“When COVID-19, broke out and we went to safer-at-home protocols, we said, ‘How do we continue to live our purpose, our mission, our values and do our work?’” Renata Simril got creative. It’s something she’s accustomed to doing as President and CEO of the LA84 Foundation, a legacy organization established by residual funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that has invested over $230M in youth sport programs and elevated the role that sports play in positive youth development. Renata is concurrently the President and CEO of the Play Equity Fund, a nonprofit organization that ensures all kids — regardless of income — have equal access to sports and structured play. Before LA 84, Renata was the Senior VP & Chief of Staff to the Publisher of the Los Angeles Times. She also was the Senior VP of External Affairs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and had spent a decade in real estate development. Ensuring equity, accessing opportunities, and plain hard work have been constants in Renata’s life. She started out by serving as a military police officer in the U.S. Army as a means to pay for college. Renata’s been a trailblazer ever since. She says, “When you get a seat at the table -- as a woman in particular -- we have to use that opportunity to its fullest. So if you're in a business meeting and you have an opportunity, speak up if you're prepared. Lean in. Leap forward for that moment because when we do that, extraordinary things happen.”