Operationalize the Good
In this riveting moderated conversation, business leader CHRISTINE SIMMONS shares actionable strategies every organization can implement to identify, amplify, and expand on the ‘good’ that is working for their goals. Bringing her vast experience as an executive and consultant, Simmons tailors this presentation to answer the unique questions of each group.
Inclusion Leads to Innovation
Strategist and executive CHRISTINE SIMMONS has worked with many Fortune 500 corporations and held trailblazing roles in global organizations, and in each venture she super-charges the work of advocacy and inclusion work. Simmons has frequently been a ‘first’ – the first woman, or the first Black person, or both – to step into roles, and leverages this unique perspective to speak to the need for empowerment and inclusion to maximize innovation in organizations of all kinds.
Leadership: Making an Impact
Leading executive CHRISTINE SIMMONS has vast experience working with prominent global organizations and believes ‘business is business’ – whether it’s the business of entertainment, the business of joint ventures and strategic alliances, or the business of sports. No matter the industry, Simmons leverages her personal mission for advocacy to make a major impact and empowers audiences to find their unique way to make an impact in this compelling talk.
Motivation: Living Unapologetically™
Entrepreneur, business leader, and trailblazer CHRISTINE SIMMONS shares here message of empowerment in this inspirational program. Simmons defines living unapologetically as “Being Bold, Attacking Life’s Challenges in Extraordinary Fashion, & Loving Oneself – Flaws and All!” Christine encourages audiences of all kinds in this high-energy talk.
Empowering Women & Enlightening Men
Executive and leadership expert CHRISTINE SIMMONS delivers an insightful and motivational talk about what it means to truly empower women in the workplace, and the role men have to play in creating in a more equitable world.
Christine Simmons’ DEI advocacy improves businesses
Trailblazing executive and entrepreneur CHRISTINE SIMMONS knows fostering DEI is a good business decision. Simmons has two decades of experience devising strategy and leading change for iconic global brands such as NBCUniversal Inc., The Walt Disney Company, and Magic Johnson Enterprises. As the former President & Chief Operating Officer of the three-time WNBA Champion Los Angeles Sparks, Simmons proved the impact of her DEI efforts by spearheading a 66% increase in ticket sales, scoring a No. 1 ranking in the league’s attendance. In a conversation with the UCLA Anderson School of Management, she said, “If we’re talking about the business of it all, it makes business sense to invest in diverse communities and give folks a voice. The sea of change is here. It’s exciting.”
As a leading executive, Simmons has helped prominent global organizations improve their bottom line by super-charging advocacy and inclusion work. Drawing on her vast experience as both an executive and a consultant, Simmons showcases the importance of unique perspectives in maximizing organizational innovation.
Watch Christine Simmons’ profile interview with TIME here >>
Watch Christine Simmons’ virtual keynote on The Prosparity Project here >>
Women Making History: Christine Simmons uplifts women through mentorship and thought leadership
Entrepreneur, business leader, and trailblazer CHRISTINE SIMMONS is a powerful woman who empowers women. Simmons has frequently been a ‘first’ – the first woman, or the first Black person, or both – to step into roles. The former COO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science was the first Woman and Black person to hold the position. Simmons is a mentor with Brown Girls Dream, a support system for young women of color pursuing careers in media. She has also mentored countless others informally. While embracing her own identities, Simmons inspires the world. With experience shattering glass ceilings and uplifting all women, Simmons shares her brilliant business acumen with the next generation.
Simmons supports women by sharing her own experiences. Simmons leads by example, often reflecting on her time as President & Chief Operating Officer of the three-time WNBA Champion Los Angeles Sparks. In a C-Suite Quarterly opinion column, “Why Working Parents Should be Unapologetic,” she tells the moving story of balancing her high-powered career and motherhood. Simmons often credits her success to the strength of her own mother, whom she describes as fostering her “fierce independence and tireless work ethic.” Simmons’ vulnerability, tenacity, and strength are aspirational for any audience.
Watch Christine Simmons in conversation at the UCLA Anderson School of Management here >>
Watch Christine Simmons present on Ambassador Leaders here >>
Born and raised in Southern California, Christine Simmons is a true California girl. Simmons’ vast experience as a leader, entrepreneur, speaker and executive has garnered her trailblazing appointments and accolades in some of the most prominent organizations in the world.
Simmons’ strategic consulting firm, Alis Volat Propriis, LLC (Which means “she who flies with her own wings” in Latin), advises small, mid and large size businesses on operational excellence, strategic planning, business development, and representation initiatives among other things. Simmons also speaks globally on topics of Business, Strategy, Leadership, Inclusion, and Empowerment. Her clothing and merchandise line, Unapologetically (TM) Christine, encourages everyone to live UNAPOLOGETICALLY (TM), which she defines as “Being Bold, Attacking Life’s Challenges in Extraordinary Fashion, & Loving Oneself - Flaws and All!”
In 2019 Christine was named to the position of Chief Operating Officer at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the first Woman and Black person to hold the position. Simmons was responsible for the day-to-day management and enhancement of the Academy’s internal organization and infrastructure, focusing on a number of key initiatives including the organization’s strategic and 5-year business plans, organizational restructure, career progression realignment, representation and inclusion, sustainability and much, much more. Simmons created the first-ever, Office of Representation, Inclusion, and Equity which supported internal and external initiatives to broaden the Aperture through which excellence is recognized in film.
Prior to joining the Academy Simmons was President & Chief Operating Officer of the three-time WNBA Champion Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks are one of three founding teams from the league’s inception in 1997. Christine led all aspects of the team’s business operations including ticket and sponsorship sales and service, marketing, game operations, communications, community relations and finance. Under her leadership the team saw a 34% increase in ticket sales, doubled ratings on Spectrum SportsNet and impacted nearly 70,000 lives through community programs in one season alone.
Prior to joining the Sparks, she was an Executive Vice President with Magic Johnson Enterprises where she would evaluate investment opportunities and was responsible for business development. With over 2 decades of leadership experience in creating strategic alliances, leading business development and driving corporate initiatives, Christine has worked with many Fortune 500 corporations and multi-million dollar companies including Disney and NBCUniversal.
A proud UCLA graduate, she currently holds seats on UCLA Foundation Board of Directors and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Advisory Board. She served on the UC Board of Regents, where she served on the Finance and Capital Strategies, Public Engagement and Development, Investments & Basic Needs committees. She is a Past President and Director on the Board of the UCLA Alumni Association representing all 500,000 global Bruins.
She is on the Advisory Council for Playbook Makers, Spry, Next Play Capital, Shared Harvest Fund, and MyCOVID MD. She also volunteers for Better Futures for Thomazeau, a small, grassroots nonprofit that provides aide and is currently building a vocational school in Haiti. A huge advocate of mentoring, Christine formally mentors the next generation of Black and Brown women through Cari Champion’s foundation, Brown Girls Dream, and has informally mentored countless others.
Her proudest achievement is being mom to her son, Christian.
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