Maria Eitel is an executive and thought leader who started her career as a journalist, was a commissioned officer in the White House, an executive of Microsoft and served as Nike’s founding VP of corporate responsibility (CSR) before founding the Nike Foundation and Girl Effect. She joined Nike in 1998, pioneering the principles and programs across Nike’s business that led the company from crisis to successful corporate citizenship.

She has spent her career solving some of the world's most intractable problems, whether establishing CSR for one of the biggest brands in the world, or starting a movement to focus the world’s attention on unleashing the potential of adolescent girls in poverty. Maria has a unique capacity to inspire and create change, grounded in her ability to see untapped potential - in people, organizations, and systems.

Maria is a lifelong student of power: how it operates, and how it can be channeled to create change. As the future of technology now pivots to a time when Artificial Intelligence is shaping humanity, Maria remains committed to being an outspoken champion for human potential. From her unique position at the crossroads of leadership, AI, and Corporate Responsibility, she advocates for technology – and the people creating it – to bring forth the untapped potential of everyone in the world.

Maria currently serves on the boards of Cloudflare, and Seattle Kraken National Hockey League. She is on the advisory board of the MIT Media Lab, and the World Surf League. She is the Chairman Emeritus of The Girl Effect.