President & CEO
LA84 Foundation
President & CEO, The LA84 Foundation | Founder & President, The Play Equity Fund
Renata Simril’s career is characterized by her service, leadership and positive impact. As President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation and Founder of the Play Equity Fund—legacy organizations of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games—she is driven by her deep belief in the power of sports, play and movement to unlock opportunity and belonging, with a focus on youth who have the least access.
Simril has elevated the LA84 Foundation into a national leader in positive youth development through sport. She launched the play equity movement to expand access for children in underinvested communities. Her focus is on how tangible issues today impact future generations, and engages with partners to improve the social, academic and health outcomes for youth on a greater scale.
Simril’s efforts have not only revitalized public spaces but also fostered a culture of inclusivity, resilience, and collaboration, work that has made lasting contributions to the social and physical landscape of Southern California, and beyond.
Previously, Simril served as Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Times, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for over a decade was in real estate development with Jones Lang LaSalle, Forest City Development and LCOR, Inc. As Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Housing for the City of Los Angeles, she expanded rental and affordable housing.
As Development Deputy to City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, Simril helped rebuild South Los Angeles communities after the 1992 civil unrest. She began her career in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer, serving in the U.S. and Germany.
Simril serves on California’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being, an effort to ensure healthy citizens of all ages. She was appointed a Regents’ Lecturer in the UCLA Department of Sociology. She currently co-chairs LA Rising, a placed-based planning effort that weaves together play, art, culture, and climate resilience to transform neighborhood hubs into connected centers of community life and legacy for visitors during the city’s current wave of global sporting events.
The third-generation Angeleno earned degrees from Loyola Marymount University and USC.