|
Maria Eitel serves as president of the Nike Foundation, which focuses on the issues of globalization, with particular emphasis on girls’ education in the world’s poorest countries. The Nike Foundation also works to distribute 3 percent of Nike’s pre-tax profits in cash and products to programs that support young people globally.
Before joining Nike, Maria served as European corporate affairs group manager for Microsoft Corp., where she managed corporate, public and community affairs initiatives for the company’s European headquarters and 24 European subsidiaries. She has also served as director of public affairs for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and as senior manager of communications and community relations at MCI Communications Corp.
From 1989 to 1992, Maria served as the White House deputy director of media relations and later as special assistant to the President for media affairs. Her work at the White House involved directing White House communications initiatives and programs, and serving as an official spokesperson for the President. She also managed Cabinet involvement in White House public affairs and communications initiatives.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the Safeco Corporation, member of the Steering Board of the World Economic Forum Retail & Consumer Goods Industries, World Economic Forum Global Governance and Womens’ Initiatives, the Board of Directors of the Millennium Promise, the Stanford University Advisory Council and on the Board of Trustees of the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. Formerly, she served as a director of the Operating Board of the Global Alliance for Workers & Communities and on the National Academy of Sciences committee on monitoring international labor standards and on the Board of Directors of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a business membership organization that promotes corporate social responsibility among global companies.
The coolest thing about working at Nike, according to Maria, is witnessing the positive impact Nike has on communities, the environment and the lives of workers. I love being involved with a company that’s committed to and bold about putting resources behind these efforts, she said. Nike’s effort to improve lives is something for which every employee shares the responsibility. | 