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NBA hires Lesley Slaton Brown as chief diversity officer

The NBA has hired Lesley Slaton Brown as its new chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, a role that she’ll begin on Feb. 1.

She comes to the NBA from HP, where she was a vice president and oversaw diversity.

Her role at the NBA will be to work with the league office and the 30 teams “to implement and advance DEI processes, including the recruitment and retention of diverse talent, the development and enhancement of employee resource programs, and setting and assessing metrics for success,” the league said.

“I’m honored to join the NBA at such an impactful time for a business that has a unique influence on our culture,” Slaton Brown said. “I’m excited to bring my passion, knowledge and deep understanding of best-in-class strategies to the industry.”

Part of her list of accomplishments at HP was establishing a Racial Equality Task Force as part of the company’s response to the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Slaton Brown also has basketball in her background: She played at Boise State.