Los Angeles Dodgers President And CEO Stan Kasten Joins LA84 Foundation Board

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than three decades, Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten has led many successful professional sports franchises across the country. Now, he's bringing his deep industry and management expertise to the Board of Directors of the LA84 Foundation, the legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games and primary funder for youth athletics in Southern California. 

Kasten joins a premier group of civic, business and media industry leaders who help guide the LA84 Foundation.  The board establishes and reviews the organization's strategic plan, makes final decisions on grant awards and helps set the overall direction of the organization.  In addition to electing Kasten to the LA84 board this week, the board approved $1.7 million in grants for 26 non-profit organizations in the region.

Kasten has served as President and CEO of the Dodgers since April 2012. Since then, he has overseen significant additions to the club's roster, a $100 million improvement to Dodger Stadium, the creation of a new media rights agreement and further development of the club's community outreach and philanthropic activities. 

"We're thrilled to have Stan join the board and bring such a breadth of experience to our efforts to reach even larger numbers of young people involved in sport throughout Southern California," said Bob Graziano, Chairman of the Board of the LA84 Foundation. "Stan is tremendous sports executive who is a proven winner, and we couldn't be happier to have him on our team."

In 1999, Kasten became the first person to preside over three different types of professional sports teams simultaneously: the Atlanta Braves (Major League Baseball), the Atlanta Hawks (National Basketball Association) and the Atlanta Thrashers (National Hockey League). Before assuming his current position with the Dodgers, Kasten was President of the Washington Nationals, where he successfully re-energized a dormant fan base.

During Kasten's tenure with the Braves, the team won the 1995 World Championship as well as 12 consecutive division titles (1991-2003). In 1979, he became the youngest general manager in NBA history with the Hawks, a position he assumed at age 27. He is the only NBA executive who has won back-to-back Executive of the Year awards (1986-1987).

"Throughout my career, I have focused on building support for sports through community engagement, and I believe that the LA84 Foundation is taking that charge one step further by strengthening communities through sports," said Kasten. "With the support of the Los Angeles Dodgers, I look forward to working alongside the Board to sustain and expand the work of this valuable organization to reach millions of kids through sports in the years to come."

About the LA84 Foundation

The LA84 Foundation was established to manage Southern California's share of the surplus from the successful 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  The Foundation received $93 million at its inception.  Since it began operations in 1985, it has invested $220 million back into the communities that supported the Games, supporting more than 3 million youth in the eight Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura.  Its headquarters is the historic Britt House near downtown Los Angeles where it houses the world's premier sports library and meeting facilities.  The Foundation provides grants to youth sports organizations, manages programs, including a coaching education program, and convenes numerous forums for the exploration of the most pressing issues in sport. For more information, please visit www.LA84.org.

SOURCE LA84 Foundation