the University of Virginia, where she also got her Bachelor of Science and was on the Track & Field Team as well.

A treasure trove of talents that Fields will implement across all areas of PE, particularly a pro-active player initiative that will optimize and revolutionize their personal and professional growth with the League.

“I am looking to build on the breadth and depth of what Troy and his tremendous staff have already developed,” observed Fields.

“Together, we will maximize all of our resources to provide the best quality service to our constituents – the players.”

Exactly what former Pro Bowler Vincent wants to hear as he takes his department to yet another new level in just his third year running Player Engagement.

“Kimberly is the exact right person at the exact right time as she basically becomes my new Chief of Staff,” stated Vincent. “She has been here before so she has seen our growth, and we were pleased to provide her with this opportunity since we are certain she will apply her utterly unique skill set to make this one of our most visible positions.”

A position with a focus on both current and former players that will include outreach strategies, internal policies, crisis communications planning, and messaging & branding, as well as business development, legal guidance, and program oversight & evaluation.

Additionally, the job will entail a big-picture view in aligning with the NFL leadership team on marketing, operations, culture, customer service, and analysis of data & metrics.

A daunting task for some, but one that Fields is perfectly prepared to tackle.

“Starting as an intern at player development helped me understand and grow within the league,” said Field, adding, “and then working with the Vikings gave me a broader perspective and a full understanding of how a team operates and functions with the league.”

This distinctive blend combined with her athletic background will undoubtedly be a winning formula for PE’s PREP, LIFE, and NEXT components, not to mention the department’s new Women’s Resources Initiative (WRI) on its website (www.nflplayerengagement.com).

“Since I understand the athletic life cycle,” Field said, “I have a full appreciation for hard the NFL players work to be the best. Of equal importance, I also got to know the players as people, not just athletes, so I see the total person and look forward to working directly with them to ensure they become the best the can be both on and off the field.”