HUMANITARIAN AWARDS
Since their inception, the Steinberg Denicola Humanitarian Awards have been presented to leaders in the NFL and athletics communities, who show selfless dedication to giving back and initiating positive social impact.
ROSCHON JOHNSON
Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson entered the NFL in 2023 and has quickly established himself as not only a champion on the field, but a dedicated community advocate, recognized for his hands-on approach to social justice and youth empowerment. Johnson is a prominent advocate for the Players Coalition, a non-profit organization founded by NFL players to impact social justice and racial equity. In December 2025, he played a central role in the Coalition's commitment of $200,000 toward community violence prevention in Chicago. He has personally visited organizations like Peace Runners 773 to support youth run clubs and use sports as a tool for intervention and prevention in high-risk areas. A significant portion of Johnson's philanthropy focuses on creating opportunities for children in both Chicago and his hometown of Port Neches, Texas. He hosts the free Roschon Johnson Youth Football Camp at Port Neches-Groves High School. The 2nd Annual Camp in June 2025 served hundreds of local children, providing drills, mentorship, and fundamentals at no cost to families. During his tenure with the Bears, he has been actively involved in diverse local initiatives, including: Reading to children and working in community gardens to combat food insecurity, sponsoring shopping sprees for local youth, and supporting the Bears NFL Girls Flag league to inspire young female athletes.
RAY LEWIS
Ray Lewis is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. A legendary linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Lewis spent his entire 17-season career (1996–2012) with the franchise, becoming the emotional and competitive heart of the team. Known for his intensity, leadership, and football IQ, he helped define a dominant era of Ravens defense and set the standard for middle linebackers across generations.
Lewis was a two-time Super Bowl champion (Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLVII) and earned Super Bowl XXXV MVP honors after leading one of the most dominant defenses in league history. Over his career, he was selected to 13 Pro Bowls, named to 10 All-Pro teams, and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice. In recognition of his impact on the game, Lewis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 in his first year of eligibility.
Beyond football, Ray Lewis has been deeply committed to community service and youth empowerment. He founded the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of underserved youth through education, mentorship, health initiatives, and character development programs. The foundation emphasizes personal accountability, discipline, and leadership—values Lewis consistently promotes through scholarships, youth camps, and community outreach.
Since retiring from the NFL, Lewis has remained a prominent voice in sports and personal development as a motivational speaker, author, and media analyst. His legacy extends beyond tackles and trophies, reflecting a lifelong dedication to leadership, service, and inspiring others to overcome adversity and strive for excellence.
STEVE YOUNG
Steve Young is a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback who dedicated over fifteen years to professional football, predominantly with the San Francisco 49ers. He earned numerous accolades, including being named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXIX, securing the titles of Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Sporting News from 1992 to 1994, and receiving the NFL's Most Valuable Player award for 1992 and 1994. Upon retirement, he held the record for the highest quarterback rating in NFL history and remains the only quarterback to clinch four consecutive NFL passing titles. Following his football career, Steve transitioned into a former ESPN analyst and a best-selling author while entering the world of private equity, establishing himself as a notable leader. He co-founded HGGC, a private equity firm managing over $6.9B in capital commitments. Additionally, Steve has held the position of Chairman of the Board for HGGC portfolio companies: IDERA, Integrity, and AutoAlert. Furthermore, Steve founded and currently chairs the Forever Young Foundation, an organization deeply involved in supporting children's charities globally. He also has taken on a significant role in advancing the national women’s flag football initiative and is a former International Spokesperson for the Children's Miracle Network, a philanthropy that has successfully raised over a billion dollars to aid children's hospitals worldwide.
MARTIN NANCE
Martin Nance serves as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the club, where he's responsible for developing fan engagement strategy through marketing, content and brand initiatives. Nance manages multiple departments, including marketing, sponsorship activation, events, premium services, creative, sales analytics & engagement and Vikings Entertainment Network.
Nance joined the organization in 2020 with over 10 years of leadership experience in strategic marketing programs, advertising, branding, fan engagement and customer relations for PepsiCo/Gatorade, previously serving as the senior director of marketing and sports intelligence. Prior to his move to senior director, Nance served in a number of roles for PepsiCo/Gatorade from 2011-20, including director of marketing and head of gatorade athlete activation (2018-20), senior marketing manager of gatorade brand strategy (2015-18), marketing innovation manager (2013-15) and marketing associate manager (2011-13).
As an NFL wide receiver, Nance spent time with Buffalo, Minnesota and Pittsburgh from 2006-09, seeing game action with the Vikings as a rookie in 2006 and finishing the 2009 season as a Super Bowl XLIII Champion with the Steelers. He began his post-playing business pursuits with the NFL office in 2011, working on corporate development activities for both team organizations and league revenue generation.
Nance graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Miami University of Ohio in 2005, and later earned his MBA at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a certificate in executive education from the Harvard Business School. Nance currently serves on the University of Minnesota Health Fairview Philanthropic Board and Miami University's athletic department board. He and his wife, Minya, have two daughters, Alina and Ava.
ARTHUR J. ROONEY ll
Arthur J. Rooney II was named president of the Pittsburgh Steelers in May 2003. Prior to that, Rooney served as the team’s vice president and general counsel, and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 1989.
As part of his duties with the Steelers, Rooney was principally responsible for the design, development, and financing plan for Heinz Field, which opened in 2001. In 2009, Rooney directed the successful restructuring of the Steelers’ ownership group, which now includes 12 new partners and continues the Rooney family leadership of the NFL’s fifth-oldest franchise.
Rooney serves as the Chairman of the NFL Stadium Committee and serves on several other League Committees including the Digital Media Committee, NFL Management Council and the International Committee.
