STANFORD, Calif. - Following a national search, Stanford University President Jon Levin has appointed John Donahoe as Stanford’s next Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics. Donahoe, an alumnus of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Nike. He will begin at Stanford on Sept. 8.
“Stanford occupies a unique place in the national athletics landscape,” Levin said. “We needed a distinctive leader – someone with the vision, judgment, and strategic acumen for a new era of college athletics, and with a deep appreciation for Stanford’s model of scholar-athlete excellence. John embodies these characteristics. We’re grateful he has agreed to lead Stanford Athletics through this critical period in college sports.”
“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.”
In November, under Levin’s leadership, Stanford hired former Cardinal and NFL quarterback Andrew Luck to the newly created position of general manager for Stanford Football. With Luck leading the drive for success in the football program, Levin said, Stanford next set out to find in its athletic director search an innovative and experienced leader to position Stanford’s entire 36-sport program for continued success in an era shaped by an evolving media landscape, revenue sharing, NIL deals, expanded transfer, and conference realignment. Luck will report to Donahoe in his new capacity.
Donahoe was the CEO of Nike from 2020-24 and served on its board of directors beginning in 2014. Prior to that, he served as the CEO of ServiceNow, a global software company, and as CEO of eBay. He served as chair of the board at PayPal from 2015-25. Earlier in his career, he worked for Bain & Company for nearly 20 years, including as the firm’s worldwide CEO.
Donahoe earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He now serves on the school’s Advisory Council. He is a former basketball player and lifelong sports fan.
“John knows Stanford, and he has a unique blend of leadership at the highest levels along with deep business experience and relationships, most notably in sports, technology, and media,” said Stanford trustee Amy Brooks, co-chair of the search committee and president, New Business Ventures, at the National Basketball Association. “We are very fortunate to bring in John to provide energetic and principled leadership for Stanford Athletics in this period of rapid change.”
"The core principles of Stanford athletics are that our student-athletes are, first and foremost, Stanford students, that we provide a wide range of participation opportunities, and that we seek excellence in both academics and athletics,” said Jay Mitchell, Stanford’s faculty athletics representative and co-chair of the search committee. “John is deeply committed to those principles. I think John is the perfect choice for us.”
Donahoe said his priorities for Stanford Athletics will 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.”
Donahoe said head coaches have been among his greatest models for leadership. “It’s an honor to have the chance to work with the coaches and the rest of the team to lead Stanford Athletics in a way that inspires confidence, faith, momentum, and hope,” he said.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING…
“Two academic institutions have played an outsized role in Nike’s birth and its culture: the University of Oregon athletic department with hall of fame coach Bill Bowerman, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business under the legendary Ernie Arbuckle. Stanford has made an excellent choice for its new athletic director in John Donahoe. They will not find anyone smarter or with more integrity and dedication. Given the importance that Stanford continues to place on the academic development of its student athletes, it couldn’t have picked a better person than John, and under his leadership, Stanford Athletics has both a very bright future and an opportunity to serve as a role model in the rapidly evolving world of college athletics.”
Phil Knight, MBA ’62 and Nike co-founder
“This hire is a slam-dunk. John’s experience and skills will immediately benefit our athletics department and I am excited to see what he will accomplish on The Farm. This is a great day for Stanford and for Stanford Athletics.”
Tara VanDerveer, former head women’s basketball coach
“It’s exciting to have in this role a longtime Stanford community member who is passionate about all facets of athletics and the student-athlete experience, and who also brings the strategic vision and deep leadership experience that will be critical to the excellence of Stanford Athletics in the period ahead."
Lily Sarafan, chair of the Stanford Board of Trustees
“John is a proven leader with deep connections to Stanford who can meet the contemporary challenges of college athletics while supporting the crucial academic component of success in our student-athlete model. John also will be a terrific partner with us in supporting and advancing the success of our women’s sports and Olympic sports. I’m excited to work with him to strengthen Stanford Athletics and ensure Stanford’s continued special place in the world of intercollegiate athletics.”
Condoleezza Rice, director of the Hoover Institution and member of the search committee
“I am absolutely thrilled John Donahoe is joining as our next athletic director. He brings unparalleled experience and elite leadership to our athletic department in a time of opportunity and change. I could not be more excited to partner with and learn from him.”
Andrew Luck, general manager of Stanford Football