Stanford is set to hire former Nike CEO John Donahoe as their next AD, according to sources. The school coveted a “nontraditional candidate for the role,” and Donahoe’s hire delivers a seasoned CEO with stints at Nike, Bain & Company and eBay. Donahoe, a Stanford alum, replaces Bernard Muir, who announced in February he was stepping down from the school after serving in that role since 2012. Alden Mitchell has been working as the school’s interim AD. The hire is a “head-turning one” for Stanford, bringing in someone with Donahoe’s high-level business experience. With Donahoe, the school is “aiming for someone who can find an innovative way to support” GM Andrew Luck and the Stanford football program while also “figuring out a sustainable model for the future of Stanford’s Olympic sports” (ESPN.com, 7/31). Donahoe will become the school’s eighth AD and will begin on Sept. 8 (AP, 8/1). Elevate Talent partnered with Stanford on the AD search (SBJ).
