With a relentless dedication to improving communities in neighborhoods that need help the most, Nichol Whiteman serves as Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). An equity-focused leader, Nichol guides LADF in tackling the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. Nichol bravely works to improve the complex struggles the City faces using every tool in her arsenal to ensure that ZIP codes never define opportunity. A child of Jamaican immigrants “in search of a dream" and a first-generation college graduate, Nichol is a visionary working to narrow gaps in opportunity and access—all while creating a source of pride and safety for those who often live in the shadows.
During her tenure as CEO, LADF transformed and built a team of dedicated people, strong operations, committed partners, and flexible funding with sustainability. While leveraging the Dodger brand, Nichol supports and amplifies the voices of marginalized populations. Through community infrastructure, sports-based youth development, leadership & capacity building, equity-focused grantmaking, strategic community engagement and knowledge sharing & convening, Nichol has built an alliance of community partners who fight for the resources that all youth deserve.
Under Nichol’s leadership, LADF launched its cornerstone program Dodgers Dreamteam, the first-ever LADF Scholarship, College & Career Accelerator, Science of Baseball Initiative, LA Reads and more. LADF also completed its 60th Dodgers Dreamfield, created a multi-million dollar benefit gala, distributed 9.2 million meals, and raised over $90 million. Collectively, Whiteman has cultivated partnerships that have resulted in more than $53 million in community investment impacting over 9.8 million children, including $6 million in 2022 All-Star Game Legacy Projects.
With a degree in Economics from Spelman College, Nichol’s diligence resulted in positions in investment management and publishing before beginning a philanthropic career as VP, Western Region of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. As a Black woman in Major League Baseball, Nichol understands the importance of access. She uses her resources to open doors and opportunities for youth from all backgrounds. In addition to her professional achievements, she mentors countless professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2021 she was a Fellow in the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future and she currently serves as a Senior Fellow at USC’s Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab. Included in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Thriving in Their 40’s” list, Nichol fights for the opportunities and support all communities deserve.
The New York native has been recognized throughout the industry for her exceptional contributions having been awarded the 2022 Benjamin E. Mays Award from A Better Chance, Up2Us Sports Legacy Award, and was named a finalist for the CEO of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. In 2020 she earned the National Medical Fellowship Leadership in Philanthropy Award, the Visionary Award presented by Southern California Leadership Network, and the MOSTe Motivating Our Students Through Leadership Experience Lantern Award among many others. In 2018, she received the Sports Business Journal Game Changers Award and the Anti-Defamation League's Deborah Award. Her 2017 honors include Ebony Magazine's Woman Up Award and The Pink Tea Rose Foundation's Progressive Leadership Award.
Nichol holds positions on the advisory and regional boards of Covington Capital Management, ESPN Return to Play Fund, Shoes That Fit, Davinci Schools Board Fund, YMCA Metro LA’s Sports and Impact Panel, the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport and Positive Coaching Alliance. Additionally, she serves as an Ambassador for the LA Opera and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council. Attracting attention from acclaimed journalists, she has been featured in outlets including the New York Times, Forbes Magazine, and the LA Times.
A product of Nichol’s unwavering dedication, the Los Angeles Dodgers is now the proud owner of an ESPY. Named the 2020 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, the highly-coveted award recognized LADF’s work as the team’s official charity. Celebrating the meaningful and specific work that Nichol leads, LADF is the recipient of the Aspen Institute 2020 Project Play Champion, 2020 Beyond Sport Award for Reducing Racial Inequalities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2021 Sports Award, the 2022 Liberty Hill Visionary Award among others.
With a firm belief that each person has the power to positively impact a life, Nichol's journey continues to be full of inspiration and hope as she fights for young people to realize their dreams. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Timothy and two sons, Timothy Jr., and Nicholas.
