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Nathalie Rayes is the U.S. National Public Relations Director for Grupo Salinas, a Mexican conglomerate with US$6 billion in annual sales and 100,000 employees in Mexico, the United States, and Central and South America, and with operations in the broadcasting, retail, banking and financial services, telecommunications and internet. Nathalie is also the Executive Director of Grupo Salinas’ philanthropic arm in the United States, Fundación Azteca America that seeks to improve the quality of life of Latinos by partnering with existing nonprofits to empower, create awareness and motivate change on social and civic issues.

Previously, Nathalie served as Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn Deputy Chief of Staff, directing the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, serving as chief liaison to federal, state and regional governments and to the Los Angeles City Council, International Trade, Protocol, Immigrant Affairs, as well as Mayor’s appointments to City commissions and boards. Prior to that, she was Senior Policy Advisor to Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Feuer, heading all aspects of Councilmember’s activities with respect to citywide legislation and ordinances impacting the Fifth Council District. Nathalie also served as a Department of State Fellow in the Economic/Political Section of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

Nathalie serves as a United States Presidential appointee to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, as well as the Advisory Board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and on the Boards of Directors of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Los Angeles Universal Preschool, U.S. – Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and is a founding member of the Public Policy Alumni Council at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Nathalie is the recipient of UCLA Masters in Public Policy Alumna of the Year 2014, Santa Monica College Distinguished Alumna Recognition Award for Outstanding Professional and Community Service Achievement of 2013, and 2012 “Mujeres Destacadas Award” a recognition given annually by El Diario La Prensa to the most outstanding women in our community. She is also a Fellow of the Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative, the leading cross-sectional leadership development program in the Asia-Pacific region. Nathalie has a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology cum laude and Masters in Public Policy with concentrations in International Relations and Education from the UCLA. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational Arabic. She resides in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts with her husband, Dr. Tarek Samad, and their young sons, Julian and Alexander.