Renata Simril

President & CEO
LA84 Foundation

Renata Simril is the President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, the youth-serving organization committed to transforming the lives of young people in Southern California through sports and play programs, infrastructure, research and education as the legacy of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Since her appointment in 2016, Simril has expanded the LA84 Foundation’s mission to support childhood health, socio-emotional development and community well-being.

By collaborating with corporate partners, sports organizations, civic institutions and philanthropy, Simril has brought new resources to communities to increase access to sports and play. Inspired by the many organizations working to improve the lives of youth, Simril developed the Play Equity Movement. This gave rise to the Play Equity Fund – a nonprofit focused nationally on Play Equity as a social justice issue.

Simril previously served as Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Times. She was also Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the Los Angeles Dodgers. For over a decade Simril was in mixed-use real estate development with Jones Lang LaSalle, Forest City Development and LCOR, Inc.

She worked to expand rental, affordable housing and economic policies as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Housing in the Hahn Administration. As Development Deputy to a LA City Councilman, Simril worked to rebuild communities in South Los Angeles after the 1992 civil unrest. She began her career in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in Germany and domestically. Simril earned a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a Master’s in Real Estate Development from USC. She lives in Studio City with her husband and two sons.