As part of the Rams' celebration of Women's History Month, the organization is sharing inspiring stories of female staff changing the game for future generations.
Continuing the series is Director of Government Affairs Maria Camacho.
Between her role and her roots as a native Rams fan, Maria Camacho has valuable perspective on shaping the organization's engagement with public affairs.
"I grew up an LA Rams fan in the 80s when the Rams played in Anaheim, so I am a home-grown Rams fan!" she said. "And as an LA native and overall sports fan, I am honored to have the opportunity to represent our organization in the community and ensure we are engaged and thoughtful corporate citizens through the public affairs lens. The fact that our organization not only brought our football operations and team back to the LA region, but also embarked upon the creation of our stadium and surrounding property, enables the Rams the opportunity to think big and make the entire Southern California region shine bright through various avenues of community revitalization!"
Camacho has held her role of Director of Government Affairs since the Rams' return to Los Angeles in 2016. In it, she establishes working relationships with public officials and public agencies throughout the Los Angeles region to identify opportunities for partnership and to solicit insight and feedback on current policy and civic topics.
"Given the development of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Inglewood by Rams ownership, I also work closely with the venues management teams in policy engagement and public agency outreach when needed," she said. "Given the opportunity for use of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park entertainment venues, I also support efforts to bring the world's most prestigious events to Inglewood and the greater Los Angeles region."
For Camacho, there's no one aspect of her job that is the best part of it.
"The fact that I get to be 'out and about,' locally, regionally and at the state and federal levels, representing an amazing organization that strives to fight for equality, drive equity and provide access, gets me up every morning to tackle the day's challenges," Camacho said. "And the 'cherry on top' is my being able to help bring SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park into the world's spotlight as a desired venue for international and regional events when working alongside our partners like the LA Sports and Entertainment Commission who go out to bid and win such events."
Along those lines, what motivates Camacho is "the power and ability to support others," whether that be at home or across the Los Angeles area.
"Whether it's finding ways to uplift my own immediate family or supporting those around me within the LA region, I am drawn to finding ways to make others around me feel listened to and appreciated," she said. "I love being a team player (and of course being applauded for my hard work and treating others with respect doesn't hurt either!)"
Family, and Camacho's background as an athlete, have both played important roles in shaping her career.
From elementary school through high school, she ran track and played soccer, which allowed her to stay in-step with her older and younger brothers and create unique friendships with those from diverse backgrounds.
"Being an athlete and growing up in a family of athletes (even my dad played football and ran track ), I use the power of teamwork to motivate me to think beyond my own needs and think of the importance of uplifting others around me to achieve success as a whole," Camacho said.
Camacho also said the most influential woman her career – well, her life overall – is her mom.
"The influential woman in my life – forget just my career! – is my mother," she said. "As a doctor, my mom showed me the importance of perseverance through all of life's challenges and paths. Everyday she came home from work ready to take on the role of mom, and our family knew she supported all those she engaged personally and professionally."
Additionally, Camacho's identity as a woman has brought forth an empowering perspective.
"Knowing that women can do anything and everything, and one can even argue we are over-achievers given our natural ability to carry and bring humans into this world 😊, I have always felt empowered to speak the truth in whatever activity or dialogue takes place within our workspace," she said. "As a mom, wife, daughter and sister, I feel very well-equipped to multi-task and put on whatever 'face' is needed to take on the situation at hand."
Similarly, she recognizes the importance of young people seeing women like her in her position, especially when it comes to career aspirations.
"Seeing women in a professional role allows younger people to not back down when trying to achieve their goals," Camacho said. "As a woman and working mom, I would encourage others to find ways to prevent fear or concerns from overtaking their aspirations."
Although football has long been a male-dominated sport, Camacho has seen that evolve over her time with the Rams, pointing to the representation across departments within the organization.
"I look around our office and see the power of women representing us through every department, which is a vote of confidence our organization has had since 2016 in seeking to offer the opportunity to women who aspire to work hard and succeed in the male-dominated League," Camacho said. "I want to see our organization continue to showcase the proof that gender means nothing when the work is at a high level."
Celebrating Women's History Month should be a combination of commemoration and reflection, according to Camacho.
"We should commemorate the power of women in all professional and personal roles while also encouraging a time to pause and reflect upon the vital role of women in world history," she said.
