Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson is a global design leader who has been in the footwear industry for over 15 years. Her design career began in 2007 at Nike Inc. where, during her nearly ten years there, Ms. Thornhill-Goldson designed footwear for Kobe Bryant, the Jordan Brand, and many athletes globally. In 2016, she relocated to her hometown of Miami to teach product design at the college and high school level. During that time, she simultaneously launched No Shoes Creative, a design consultancy advancing brands like Champion and adidas.
 
Ms. Thornhill-Goldson is currently Director of Design Education and Growth at Adidas and leader of Adidas S.E.E.D. (School for Experiential Education in Design), founded in 2020. S.E.E.D. lives at the intersection of education and business as a paid, groundbreaking two-year footwear design university alternative, pipelining talent from diverse backgrounds into the adidas brand and sportswear industry. In partnership with Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, S.E.E.D. is transforming the footwear design industry and design education. Ms. Thornhill-Goldson is a member of The Athlete’s Foot Impact Council and enjoys contributing to the company’s philanthropic efforts, serving the underserved across the nation.