Nike has appointed Tamika Curry Smith as its new VP of Diversity and Inclusion. Here is an excerpt from the official announcement sent via email:
Tamika Curry Smith [has joined] the Diversity & Inclusion team as Nike’s VP, Global Diversity & Inclusion. She [is] responsible for leading a global team across brands, and helping to advance our D&I strategy. Tamika joins us from Mercedes-Benz USA, where she led Diversity & Inclusion — developing and spearheading a holistic strategy across the company’s workforce and marketplace.
Tamika brings a breadth of experience to this role. Over the course of her career, she has worked with global companies, nonprofits, academia and the public sector; she designed and implemented D&I strategies to increase awareness and communication, improve representation and retention, and drive accountability. She has also held senior leadership positions with Target Corporation as Director of Diversity, and Deloitte Consulting as Americas Director of Diversity Programs. Tamika holds a BBA in Accounting from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and an MBA in Organizational Behavior, Strategy and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Tamika is an avid sports fan who especially loves cheering on her Wolverines. She enjoys working out, reading and getting as many stamps on her passport as possible. Tamika is also dedicated to giving back to the community and has served on a number of nonprofit boards focused on young people, education and D&I.
The announcement comes on the heels of the appointment of John W. Rogers, the CEO and founder of Ariel Investments L.L.C. to Nike’s board of directors.
Rogers is one of the most powerful blacks in business. He founded Ariel Investments in 1983, creating the first family of equity mutual funds managed by African Americans.
Prior to her role at Nike, Curry Smith was head of diversity and inclusion at Mercedes-Benz USA and the director of diversity at Target, according to her LinkedIn profile.