The people behind the work
A team with deep roots across tribal leadership, sport, philanthropy, policy, and education - united by a shared commitment to Native youth.
Sam McCracken
Founder, Sam McCracken Youth Project | Founder of Nike N7 | Fort Peck Sioux & Assiniboine Tribes
Sam McCracken is a member of the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Tribes and a lifelong advocate for Native youth leadership, wellness, and opportunity. As the founder and longtime General Manager of Nike N7, Sam built one of the most impactful Native-focused initiatives in global sport, helping award more than $13 million in grants to Tribal and Native-serving organizations, reaching more than 500,000 youth across North America.
Sam led the creation of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe and the broader N7 product line, using sport, storytelling, and partnership to elevate Native communities. His work has earned the Nike Bowerman Award, the Freedom Foundation's George Washington Medal of Honor, the Schwab Foundation's Social Intrapreneur of the Year recognition, and induction into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.
Today, Sam continues that work through SMCYP, advancing physical, mental, and cultural wellness for the next generation of Native leaders.
Jodi McCracken
Chief Operating Officer | Sam McCracken Youth Project
Jodi McCracken is an experienced operator with more than two decades across global brands, entrepreneurial ventures, and mission-driven organizations. Her career includes leadership roles at Nike and more than a decade at Soter Vineyards, where she built deep expertise in direct-to-consumer sales, client experience, and luxury hospitality. Known for bringing clarity, discipline, and continuity to complex work, Jodi combines operational rigor with a strong instinct for people, brand, and service.
Janée Kassanavoid
Comanche Nation of Oklahoma | Nike Athlete & World Athletics Championships Medalist
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis
Gila River Indian Community | Governor
Eric Sprunk
Former Chief Operating Officer, Nike
Kathy Baird
Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Sicangu Lakota and Oneida | U.S. Chief Impact Officer, McDonald’s
Charlie Galbraith
Navajo Nation | Co-Chair, Native American Law Practice, Jenner & Block
Mary Hiratsuka Mazilo
Curyung Tribal Council, Aleut and Yup’ik | Founder, Malii LLC