Rooney is a 1978 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law in 1982.
He devotes a substantial amount of his time to community activities and is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of United Way of Allegheny County, and on the boards of the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and the Pittsburgh Public Theater.
LOU WEISBACH
THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR CURES
Lou Weisbach is a highly successful Chicago-based serial entrepreneur focused on two major missions: providing up-front, debt-free capital to sports and entertainment venues, and advancing the prevention and cure of diseases through a focused, accountable, and fully financed approach. He conceived and co-founded In Tickets We Trust LLC alongside baseball legends Steve Stone and Rick Dempsey, creating a unique, patent-pending method for delivering significant debt-free capital to professional and collegiate sports and entertainment venues. Lou’s expertise in financing, marketing, and promotion stems from his 27-year tenure as founder and CEO of HA-LO Advertising Specialties, which grew into the world’s largest publicly traded promotional products company with nearly $770 million in revenue and operations across 11 countries. He also previously co-founded and served as CEO of Stadium Capital Financing Group, a Morgan Stanley Principal Investments-backed entity that pioneered a new form of debt-free financing for professional sports teams and university athletic departments. Deeply embedded in the sports and entertainment world, Lou has co-owned a Major League Soccer team in Chicago, led efforts to bring major league sports to Las Vegas, helped advance the “Lost Lands of Oz” to Broadway, film, and theme parks, represented the musical group Sister Sledge, and continues humanitarian collaborations with Kim Sledge. A committed crusader for cures, Lou partnered with Dr. David Liu of the Broad Institute to spearhead the Americans Joining Together to Fight COVID-19 initiative, served as Director of Prevention and Cures Initiatives for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and co-founded The American Center for Cures with Dr. Richard J. Boxer to establish a new, mission-based pathway to prevent and cure diseases on a global scale. His work has earned bipartisan support, including national recognition for the ACC’s vision and impact, and he himself has served across administrations, including as Chair of the Jefferson Trust of the Democratic National Committee under President Clinton and as a White House Fellows Program judge during President Trump’s administration. A lifelong humanitarian, Lou has led and supported numerous charitable efforts, including serving as Chairman of The Giving Back Fund, and currently serves on the board of Justice for Women.
SUSAN FARREN | FIRST RESPONDERS RESILIENCY
After a 30-year career as a paramedic and supervisor, Susan Farren’s life changed dramatically in 2016 when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Following major surgery, she was given what she calls a “stay of execution.” While recovering, a surgeon made an offhand comment about seeing unusually high rates of organ cancer in first responders. Susan decided to find out why—and what could be done to protect those who serve. In 2017, with research in hand and the support of her children, she sold her family home to launch one of the world’s first Proactive Behavioral Wellness programs dedicated to first responders and their families, grounded in science and prevention, with a bold mission of Putting PTSD Out of Business®. Since hosting its first class in 2018, Susan and her first-responder instructor team have served more than 14,000 first responders nationwide, including a multi-year partnership with CAL FIRE and, most recently, federal law enforcement agencies. In 2021, they purchased 18 acres in Northern California to build the first First Responders Resiliency Center in the world and hope to break ground soon, turning personal adversity into lasting humanitarian impact. Receiving the award for First Responders Resiliency is Susan Farren.
DR. STEPHEN SHAYA
Stephen Shaya, M.D.'s journey has been one of service instilled by his Iraqi Christian upbringing. He graduated from Birmingham Brother Rice High School Summa Cum Laude and was awarded a Merit Scholarship to attend Wayne State University. Dr. Shaya won many leadership awards, including the Outstanding Student Leader in 1991, and became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant Awardee. He served on the Wayne State University Board of Governors from 1991 to 1993 and then attended Wayne State Medical School, graduating in 1996. Dr. Shaya subsequently trained in Family Practice and then did a fellowship in Occupational and Environmental Health. Since 2004, Dr. Shaya has served as the Executive Servant Leader at J&B Medical, a privately held global healthcare consortium. Founded in 1996, Stephen worked closely with his family to start eighteen different business enterprises with customers all globally. Many describe him as an "intrapreneur", someone who behaves as an entrepreneur within a large organization. Dr. Shaya's efforts have received many recognitions, including the 2015 Global Distinguished Health Care Award from the Center of Economic and Leadership Development and a United States Congressional Commendation. In addition, Dr. Shaya received the Global Medical Innovation and Leadership Award on August 19, 2016, presented at the UN, along with a commendation from the New York State Senate. In May of 2021, Dr. Shaya was presented with a Vatican Pontifical Hero Award given to individuals who, through generosity, compassion, wisdom, and leadership. He was named to the International Council at Harvard's Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. On January 30, 2022, Dr. Shaya spoke at the World Expo in Dubai on how to reimagine the global medical supply chain. In June 2022, he was awarded the Presidential Leadership Award and Presidential Gold Medal by the FBI's Citizens' Academy. In May of 2023, the Shaya Family received the Order of Charity from Ascension Health for their lifelong devotion to serving their community. In July 2023, Dr. Shaya was awarded the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (“AAPI”) Presidential Healthcare Leadership Award for Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery. The Shaya Family was awarded the Presidential Leadership Award in June of 2024 for supporting community partnerships to engage, educate, and empower the nation’s youth. In October 2025, Dr. Shaya was invested as a Knight of Merit in the Imperial Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the Vatican, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar and the only living branch preserving the Templar legacy. This is the highest papal recognition, reflecting his lifelong dedication to faith, service, and global impact. Dr. Shaya also served as Executive Producer of Saving Superman, a Critics’ Choice Award–winning short documentary that highlights the power of compassion, dignity, and human connection. At every turn, he demonstrates his grandmother's favorite phrase, which was from Mother Teresa. "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
