Nike’s VP of Design Culture inspires UK students through collaboration and creativity

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 25, 2024) — The University of Kentucky College of Design, College of Education and Gatton College of Business and Economics hosted Nike’s Vice President of Design Culture and Blue Ribbon Studio Ronnie Wright for a series of events across campus earlier this month.  

The planning for this event series began when Ateba Whitaker, lecturer in the Gatton College’s Department of Management and former Nike employee, had the idea to invite Wright to campus for an event within her department. Whitaker soon realized the impact that an event like this could have on students from a variety of disciplines and invited College of Design and College of Education colleagues to get involved. 

Wright kicked off his visit to campus early in the week, participating in the Future of Sport Institute’s (FoSI) inaugural Executive-on-Campus (EoC) program. The EoC program is meant to provide students the unique opportunity to engage with senior leaders in the sport industry. During his visit, Wright offered valuable insights and expertise concerning product development as a guest speaker in Kwame Agyemang’s Management of Sport course. Agyemang was one of several organizers for Wright’s visit.   

“We just hope events like this will foster more cross-campus collaboration and unlock the massive potential the University of Kentucky has in sport education,” said Agyemang, director of FoSI and the George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion. “Ultimately, this is one of FoSI’s aims — to serve as a go-to hub for all sport stakeholders across campus, and this collaboration serves as a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together. Students from various majors benefited from this collaboration. Connecting students with Wright is something that could ultimately lead to a realm of possibilities for them from finding a new source of inspiration in Ronnie’s story to maybe even getting a job at Nike down the road.” 

The College of Design’s Department of Product Design and the FoSI then co-hosted a community presentation and Q&A with Wright in recognition of National Sneaker Day. Wright’s presentation, “Collective Potential,” focused on the evolution of his career, the cultural influence of sneaker design and how tomorrow’s designers can prepare to join the industry. Agyemang moderated the Q&A which, tackled topics such as shifts in the sneaker industry, designing for a global market, emerging industry technologies, the importance of transdisciplinary practice and authenticity in personal branding.  

“As an educator, it’s always nice to have industry leaders highlight the same concepts and processes that we’re teaching our students,” said Jonathan Mills, chair of the Department of Product Design and one of the organizers for Wright’s visit. “It links what students are doing in school with what they aspire to be doing in their careers. In a way, it demystifies the magic of design to make it approachable and accessible to our students.” 

Wright took this demystification one step further by leading a hands-on design workshop following the Q&A with around 20 student participants from a variety of majors across campus. During the workshop participants created products that they felt represented the differences and similarities between “speed” and “quickness”. Attendees used fabric samples, markers, pin board and photo collage to create their interpretation of the prompt while Wright worked directly with each group, often sketching alongside them or offering feedback.  

“Ronnie’s workshop was an incredible experience,” Max Mosier, fourth-year product design student, said.  “We gained insights into how even just two simple words connect to the world around us and how this can shape design thinking, all while getting the once in a lifetime chance to ideate with a design industry legend." 

Wright rounded out Wednesday with a visit to Department of Management Senior Lecturer Zack Eden’s Sport Enterprise Management course. Wright was back at Gatton on Thursday for a lunch and learn with students focusing on effective management skills that foster workplace creativity. 

Whitaker, primary organizer for Wright’s visit, said the three-day event series serves as an example of UK’s commitment to interdisciplinary programming that prepares students for the collaborative job market.  

“Working among departments is important because each department is interlocked within the overall success of production, to get the final product into the hand of the consumer,” Whitaker said. “This model should apply to academia too. Academia should be a dress rehearsal for students to learn how to collaborate with other disciplines, resembling the real world of corporate. That’s why this collab was so beautiful, along with the right host, Ronnie, who understands its importance as C-suite strategist for one of the most innovative companies. Success from Nike was not built on a ‘me-perspective.’ it was built on a ‘WE-design.’” 

Wright said if he could describe his time at UK in one word, it would be “priceless”. 

“The willingness to collaborate and explore what the future could be through partnership is so important,” Wright said. “It’s where the world is right now. Walking in to see students collaborating and working across one another’s disciplines hopefully plants a seed for them to explore the real power of partnership in their future careers. Teaming up with these colleges and building the relationships I have here at UK has been a great example of the kind of impact that collaboration can have.”  

Aside from his events across campus, Wright also made several appearances throughout the Lexington community. Wright partnered with senior management student Trevor Butler for a World Inclusion Day event with second graders at a local elementary school. Butler and other UK student volunteers organized the event as part of Whitaker’s project management course. Children designed their own sneakers on paper which were then combined into a collaborative sneaker collage titled the “Inclusion Shoe Portrait.” The students gave Wright the final product as a gift, and he plans to take it back to share with his Nike colleagues.  

Wright also had the opportunity to explore Lexington’s vibrant art district alongside Mark Johnson, president of Art Inc. Kentucky, during which Wright gained a deeper appreciation for Lexington’s cultural fabric and how it inspires creativity and innovation in the area. 

“We are very thankful to have had Ronnie visit,” Whitaker said. “He is such a genuine, compassionate person, and the students have seen and appreciated that, especially coming from someone in a high-level position. It is evident through his gracious commitment of time and expertise during this visit that Ronnie is here to truly guide and inspire students.”