Start Here / Never Stop Podcast: Ilana Finley '00

Alumna Ilana Finley '00 is currently the vice president of global communications at Converse in Boston. She previously served as the senior director of communications for Nike, Inc. Finley led the media relations strategy for both corporate and brand communications for Nike’s North America business, based out of New York.

For more than 18 years, Finley held a range of communications positions at Nike, touching nearly every part of the globe. She started her career as an intern and stepped up every rung of the proverbial corporate ladder, distinguishing herself through hard work, an insatiable curiosity and a willingness to always try something new. Her work ethic opened up leadership opportunities for the launch of new business entities, including Nike 6.0; new offerings, such as Serena William’s first capsule collection; and new innovations, such as Nike Shox, Nike Free and Nike LunarEpic. These opportunities took her to more than 20 countries, six Olympic Games, multiple IAAF World Championships, every Tennis Grand Slam and even a Cricket World Cup.

She is most proud of her role as the first communications director of the Nike Foundation, a corporate nonprofit aimed at supporting girls in developing countries as economic agents of change. In this role, she strove to get girls on the global agenda of the world’s most important platforms, from the World Economic Forum to the Clinton Global Initiative, and in a relatively short window. She helped the foundation raise millions in support of on-the-ground programming. In short, her time at Nike has offered a powerful, compelling and life-changing opportunity to bring innovation and inspiration through sport, both on and off the field.

A native of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, she was a member of UNC-Chapel Hill's Track and Field team all four years, competing as a hurdler and sprinter. In her spare time, Finley is an aspiring wine writer, world traveler, fitness enthusiast and all-around lover of sports.

Check out more Start Here / Never Stop Podcast episodes at mj.unc.edu/SHNSPodcast.