John Donahoe has been appointed as the new Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics at Stanford University. The announcement was made by Stanford President Jon Levin, following a national search for the position. Donahoe, who holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, is set to begin his new role on September 8.
Donahoe previously served as chief executive officer of Nike from 2020 to 2024 and was a member of its board starting in 2014. He also held leadership roles at ServiceNow and eBay, chaired the board at PayPal between 2015 and 2025, and spent nearly two decades at Bain & Company, including as worldwide CEO. Donahoe earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College.
“Stanford occupies a unique place in the national athletics landscape,” said Levin. “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.”
Donahoe expressed enthusiasm about returning to the university: “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,” he 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.”
The appointment drew praise from several prominent figures connected with Stanford Athletics. Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, commented: “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.”
Tara VanDerveer, former head women’s basketball coach at Stanford said: “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.”
Lily Sarafan, chair of the Board of Trustees at Stanford stated: “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.”
Condoleezza Rice, director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University added: “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.”
Andrew Luck, general manager of Stanford Football said: “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.”
Earlier this year under Levin’s leadership, Andrew Luck was hired as general manager for football operations—a newly created position aimed at driving success within that program.
Amy Brooks—Stanford trustee; co-chair search committee; president New Business Ventures (NBA)—said: “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 media… We are very fortunate bring John provide energetic principled leadership…in rapid change.”
Jay Mitchell—faculty athletics representative; co-chair search committee—noted core principles include ensuring student-athletes are first students while pursuing both academics/athletics excellence across wide participation opportunities.
Donahoe outlined his priorities as sustaining support for student-athletes’ academic/athletic pursuits; building financial sustainability; increasing external engagement; ensuring organizational competitiveness nationally.
He cited head coaches as models throughout his career saying it’s an honor “to work with coaches rest team lead inspire confidence faith momentum hope”.
