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Stanford University has hired a new athletic director, tapping school alum and former Nike CEO John Donahoe for the high-profile role, the university announced on Thursday, Aug. 1.
In his new role, which he will begin on Sept. 8, he will oversee the university’s 36 athletic programs. That includes Stanford football, which recently welcomed former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck to serve as its general manager.
Luck said he is “absolutely thrilled” with the hire.
“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,” Luck said in a public statement issued the university.
The high-profile position has been vacant since Bernard Muir stepped down in February after 13 years in charge of Stanford athletics. Stanford University President Jonathan Levin said in a statement that Donahoe was hired after a national search.
He said the university was seeking “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,” Levin said in a statement.
Donahoe had served as CEO of Nike between 2020 and 2024 and had previously served as in executive roles at various tech companies, including stints as CEO at ServiceNow and eBay. He had spent a decade as board chair at PayPal and has previously spent nearly two decades at the consulting firm Bain & Company, including as the firm’s CEO, according to the university.
Stanford trustee Amy Brooks, co-chair of the search committee, stressed in a statement Donahoe’s familiarity with Stanford and his “unique blend of leadership at the highest levels along with deep business experience and relationships, most notably in sports, technology, and media.”
“We are very fortunate to bring in John to provide energetic and principled leadership for Stanford Athletics in this period of rapid change,” Brooks said in the announcement.
Donahoe, who holds a master’s degree from the Stanford University Graduate School, currently serves on the university’s Advisory Council. He will take over for Alden Mitchell, who has been serving as interim athletic director since Muir’s departure.
Donahoe called it a “tremendous honor” to return to Stanford, where he received a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Business, and to lead the athletics through “a pivotal and tumultuous time in collegiate sports.” He said his priorities 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,” according to the university’s announcement.
“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,” Donahoe said in a statement. “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.”
