PITTSBURGH – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced longtime Panthers Ron Idoko and Sheila I. Vélez Martínez as recipients of the 2023 ACC UNITE Award. The UNITE award is in place to spotlight individuals associated with the league who have made a lasting impact in the areas of racial and social justice.

Idoko walked on the Panthers football team in 2002 as a defensive tackle. He redshirted his first year but played 11 games in 2004 and tallied 10 tackles and one and a half tackles for loss. 

Now off the field, Idoko serves as the Associate Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems and Director of Social Innovation in the Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh. He has played a pivotal role in fostering applied race research, coordinating innovative learning experiences, and cultivating public knowledge and understanding of race and social issues. 

His commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion has landed him countless awards such as the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Staff Excellence and the 2023 Heroes of the Black Resistance Award. 

Some of Idoko's work includes his development of the "Racial Equity Consciousness Framework" and the accompanying "Racial Equity Consciousness Institute," which has empowered countless individuals to analyze the complexity of racism and reflect on steps to advance racial equity personally and collectively. Idoko's coordination of the "Diversity Forum" which is a virtual social justice conference, has given a platform to over 20,000 people to engage in dialogue about social inequities and system thinking approaches.

His work has not only advanced the mission of ACC CORE but has also contributed significantly to creating lasting change within the institution and community.

Vélez Martínez serves many roles within the University of Pittsburgh, mainly as the Jack and Lovell Olender Professor of Asylum, Refugee, and Immigration Law, as well as the Director of Clinical Programs at the School of Law. She extends herself to the community to help community organizations, consultations with immigrant services and her commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the legal field.

As a legal scholar and practitioner, Vélez Martínez has left a lasting mark not only locally but internationally on topics such as domestic violence, immigration, and discrimination. She has not only passed her knowledge to students but has also played a pivotal role in creating meaningful, lasting change in their lives. 

Velez Martinez serves as the University of Pittsburgh Faculty Athletics Representative where she is an advocate for the student-athlete population through her mentorship of the Pitt Student – Athlete Advisory Committee. She continues to highlight the needs of student-athletes to faculty and staff on the Senate Athletics and Recreation Committee.

Vélez Martínez stretches her talents to the conference level as she pushes the need for student-athlete academic success. She spends her time reviewing practice times and class schedules and recommending frameworks that enhance academic success off the playing surface and solidifying mental health and well-being in student-athletes. With her hard work, it is no surprise that she was selected to chair the ACC Faculty Athletic Representatives in the 2023-24 academic year. 

The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:

• Best exemplify ACC CORE's mission to promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement, and advocacy
• Have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes
• Have been a pioneer and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community

For the full list, click here.