Christine Simmons came to UCLA in the 1990s. A campus activist and student leader, she earned her degree in physiological science. She also learned that she could organize and empower, bring people together and turn passion into action. Those were the lessons she took to the business world, where she built a reputation as an effective leader in the big leagues: NBCUniversal, the Walt Disney Company and Magic Johnson Enterprises. Earvin “Magic” Johnson himself became her mentor. Now Simmons’ team is the Los Angeles Sparks, one of just three original WNBA franchises still in the game. As president and chief operating officer, she directs and coordinates all aspects of the Sparks’ business operations. And when she’s not in the front office or out in the community, she still finds time to serve as president of the board of UCLA Alumni and work on behalf of a charity in Haiti.