LA 2024's Brian Nelson to be recognized at Dodger Stadium celebration in honor of 13th Annual Jackie Robinson Day

Friday’s Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium will mark the 13th annual Jackie Robinson Day, with LA 2024’s General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Brian Nelson recognized as one of five distinguished alumni of the Jackie Robinson Foundation’s (JRF) groundbreaking scholarship program.

Nelson and his fellow alumni will be recognized by JRF leadership, including Founder Rachel Robinson, Vice Chair Sharon Robinson, President and CEO Della Bretton Baeza, and Director Earvin "Magic" Johnson, also an LA 2024 Vice Chair, for their embodiment of the Foundation’s commitment to the ideals of equal opportunity, humanitarianism and civic engagement, to which Jackie Robinson dedicated his life. Nelson received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his law degree from Yale Law School, and was able to attend these leading academic institutions with the financial support and mentorship provided by JRF’s scholarship program.

LA 2024 General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Brian Nelson said: "There is no better example of sport’s power to inspire positive change in society than Jackie Robinson. I have seen the power of sport in my own life through Robinson’s legacy that allowed me to pursue my education at two of the nation’s premier academic institutions. It is a great honor to thank the JRF scholarship program as we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium."

Nelson joined LA 2024 from the California Department of Justice where he served as General Counsel and, prior to that, Special Assistant, to Attorney General Kamala Harris. Nelson has also worked as the National Security Division’s Deputy Chief of Staff and as an appellate associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C.

Nelson continued: "Robinson’s commitment to humanitarianism and equal opportunity have greatly inspired me in my own work, and continue to shape the way I approach my work on behalf of the City of Angels' bid to bring back the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the United States for the first time in 28 years. And at LA 2024, I'm proud to work to grow the Olympic Movement, which powerfully advances the ideals of excellence, friendship and unity in generations of athletes and sport fans alike."

Major League Baseball (MLB) inaugurated Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2004 to commemorate Jackie Robinson’s enduring legacy. It has since been celebrated every April 15, the same day that Jackie Robinson made his historic MLB debut for the then-Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Each year since 2004, numerous ballparks around the country have celebrated Jackie Robinson Day.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a national, not‐for‐profit (501c3) organization that perpetuates the memory of American hero Jackie Robinson by addressing the achievement gap in higher education and, soon, through the Jackie Robinson Museum. For over 42 years, JRF has provided college and graduate school scholarships as well as leadership development opportunities for highly motivated students of color with limited financial resources. The Foundation is distinctive for the depth of its mentoring program, which results in a consistent nearly 100% graduation rate among the students it serves.

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