INDIANAPOLIS — There is a shared sentiment about Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren when it comes to prioritizing the advancement of women in sports.

He doesn't only talk the talk, he walks the walk.

From empowering women to sit on his executive team to hiring multiple female coaches to overseeing a trailblazing girls flag football program — all of which he accomplished during his two years at the Bears — Warren has become a true advocate for women in the NFL.

Warren's consistency culminated in a rare moment of surprise Wednesday at the Combine's ninth NFL Women's Forum, where he was honored with the second-annual Buddy Teevens Forward Progress Award. The award, presented by the NFL Women's Forum founder Sam Rapoport, honors the life and legacy of Teevens — former Dartmouth College football coach and advocate for the inclusion of women in football — who tragically passed away two years ago.

"I am rarely the suprisee, I am usually the surpriser," Warren said upon receiving the award. "I am humbled. I am rarely lost for words, but I am lost for words about this."

While Warren received the award, he made it clear that the honor is for the entire Bears organization for their dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at the club.

"It really means so much to me to accept this award on behalf of the Chicago Bears," Warren said. "George McCaskey has been a trailblazer in this space. We had the most powerful woman ever in the history of the NFL in Virginia Halas McCaskey. So, it is really in honor of her. It goes to my parents, who taught me, just do the right thing, just try to help people.

"So, the award was a shock. I just love this forum. I have been coming every year, and you just see the talent and these women need to have the opportunity to be able to show what they can do.

"Today is another day to show how powerful women are in the NFL."

Teevens was well-known for his willingness to provide opportunities to women who had coaching aspirations. In 2018, Teevens hired Callie Brownson as the first full-time female Division I coach in college football history then went on to bring in five more female coaches during his time at Dartmouth.

Current Dartmouth head coach Sammy McCorkle attended the forum in honor of his dear friend Teevens. McCorkle noted that Teevens "was so far ahead of the game" and believes he would be proud of the award Rapoport and the NFL created on his behalf.

"It was never about Buddy," McCorkle said. "He never wanted it to be about him. He wanted it to be about the individuals. This award would just be so special to him. This is what he was hoping for. He wanted to see this space grow, he wanted to see that develop. I was here last year, and you can just see the difference from last year to this year — just how it has expanded and the interest and the trust of the coaches in organizations that these young ladies are very capable of doing anything they need to be done."

Rapoport, who also had a close relationship with Teevens, has been a firsthand witness to Warren's career-long commitment to uplifting women in football. Warren has been a longtime supporter of the forum — a space that helps the NFL identify qualified women to join its next generation of leaders — attending or speaking multiple times over the years.

"Kevin was a recipient of the Buddy Teevens Forward Progress Award for the work that he's done throughout his entire career in the sport of football," Rapoport said, "and how he has inspired young girls and women to shoot their shot and go for jobs in the NFL."

"He does not only talk the talk at the NFL Women's Forum, he walks the walk at the Chicago Bears. For those reasons and many others, Kevin was incredibly deserving this year."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — who has also supported the forum every year — expressed his appreciation of Warren and the entire Bears organization for their commitment to creating opportunity and ultimately helping "make the NFL better."

"For Kevin to be selected, he is also someone who I admire, respect and truly love," Goodell said. "He has been a trailblazer in so many ways with the Vikings and now the Bears and with the Big Ten. He has just made a difference in the game and made a difference in peoples' lives."

Along with the support from leaders around the league, Warren also felt the love from his Bears family, many of whom were in the room to watch him accept the honor. Those in attendance included chairman George H. McCaskey, general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Ben Johnson, special advisor to the President/CEO & chief administrative officer Ted Crews, executive vice president of people and culture & chief human resources officer Liz Geist, executive vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion & chief impact officer Tanesha Wade and more.

That group has not only watched Warren take the actions that earned him the award, but have lived it.

For Poles and Johnson, working so closely with Warren has allowed them to be first hand witnesses to his efforts of inspiring and uplifting his colleagues and community.

"Kevin is a champion for others and he takes pride in putting those around him on a higher pedestal, particularly in the advancement of women in our industry," Poles said. "We are incredibly honored to work with him and for him each and every day."

"This is a well-deserved acknowledgement and an incredible honor," Johnson said. "We witness Kevin's impact every day, and for his efforts to be recognized in such an impactful and respectful way, it's hard not to smile and be proud."

