Jon SooHoo / Los Angeles Dodgers
Here’s a recent day for Naomi Rodriguez: The Los Angeles Dodgers’ vice president of external affairs and community relations met with the franchise’s executive leadership team, hosted a group of high school students, convened with a player about off-field initiatives, met at City Hall with the mayor’s office and then connected with a player’s agent about community service efforts.
The effectiveness of her work can be seen in numbers. Prior to her appointment in 2014, the Dodgers’ community relations department was serving approximately 25,000 youth annually. Under Rodriguez’s leadership, it now serves more than 700,000 through its programs and services.
Naomi Rodriguez
Vice President, External Affairs and Community Relations, Los Angeles Dodgers
Born: Victorville, Calif.
Education: California State University, Long Beach, B.A., communications, minor in political science
“Part of the secret sauce is partnerships and being able to relate and understand what the other person’s goals are to achieve our goals together successfully,” said Rodriguez, a native of East Los Angeles. “Be authentic and value people for who they are. And this is a big one: How can I help make the person on the other side successful? I ask myself that a lot.”
Childhood tragedy set Rodriguez on a course defined by service for others. When she was 3, a drunken driver hit and killed her father as he was leaving church. Seven years later, her older brother died in a car accident just one day before his wedding.
“When I say I have private sector experience, public sector experience and these relationships, in that mix, at the core, is my family and our experiences and our tragedies and how we’ve overcome our tragedies,” she said. “That makes me who I am today.” — Eric Prisbell
More about Naomi
Guilty pleasure: My Peloton bike. I am completely obsessed!!!
Proudest professional achievement in current post: When I took one of our players to a very emotional community event and saw tears in his eyes. I knew he could feel the power of his platform and how he could effect change in communities that need it the most.
Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: The Giants’ first-base coach, Alyssa Nakken. She made history by becoming the first female coach in Major League Baseball. I would love to learn about her journey, her trials, her successes and her undeniable talent. (Please don’t misunderstand this … I still want the Dodgers to slaughter the Giants!)
I wish I’d known at my career’s start: You are enough!!
Change I’d make related to women working in sports: The best change will be when we can stop speaking of “women working in sports” as though it is something novel.
