Illinois State women’s basketball alum Jaci McCormack ’05 is the CEO and co-founder of Rise Above, a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering Native American youth to lead healthy lives.
Appears InRise Above works with Native tribes and partners to build more than 40 programs serving more than 5,000 young people through sports camps, clinics, educational programs, and speaking engagements. McCormack presented at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2022.
McCormack is a Native American who grew up on the Nez Perce Reservation in north central Idaho. She is the subject of an upcoming feature film, produced by Danny Glover and Lenny Wilkens, set to begin production in July and slated to premiere in 2024. Recognizing her community impact, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken honored McCormack in November 2022 as a “Hero of the Deep” and donated $32,000 to Rise Above.
McCormack starred at Illinois State from 2000-05 and clinched the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament championship for the Redbirds by scoring a game-winning, buzzer-beating jumper.