Geist and Wade were promoted last year to be a part of Warren's executive team that features over half women. For both, Warren's outward confidence in them has helped elevate their careers and put them in positions they never thought were possible.

"Kevin is very intentional — in a genuine way — about making sure that women not only are in the room, but that their voices are heard and are critically necessary as we continue building a championship organization," Geist shared. "I'm specifically thinking about our recent head coach search process. There was a total of seven of us, me being the only woman in that room, interviewing for a head coach to lead our football team. That group from George to Ryan and to Kevin, especially, always makes sure that when I'm in those situations, that I know I'm there for a reason."

Wade — who oversees the team's DEI strategy as well as community engagement and social impact efforts — has watched Warren advocate for the launch of the club's first-ever Women's Advisory Board and champion the club's girls flag football efforts which have opened up a new path for thousands of girls flag athletes in the Chicagoland area.

"I am fortunate to be a part of an organization that values inclusivity," Wade said. "Creating access and opportunity is an integral part of my role and it's important that it's coming from a place of authenticity. That authenticity leads to greater impact and results in positive outcomes, whether it is for the people that work in our organization or those we expose to different opportunities who go on to achieve success and inspire others to do the same.

"We want to see continued forward progress. Being a part of the Bears and working under Kevin's leadership is truly a great place to be."

The women on Warren's leadership team also include executive vice president of stadium development & chief operating officer Karen Murphy, executive vice president of legal and business affairs & chief legal officer Krista Whitaker, executive vice president of revenue & chief business officer Meka White Morris, senior vice president of strategy and global affairs & chief of staff Tanya Dreesen and executive assistant Mai Davis — who has worked with Warren since 1990 after he graduated law school.

Over the past year, McCaskey has watched Warren and the leadership team work together to bring new ideas and perspectives to the club. For those continuous efforts to better the entire organization, McCaskey "can't think of a more appropriate recipient" of the award.

"Kevin has done an outstanding job of hiring women and people of color, and the Bears are better for it," McCaskey said. "We remain committed to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the board. We think it makes the Bears better.

"One of the biggest excuses is, 'well, that's the way we have always done it.' It's only a reason to continue doing it that way if it is still the best way to do it. So when somebody that comes in with a different perspective and challenges conventional notions and compels you to be better, everybody benefits."

While Warren's work to bring women more opportunities in the NFL is longstanding, it's far from complete. Last week, the Bears announced the hiring of Johnson's new coaching staff which included assistant strength & conditioning coach Allison Haley — the second female coach the club has hired in the past two years.

The Bears also discovered Haley at the forum last year then hired her as a strength & conditioning seasonal prior to the 2024 season. This year, it didn't even take until the forum for the Bears to provide a new opportunity for an up-and-coming female in football.

Karla Martinez — a senior at Florida International University — was recently hired by the Bears as an equipment seasonal and will begin her role in April. Martinez, who attended the forum, is grateful to know her "passion and hard work" paid off in a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" with the Bears. She is also honored to have watched Warren accept his award Wednesday and know she's heading to an organization that prioritizes opportunity.

"Reassuring is really the word," Martinez said. "One of the things I said in my interview is that I noticed that this is a club that really pushes for women and expanding diversity. This really just confirmed it for me. It just makes me feel so confident and very reassured that I'm walking into an amazing program and a program that I think I will be a great fit for."

For Warren, being an advocate for women in the workforce is "just the right thing to do." He is proud to have had strong women around him his entire life, including his mother, two grandmothers, sisters, wife, mother-in-law and daughter. Their support and sacrifices that allowed him to experience tremendous success in his career is what he hopes to carry forward for other women.

"I hope people would look at me as someone who, I do not want to say gave people opportunities, but is cognizant that we need to have a diverse workforce," Warren said. "We need to have women. We need to have men. We need to have people of color. But we need to support people and give them an opportunity to be great. I just know in the NFL, I am grateful for Commissioner Goodell's leadership and what he and his senior staff have done, what our owners have done around the league. This is a great game, and when you come here, you recognize it's great and it's going to even be greater as we continually grow and expand."

"I am honored and blessed each and every day. I love this league and, I love the Bears. Every time I walk into Halas Hall, and every time I walk out of Halas Hall, I am just grateful that I had another day to be there to carry it forward. We are going to do all we can to win as many championships as we can and build a world class stadium and embrace our fans. We have the best fans in the world."

See the surprise moment and hear Warren's full acceptance speech below.