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Nathalie Rayes. | Photo courtesy of Nathalie Rayes/Twitter
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Nathalie Rayes, who worked on the staffs of then-L.A. Mayor James Hahn and then-City Councilman Mike Feuer, was tapped by President Joe Biden Tuesday to be U.S. ambassador to Croatia.
Following Biden’s announcement of his intent to nominate Rayes to the post, the White House issued a statement praising her “distinguished career in public service as a leader, consensus builder and advocate.”
The nomination will still have to clear the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and then the full U.S. Senate to become official.
If Rayes clears those hurdles swiftly, she would become the second Angeleno in recent months to become a U.S. ambassador.
Former Mayor Eric Garcetti officially became ambassador to India in March, following a nearly two-year process in which he was dogged by allegations he ignored accusations of assault and sexual harassment against a former top aide.
Garcetti’s nomination was long stalled at the committee level but finally made it to the Senate floor, where it passed 52-42, with seven Republicans crossing the aisle to vote in favor of Garcetti and three fellow Democrats voting nay.
Rayes began her career in government as a field deputy for Feuer, then became a senior advisor to Feuer, who represented Council District 5 from 1995-2001.
She then became deputy chief of staff for Hahn, managing the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, International Trade, Protocol and helped established the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Councilman Tim McOsker, who was Hahn’s chief of staff when Hahn was mayor from 2001-05, called Reyes “a brilliant, diligent, and thoughtful public servant.”
“It is especially meaningful to me as the Council member for the One-Five, because I have the privilege of representing San Pedro and the Harbor Area, which is home to one of the largest Croatian communities in the United States outside of the Republic of Croatia,” McOsker said.
“With Ms. Rayes as ambassador, we will continue our strong relationship between, not just the United States of America, but also the city of Los Angeles and the Republic of Croatia. I look forward to working with Ms. Rayes on issues that are important to the residents I serve.”
Rayes is president and CEO of Latino Victory, which describes itself as a progressive organization working to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base of Latino donors.
She was vice president of public affairs for the Mexican conglomerate Grupo Salinas, responsible for its philanthropic activities in the United States.
Biden had previously appointed Reyes as a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace.
Rayes is also secretary of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Hispanic Federation, vice chair of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, chair of the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Binational Advisory Group, and advisory board member of the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program.
She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, appointed by then-President Barack Obama.
Rayes received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in public policy from UCLA.
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