Maria Eitel is the founder and Chair of the Nike Foundation and the Girl Effect. She is credited with creating the transformative theory of "The Girl Effect," and under her leadership, the Nike Foundation initiated the Girl Effect movement in 2004. This innovative movement was born out of Eitel's conviction that adolescent girls have the potential to halt the cycle of poverty and has distinguished partners such as the Novo Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, and high-profile supporters like actress Anne Hathaway and Oprah Winfrey. She has been recognized for her impact on gender equality and was featured in Fast Company's 'League of Extraordinary Women' in 2012. Eitel is acclaimed as one of Forbes' 15 Of The World's Most Inspiring Female Leaders in 2021.

Prior to her groundbreaking work with the Nike Foundation, Eitel served as Nike’s first Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, navigating the company through challenging labor issues in its global manufacturing base in the late 1990s. She is also an active board member for multiple organizations, including Cloudflare Inc. and GoFundMe, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Seattle Kraken NHL team. Her impressive resume boasts previous board affiliations, including the Eastern Congo Initiative, American Hospital of Paris, Millennium Promise, World Economic Forum, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and more. She offers her in-depth experience as an advisor to the MIT Media Lab and the World Surfing League. Eitel's career includes remarkable experiences like serving in the administration of President George H.W. Bush in various roles and handling media affairs for the U.S. White House.

Eitel is a celebrated academic, holding a BA in Humanistic Studies from McGill University, a Master's degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Babson College. She also completed the Stanford Business School Executive Program in 2001. Her achievements and contributions have been acknowledged by McGill University with the Desautels Management Achievement Award (DMAA) in 2022. In addition to her numerous roles and responsibilities, Eitel has delivered keynote addresses at prestigious events such as the Women Deliver Presidential Session, Guardian Activate Summit, and Google Zeitgeist: Design for Tomorrow plenary session. In 2016, she was nominated as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service by President Barack Obama, and in 2018, she delivered a keynote address at the President's Summit in Copenhagen.

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