Janet Marie Smith Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award

The Los Angeles Dodgers executive received the 2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills honor at a recent baseball conference.

Updated on Oct. 11, 2026 in Baseball

Expressive sports illustration of a classic ballpark structure in blue and white, celebrating stadium architectural design. — The Society for American Baseball Research awarded the 2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement honor to Los Angeles Dodgers executive Janet Marie Smith. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you believe lifetime achievement awards for stadium designers improve the quality of future ballpark developments?

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) honored Janet Marie Smith with the 2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith, the Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was recognized for her significant contributions to the sport.

Why it matters

The award celebrates a career of promoting women in baseball and excellence in stadium development. Smith has become a pioneer in modernizing historic ballparks, influencing how fans experience the game across the country.

Smith has directed major stadium projects spanning three decades, starting with the design of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992 and continuing through ongoing modernization at Dodger Stadium.

The players

Janet Marie Smith

She serves as the Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Society for American Baseball Research

Known as SABR, this organization promotes the study of baseball through historical research and events.

The details

Presented during the SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, the award highlights Smith's extensive portfolio of stadium transformations. Beyond her work in Los Angeles, she is noted for her leadership on renovations at Fenway Park and the redesign of Ed Smith Stadium.

1992: Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened.
2002-2009: Smith oversaw Fenway Park renovations.
2011: Smith transformed Ed Smith Stadium.
2012: Smith began overseeing Dodger Stadium projects.
October 10, 2026: Smith received the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award.

Season Trajectory

The award highlights the growing emphasis on recognizing the off-field architects and leaders who define the modern stadium experience. This acknowledgement elevates the status of development roles within the broader organizational structure of professional sports.

This award highlights the ongoing evolution of Dodger Stadium, which has seen extensive modernization efforts since 2012. Fans visiting the stadium can expect continued enhancements to the facility's design and amenities under Smith's leadership.

The takeaway

Janet Marie Smith has set a standard for balancing historical preservation with modern fan expectations in professional baseball stadiums. Her career trajectory suggests that stadium development remains a critical pillar of franchise success and community engagement.