Pioli to deliver commencement remarks at his alma mater

Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli will deliver commencement remarks at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on May 18 in Hartford, Conn.

Pioli, 54, will be the featured speaker during the 3 p.m. ceremony where the School of Business and School of Education & Professional Studies degrees will be presented.

Pioli, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at CCSU in 1988, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

Over Pioli’s 26-year NFL career he was with the Patriots for three Super Bowl wins in a four-year period. He was vice president of player personnel. His leadership extends well beyond the gridiron as an advocate for education, equality, and the arts through his involvement in a number of philanthropic and community initiatives.

As the first member of his family to pursue higher education, Pioli founded a number of scholarships geared toward first-generation college students. He and his family also created endowed funds with Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation for women who aspire to be football coaches or scouts and a Historically Black Colleges and Universities scholarship for members of Women Leaders in College Sports.

He serves on the Board of Directors for the Black College Football Hall of Fame; Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality; Women’s Sports Foundation, The Alliance Theater, Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City; and College for Every Student (CFES), a nonprofit that helps underserved youth prepare for and succeed in higher education.

After serving as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-12 he joined the Falcons in 2014.