“We’re excited to introduce the next chapter of the Nike Athlete Think Tank,” says Tanya Hvizdak, VP, Global Women’s Sports Marketing. “Our partnership with this collective of incredible changemakers represents Nike’s continued commitment to champion women and girls. Together, we are taking action to create bigger change through sport.” 

Athlete Think Tank (ATT) is a collective of influential athlete voices that help the company champion women and girls in sport. Based off the success of its inaugural group, Nike brought together a second cohort: ATT 2.0. This new cohort includes 11 elite women athletes from different geographies and sport experiences who are at varying junctures in their sport lives, including: A’ja Wilson, Adia Barnes, Anna Cockrell, Cai Xuetong (aka “Tong Tong”), Chloe Kim, Faith Kipyegon, Michaela Mabinty DePrince, Michelle Wie West, Rayssa Leal, Sam Kerr, and Tatyana McFadden.

In November, Nike invited ATT 2.0 members to its World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., to launch a year-long journey with a two-day workshop. The company’s goal was to know exactly what it could do to support this group of women athletes and their communities — to understand their needs, learn from their unique experiences, and hear their ideas for improving sport for women and girls. The event was an in-depth, wide-ranging two-way dialogue and an opportunity for Nike to share its vision for growing women’s sport. For the athletes, it was an opportunity to share what matters most to them, from product design to athlete services to partnering for even greater impact in the world of sport and beyond.

During the past year, Nike invited ATT 2.0 members, and select members from its inaugural cohort, to pivotal sporting events in Eugene, Ore., London and Chicago, creating space for candid and unfiltered conversations. The insights they’ve shared will help inform how Nike creates innovative products, meaningful experiences and supportive communities for all athletes, especially women and girls. This community-building is a hallmark of Nike Athlete Think Tank; it acts as a forum to foster connections between Nike athletes from all walks of life. “We believe that investing in women makes sport better,” says Hvizdak. “Together, we created space for athletes to build and strengthen connections during record-breaking, future-defining moments in sport — because we know that the voice of the collective is unstoppable.”

The newest members of the collective want to do more to improve the experience of girls and women in sport. “It has been incredible to be with other members of Nike’s Athlete Think Tank who have all used their voices and platforms to shape the future of women in sport,” says snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim. “It has been great to work with Nike and this collective on creating solutions for the next generation."

In addition to listening and learning, Nike, Inc. is continuing to partner with Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America) to donate a total of $1.25 million, which will go toward supporting a nonprofit of choice for Athlete Think Tank members. These investments put action behind the words, says LPGA professional golfer Michelle Wie West. “It has motivated me to be more active in my community and use my platform to discuss topics that I care about most.” This includes challenging Nike to think even bigger about the change that it can create. And together, through commitments such as the CAF America investments, the company and its athletes are stepping up and taking action. 

Building off the success of its first two cohorts, Nike will form a third Athlete Think Tank later this year.