Hey, I’m Hayden.
I’m a coffee connoisseur and self proclaimed baking expert. Professionally speaking though, I leverage retail marketing tactics and event planning to help brands make meaningful connections with consumers.
My Experience
Nike - Performance Running EKIN
Through storytelling and experiential marketing I help Nike create deep relationships with Run Specialty stores across Arizona and New Mexico. With a heavy emphasis on product education, I provide educational resources and product insights to our Southwest partners on a daily basis.
My primary focus is maintaining a positive client relationship with 16 different RSG accounts. Working cross functionally with Nike’s NA Brand, Sales, and Sports Marketing teams, I put on events to help integrate these accounts with the running community.
Over the past year, I’ve hosted over 20 local events in Phoenix, Arizona ranging anywhere from 20 - 6,000 participants. I’ve worked on 3 major brand projects, and been a part of 4 different product launches.
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NCAA Division 1 Athlete
XC/TF Athlete - 2021-2023
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AdWorks Student Advertising
Account Strategist - 2024
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Arizona State University
BS Marketing - December 2024
Recent Projects
Nike N7 x “Make Them See” Initiative
October 2025
This past fall, I had the privilege of furthering Nike’s commitment to making sport more accessible. With the help of running specialty partner Run Flagstaff, I was able to identify Chinle High School as an under-served school in Northern Arizona.
Located in the heart of the Navajo Nation reservation, Chinle is the largest primarily Native American high school in the United States. Although the school is comprised of many talented athletes, its remote location has been a challenge for both competition and access to sport recources.
Working closely with the Running and N7 Brand Marketing teams, I was able to support this school’s journey to competing at the 2025 Nike Cross Country Regional meet, the largest national qualifier in the country. In October of 2025, my co-worker and I journeyed to Chinle to throw the team a send off party. Providing the team with 80 pairs of new shoes, a $1200 travel stipend, custom Nike racing singlets, and a special edition N7 long sleeve shirt.
Desert Twilight XC Meet
September 2025
One of the most notable cross country preview meets in the nation is the annual Desert Twilight race hosted in Mesa, Arizona. Bringing in over 270 teams form 10 different states, athletes get the chance to race on the same course that NXR Southwest is hosted on.
In a strategic effort to drive sales and partnership awareness, I hosted multiple “gear up” nights at running store Sole Sports in the months prior to the race. After many spike fittings, custom giveaways, and dozens of donuts an excitement started to grow throughout the running community.
Over 6,000 athletes competed on race day, yielding the biggest turnout in race history. To sustain the exciting race day energy, I set up a Nike tent where I passed out custom glow in the dark wristbands, stickers, and even light up hair scrunchies!
Over the course of 30 different races that evening I got to watch thousands of kids race with Nike branded elements lighting up the night. It was a surreal moment to have played a role in the very meet that inspired me to become a better runner.
Nike Cross Country Regionals - Southwest
November 2025
Returning to Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa, AZ once again, I played an integral role in the execution and success of Nike’s NXR Southwest 2025.
As the point person for this project I managed project timelines, created and oversaw the meet run-of-show, facilitated the collaboration of 4 different internal teams, and managed the integration of “athlete experience” from conception to execution.
I had the privilege of working directly with our Lead of Running Brand Marketing and one of our Principal Sports Marketing agents to accommodate our elite athletes. We worked together to incorporate 12 different professional runners across multiple athlete engagement activities and share inspirational testimonies with the kids!
One of my favorite elements of this project was working on a custom giveaway for the participating athletes. It’s tradition at large invitationals for the kids to “steal” the triangle flags that mark the course. To pay homage to this custom, I worked with a designer to have a custom felt pennant flag created specifically for NXR SW. My managers loved the idea so much that we decided to have a custom flag produced for all 8 regional meets!
My Learnings
Whether it’s leading 20 account partners on a 3AM hike in Olympic Valley, or hosting a product education clinic at my local running store, my intention always remains the same: connect and inspire.
Every day I work with the mission of making people feel seen and supported. Through experiential marketing i’ve learned that these personal interactions are what set brands apart in the eyes of the consumer.
