Renata Simril is President and CEO of the LA84 Foundation (www.LA84.org). Formed in 1985, originally as the Amateur Athletic Foundation, the LA84 Foundation is a legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Summer Games. Ms. Simril began her career in the U.S. Army as a Military. Ms. Simril is an accomplished civic and private sector trailblazer with more than 25 years of diversified experience with a commitment to leadership and service. She most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff to the Publisher of the Los Angeles Times, where she oversaw staff operations and special projects. Her earlier career included three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where she served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs overseeing the restoration of the Dodgers brand and the Dodgers Foundation; and over a decade in real estate development with Jones Lang LaSalle, Forest City Development and LCOR, Inc.
Brown Girls Rising is a partnership with Nylon Espanol to elevate the conversation of feminist action, leadership, community involvement, and culture.
"Service is the price you pay for the space you occupy " - Renata Simril
In this episode, we chat with LA84’s President, Renata Simril about how she got her start and has climbed the ladder ever since. She begins talking about how in order to get her start, she had to fight for education and opportunities.
“Education is universal, opportunity is not. Opportunities lead me to phenomenal mentors along the way, people that really believed in me and believed in my success. ”
Renata also talks about her relationship with the word feminist and how that contributes to her business lifestyle now.
“I am about women and creating opportunities for women to do whatever they want to do. If you want to call that feminism, great.”
Audrey talks about how she was the ultimate finesser when it came to dodging P.E. class and how in hindsight she believes that shaped her to be who she is today.
"The stories that keep me inspired, are one kid at a time, one family at a time." - Renata Simril
This episode, Brown Girls Rising Episode 16, can be found at BrownGirlsRising.com or on iTunes.
This episode was recorded in sunny Downtown Los Angeles at Maker City LA.