The Frontline-first Advantage: Operationalizing DEI Strategies

Jarvis Sam is the CEO and Founder of the multi-services DEI firm Rainbow Disruption and the
former Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Nike Inc. He was recently named Forbes
30 Under 30 in Sports class of 2021 as well as Portland Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. In his
previous role, he oversaw a team of people focused on driving diverse representation, inclusive
leader and social justice education, professional development and the ecosystem of promoting
and creating a culture of belonging inside and outside of Nike.
Prior to being named CDEIO at Nike, Jarvis held various roles focused on acquiring new talent
capabilities for the company and driving large programs, partnerships and initiatives aimed at
impacting representation and accelerating the flow of Nike’s diverse talent pipelines. Jarvis
collaborated closely with key stakeholders and partner organizations, internally and externally
to facilitate and measure effective workplace diversity and inclusion models. Additionally, he
led Nike’s candidate experience and talent attraction/ employer branding efforts – driving best
in class approaches and strategies to amplify the company’s employment voice and obsess the
candidate.
Jarvis frequently liaised with the sports marketing function and product teams to execute on
key initiatives with signature Nike athletes like Serena Williams and League partners like the
WNBA and NFL. Prior to Nike, Sam worked as the first Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Snap,
Inc., (Snapchat) where he was accountable for building the company’s first ever D&I strategy,
establishing the first five employee resource groups, and rolling out the initial iteration of the
global unconscious bias awareness and implicit association training all whilst driving key
technology recruiting approaches to scale the company 6x through IPO. Before that, Sam
worked at Google as a Diversity Program Manager and led part of the diversity recruitment
practice.
Jarvis began his career as a strategy and operations consultant with Deloitte Consulting in
Houston, primarily focused on clients in the oil & gas industry. Jarvis is a graduate of Rice
University where he studied History, Public Policy, and Sport Management with emphasis in
race and gender rhetoric. Jarvis received his MBA from Brown University and IE School of
Business.
He is an adjunct faculty member at Brown University and has lectured at numerous universities
and institutions of higher learning around the world. Sam has given more than 400 public
speeches, fireside chats, keynotes and panels and is considered an expert in the space.
In his spare time, Jarvis does musical theater, most recently acting as Jimmy Early in a
production of Dreamgirls. He loves concerts, film, sports, karaoke, and can be frequently seen
doing a rendition of Tina Turner’s greatest hits around Portland, OR, where he currently resides.