The guest speaker will be Sam McCracken, current General Manager of Nike’s Native American Business, who will present "How McCracken's Native American Heritage Impacted His Journey of Business Development at Nike Since 1997."

About Sam McCracken

Sam McCracken began his Nike tenure in 1997 at Nike’s Wilsonville distribution center. He was quickly asked to utilize his experience and passion to manage the revitalization of the Native American Employee Network & Friends, one of several Nike diversity programs. Shortly thereafter, Sam proposed a business development strategy targeting Native American communities with the goal of increasing health and wellness through physical activity. He became the manager of Nike’s Native American Business in 2000 and has led the development of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, the N7 retail collection, and the N7 Fund, which helps to create access to sport for Native American and Indigenous youth in the United States and Canada. Since its inception in 2009, the N7 fund has awarded more than $8 million in grants to more than 270 communities and organizations, reaching more than 500,000 youth. McCracken has also driven over 25 unique product collections and brand stories for the N7 product line.

In addition to ongoing N7 oversight, McCracken’s leadership with Nike’s Native American Network & Friends drives ongoing education, visibility and representation for Nike’s Indigenous community including a recruitment and retention strategy. In 2020, McCracken was inducted into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.