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Tell us about where you grew up and how you chose Oregon State.
My name is Joel Nyamieh Walker. I was born in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa). I moved to Chicago (Libertyville, IL) in 2001 and then to Colorado Springs, CO in 2006. I first started playing soccer back in Chicago in 2003. I chose Oregon State because I fell in love with the Best College Town in the PAC-12. The moment I saw a video of the campus, I knew I wanted to be here. Fast forward to my first visit, I enjoyed not only the campus, but its people. I chose to study Business Marketing not having a clue what I wanted to do with that degree. Fast forward 5 years, I now reside in Portland, Oregon with my beautiful wife Sophia
What was your experience as a student-athlete like at OSU?
My experience as an OSU student-athlete is something that I will never forget. Athletically, I was fortunate to play in every single match my freshmen year, become a starter my sophomore-senior season, and transitioned into a different leadership/captain role during my post-grad season. Off the pitch, my passion for people continued to grow. I was able to make great connections with current and past Beavs at networking events. Through these connections I was able to volunteer for some great causes, intern with Nike in 2020, and even start/be a part of a few student-athlete-formed platforms (Dam Change & Dam Worth It). I started to get deeply involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) where I had the privilege of being the Vice President (19-20) and President (20-21). I was one of the student-athletes who was able to do another year of school where I completed my MBA and played a 5th season with some great young men who were PAC-12 Champs and the #1 Seed going into the 2021 NCAA Championship.
What are you doing now and are there any personal or professional achievements you can share?
I am kicking off my post-collegiate career as a contracted Digital Marketing Coordinator from Insight Global for Nike, Inc. As a Marketing Coordinator, I sit in the Asian Pacific and Latin America (APLA) Geo at the Nike World Headquarters (WHQ) on the Partner Marketing team. In simplest forms, Nike retail serves their consumers through 2 key physical channels – Nike Direct channels and Nike Marketplace Partners. When you think about Nike Direct channels, think about what you see when you go to a Nike Outlet store. When you walk in, you see only Nike branding, Nike products, and Nike messaging. As for my team, APLA Nike Marketplace Partners, we focus on serving our consumers inside our key accounts. Each day, I am tasked with being the key coordinator of small scale B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) digital brand projects and work-streams to support my clients and accounts across the globe. In total, I work with clients across 6 territories (Japan, Mexico, Korea, Pacific/Southeast Asia and India, along with CaSA: Central America and South America) and 29 retailers. My key role is to help with the seasonal planning, budget management, legal contract execution, and ensure that Nike’s brand vision is aligned through our final delivery with our partners/accounts. My favorite work has been on World Cup marketing executions the past few months.
What's a "Fun Fact" you would like to share?
A few fun facts about me: I can say my alphabet backwards, I am obsessed with chocolate chip cookies, and my favorite movie is Kung Fu Panda.
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