[Pictured in photo from left to right: YSU Foundation Senior Development Officer Brian Nord, NFL CIO Gary Brantley, Attorney Bryan Brantley, and YSU Foundation President Paul McFadden]
Gary Brantley, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for the National Football League, announced at the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber breakfast today that he and his brother, Attorney Bryan Brantley, will be establishing a scholarship endowment at the YSU Foundation.
“I am excited to share with you that I, along with my brother Bryan and the Brantley family have partnered with Youngstown State University to establish an endowed scholarship. This scholarship will provide assistance to Black and Brown students interested in pursuing careers in Information Technology and Law,” said Gary Brantley at the breakfast. “This scholarship will be awarded to students who come from our community here in the city of Youngstown. We know that our parents, community, church, and the city of Youngstown played a major role in our successes, and we are thrilled to give back. We hope this scholarship will provide opportunities for future generations to achieve their dreams. Thank you for your support and partnership in this endeavor.”
The Brantley Family Scholarship will go to a student who is a resident of the city of Youngstown who is majoring in either political science in the pre-law program or computer science, as those were the majors of both Brantley brothers.
“Gary and I have wanted to do something to give back to the community that laid the foundation for our success for some time now. Despite statistical barriers, we are two Black men from Youngstown that have been blessed to achieve success at a high level. This is due, in large part, to our family, our community and the education we received at Youngstown State University,” said Bryan. “Our family believes that higher education is a significant factor in determining outcomes for young people in the city. YSU is an excellent option for students who choose to stay home to further advance themselves and secure their futures. We hope that through this scholarship endowment that we can contribute, in some small way, to the success of Black and Brown students at Youngstown State for generations to come.”
““We at Youngstown State University are very appreciative to Gary and Bryan Brantley for investing in the lives of students from inner-city Youngstown. Their benevolent gift goes hand in hand with Youngstown States’s vision to be the anchor university in our region and beyond,” said YSU President Bill Johnson. “We at YSU are well aware that success in life is determined one step at a time, and access to post high school higher education is often one of the most dominate factors affecting the outcome. And we are grateful that Gary and Bryan Brantley trust Youngstown State University to provide eligible Youngstown students with the critical thinking skills necessary to meet the challenges of their generation. This a good day for Youngstown and for Youngstown State University.”
Both brothers graduated from Calvary Christian Academy in Youngstown. Gary graduated from YSU in 2002 with his bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences and received his master’s degree in management in 2013 from the University of Phoenix. Bryan graduated from YSU in 2001 with his bachelor’s degree in political science and received his J.D. from Duquesne University in 2004.
Gary has been the CIO for the NFL since October 2022. Prior to, he worked as the CIO for Beazer Homes, the City of Atlanta, and DeKalb County Schools, and was the Vice President of IT for the state of Ohio. He is a current board member for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta Technology Professionals, and the Technology Association of Georgia.
Bryan is a Litigation Partner, a member of the Board of Partners and Leader of the Transportation Industry Team at McGuireWoods, a national law firm with over 1000 lawyers in 24 offices across the U.S. Europe and Asia. He resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he is also a Director for the National Aviary, and is a board member for the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and Duquesne School of Law Advisory Board.