Jennifer Langton
Speaker, Former SVP of Player Health and Innovation, NFL
As the Senior Vice President of Health and Innovation, Jennifer Langton led all initiatives to improve player safety, including the creation of a $60 million engineering roadmap and the development of the Digital Athlete platform—an AI-driven system designed to predict and prevent injuries across the league. Her work has played a major role in reducing concussions and transforming how the NFL approaches health, safety, and performance.
But Jennifer’s story starts long before her time at the NFL. As a young athlete, she was the only girl on an all-boys lacrosse team. She later became a four-time All-American and played for a national championship program at the University of Virginia. Then, during her sophomore year, she faced a devastating one-two punch: she lost her mother to cancer and suffered a career-ending knee injury.
In the span of one year, everything that had grounded her disappeared. What followed was a deeply personal journey of healing, resilience, and reinvention—one that shaped the empathetic, connection-driven leader she is today.
In our conversation, Jennifer talks about how she brought those life lessons into her professional world—from her early career in finance, to launching innovation initiatives at the NFL during a time of intense public scrutiny over concussions.
We dive into how she built support for bold ideas inside a tradition-heavy organization, the leadership philosophy that helped her succeed in a male-dominated industry, and the importance of aligning personal purpose with professional mission.
She also shares insights on building trust with elite performers, changing entrenched behaviors, and how the innovations she led are now shaping the future of sports at all levels.
Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com
Websites:
Additional Guest Links:
LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/jenniferlangton
Instagram: @jenny_langton
Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo
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Music
Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com