UCLA MRED Winter 2026 Distinguished Visiting Fellow Talk & Industry Reception, featuring Janet Marie Smith, Executive Vice President Planning & Development, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chair and Co-Founder, Canopy Team
Join UCLA MRED (Master of Real Estate Development) for a real estate industry reception and talk by Janet Marie Smith, Winter 2026 Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Real Estate. Smith’s work bridges urban planning, architecture, and place-making, directly relevant to property value, development strategy, and community impact. She has pioneered ballparks that anchor vibrant downtown development, showing how major venues can stimulate surrounding real estate activity and economic growth.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 from 5:00-8:00 PM (PST)
Luskin Conference Center, Laureate Room, UCLA campus
parking available in structure 8 guest parking (next door)
5:00-6:00pm Pre-Reception Networking (South Courtyard Patio)
6:00-7:00pm Janet Marie Smith Fireside Chat + Q&A (Laureate Room)
7:00-8:00pm Post-Reception (South Courtyard Patio)
Janet Marie Smith
Janet Marie Smith is a renowned architect, urban planner, and Major League Baseball executive whose visionary work has shaped some of the most iconic baseball venues in the sport, from Oriole Park at Camden Yards—which set the modern standard for ballpark design—to Fenway Park’s preservation and the extensive renovations at Dodger Stadium including the fan-favorite Centerfield Plaza “front door” and improvements to Camelback Ranch and Campo Las Palmas in the Dominican Republic; she joined the Dodgers in 2012, became Executive VP of Planning & Development in 2020, co-founded the Canopy Team to blend sports facilities with community-focused urban development, and was recognized on Sports Business Journal’s “Influence 125” list of the most impactful figures in sports business.
About UCLA MRED
Housing in the Luskin School of Public Affairs, the UCLA MRED (https://luskin.ucla.edu/mred) was launched in 2025, with an inaugural cohort of 25 students. UCLA MRED is an unprecedented collaboration between UCLA and the real estate industry, to deliver a practical, hands-on, case-driven, real-world curriculum. UCLA MRED emphasizes impact on day one and the leading edge of real estate, new tools and technology to drive value, a whole person approach including soft skills and intangibles to be effective leaders, Los Angeles as a living learning lab as the city rebuilds around sustainability and resiliency, and leverages resources from across the UCLA campus.
