Former Nike CEO John Donahoe Hired as Stanford’s Director…

Stanford announced the hiring of former Nike CEO John Donahoe on Thursday.

Donahoe is an alumnus of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and has been named the school’s next Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics, where he will step into the role on Sept. 8.

Donhoe said in a statement that the priorities in his new role include “sustaining the Stanford student-athlete model and galvanizing community support for it, building a sustainable financial model, engaging externally, and ensuring that the Stanford Athletics organization is at the top of the game in college athletics.”

“My north star for 40 years has been servant leadership, and it is a tremendous honor to be able to come back to serve a university I love and to lead Stanford Athletics through a pivotal and tumultuous time in collegiate sports,” Donahoe said. “Stanford has enormous strengths and enormous potential in a changing environment, including being the model for achieving both academic and athletic excellence at the highest levels. I can’t wait to work in partnership with the Stanford team to build momentum for Stanford Athletics and ensure the best possible experiences for our student-athletes.”

Prior to joining Stanford Athletics, Donahoe served as CEO of Nike from 2020 to 2024 before stepping down in October.