Kelly Baker is hitting her stride at Nike Running
The former varsity athlete sharpened her sports knowledge and writing skills at Carolina before joining Nike World Headquarters.
Kelly Baker ’24 came to Carolina undecided but, through classes in exercise and sport science and the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, merged her passions for sports and marketing.
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Baker is now a North America partner marketing specialist for running at Nike, where she manages relationships with specialty partners across digital, in-store and experiential marketing efforts. Baker, an avid runner, was on the women’s rowing team at Carolina.
What led you to Nike to start your career?
I got my foot in the door through Nike’s internship program, which I stumbled across on Handshake while checking my spam mail during my sophomore year. After an incredible experience during my first internship, I felt I’d only scratched the surface of the impact this brand could have on me (and vice versa). After my second internship, I was fortunate to receive a full-time offer.
What is a “typical” day in your life at Nike?
It usually involves a workout on Nike’s campus, meetings around running workstreams I’m involved with (recently, the After Dark Tour and Chicago Marathon), sending product to stores to bolster marketing efforts, creating marketing assets in tandem with agency partners and more! Every day is a little different and the work is always evolving, so it keeps me on my toes.
What do you love most about your job?
I love working in performance sport, specifically running. I fit Nike Running’s consumer muse like a glove, so it’s been fun to serve a demographic I closely identify with.
The people I’ve always considered to have the “coolest” jobs were those close to the product, consumer or athlete. My role gives me ample access to all three. I’m involved in work across our running footwear construct, stay close to consumers through partners who interact with them daily and often have athletes support our larger activations.
What were your favorite classes at Carolina? What made them special?
Fundamentals of Sport Marketing was my favorite sport administration class. We worked with ESPN to build partnership briefs around engaging consumers through their women’s sports initiatives. That’s a space I’d love to work in someday, so the project directly aligned with my interests.
At Hussman, I loved every class I took with Gary Kayye but specifically The Branding of Me. In my experience, the best classes were those in which the professor let you make the class your own, and Gary did just that. The semester involved writing LinkedIn blogs to creatively leverage our personal brand before entering the job market. My network expanded greatly from this class, and it has opened many doors for me since graduating.
Is there a lesson that you learned from rowing at Carolina that you apply in your career?
Rowing taught me a lot about myself, including how to push past limits I didn’t know existed, the undervalued power of sheer discipline, holding the smallest detail to the highest standard and compelling people towards excellence.
What’s your advice for current students?
First, if you have the time, take an independent study. During my senior fall, I built my own sport administration independent study about the business case for women’s college sports. The topic directly aligned with my personal and professional interests and allowed me to conduct deep research, evaluate the current landscape, form my own conclusions and speak with folks across the industry. It’s one of the best things I did at Carolina.
Second, don’t sleep on Handshake, and use LinkedIn to showcase the passions, credibility and personality that your network wouldn’t have insight into otherwise.
