Nike has tapped James Loduca as its new chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, the fourth person to fill the role since 2020.
Loduca, who most recently served as the vice president of inclusion diversity, equity and accessibility at Twitter, announced the news in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. Nike confirmed the news but did not offer a statement.
“In an increasingly polarized time, sport is one of the few things that still brings us together,” Loduca wrote. “Nike believes that if you have a body, you are an athlete — and I’m thrilled to be joining the team and help lead efforts to create a level playing field where everyone can win.”
Loduca replaces Nike’s former DE&I chief Jarvis Sam, who left the company in late November, just six months into his role. He left to launch his own DE&I consulting and strategy group, The Rainbow Disruption.
Prior to Sam, Felicia Mayo served as the company’s chief talent, diversity and culture officer for two years until August of 2022. Kellie Leonard was named Nike’s first head of diversity in 2018 and served in the role until 2020.
The short tenure of DE&I chiefs at Nike reflects a broader trend. The average tenure for a chief diversity officer was just three years and four months in 2022, according to leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates.
In recent years, Nike has invested more heavily into programs to support DE&I inside and outside the company, such as an apprenticeship initiative aimed at promoting diversity in design and a program that hires retired WNBA players into Nike jobs. Nike has also made efforts to improve the gender and racial diversity of its leadership team. Notably, three women now lead the company’s geographic regions — Sarah Mensah, vice president and general manager of North America; Amy Montagne, vice president and general manager of Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and Angelo Dong, vice president and general manager of Greater China. And Heidi O’Neill was named as its first female president of Nike Consumer and Marketplace in April 2020.
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