A new technology center is making its way to Atlanta!
Nike exclusively shared with AfroTech that the Atlanta Technology Center is set to open its doors in the metro city’s Midtown neighborhood in early 2023 and will include three Centers of Excellence focused on the following disciplines: Logistics & Supply Chain, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.
The mission is spearheaded by Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney — a senior technology leader in Nike’s Corporate Information Security department. She will offer her expertise to help raise the next generation of leaders through tech.
“Personally, I am passionate about gender and racial equity in STEM and have dedicated time to help drive change – from founding the Black Women in STEM 2.0 nonprofit and serving on the Women in Cybersecurity Racial Equity Committee to establishing an endowment to provide scholarships for underrepresented students in the College of Engineering at my Alma mater, North Carolina State University,” she told AfroTech in an email interview. “In Atlanta, I look forward to continuing this work and building relationships with local organizations who help to create avenues for equity in STEM.”
Why ATL?
Atlanta is home to the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks to name just a few of the sports organizations that keep the city alive and thriving. It’s this commitment to various sports that drew the leading athletic company to build its latest tech center in a place where the culture is alive and thriving.
“We chose to open a tech center in Atlanta because of its strong connection to sport, as well as the city’s wealth of skilled and diverse tech talent and the great universities in the region,” Dr. Pinkney noted. “I’m excited about the location of the Nike Atlanta Technology Center, in West Midtown, which will offer our employees access to great restaurants, retail shops, fitness, art galleries, and more.”
Addressing The Digital Divide
Despite the fact that technology plays a huge role in our day-to-day lives, it isn’t always accessible to those who often need it the most. Nike aims to help close the tech gap when it comes to access and the Black community through the new center.
“At Nike, we take great pride in attracting and retaining some of the world’s most creative and talented minds in the industry and have a strong focus on developing a deep bench of diverse and capable talent,” Dr. Pinkney continued. “We will continue to build on this commitment at the Atlanta Technology Center and I look forward to building a creative and diverse team.”
While the team waits for the construction of the new center to be completed, all employees will work remotely.
