Joey Cheek, Executive Vice President of Entrepreneurship, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

Olympic Medalist and EVP Entrepreneurship

Joey Cheek is the EVP of Entrepreneurship for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, tasked with growing the startup community and helping to launch venture scalable businesses. He began that role in October 2023.

Joey was born in Greensboro and attended Dudley High School.  As a youngster, his passion for speed and skating led him to the goal of one day being in the Olympics.  He achieved that goal just a few years after lacing up ice skates.

Joey won his first ever international medal at the 2002 Olympic games, a bronze in the 1000-meter race.  Four years later, in the 2006 Olympic Games in Turino, Italy, he returned to the world’s greatest stage, winning Gold medal in the 500-meter race and Silver medals. He would further distinguish himself by donating his Olympic bonus money, totaling $40,000, to humanitarian efforts in Darfur, Sudan to aid displaced women and children.  He asked other sponsors and individuals to donate and all told, more than $1,000,000 dollars were raised for that and other efforts.

He was selected as the inaugural Heisman Humanitarian Award winner and has been named to TIME’S 100 most influential people. Joey is a member of the US Speedskating Hall of Fame, the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Sports Hall of Fame. His image even adorned the cover of the famed Wheaties box!

After his time on the world stage, Joey went on to attend and graduate from Princeton University in 2011 with a degree in economics. His background in software development and the founding of two companies led him to his current role as Executive Vice President, Entrepreneurship   We’ll hear about how he will use many of the lessons he’s learned as a student in Dudley’s prestigious math and science program, from being an Olympic skater and his experience during the last decade in the tech and startup world to help more of Greensboro’s dreamers succeed.

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