‘I am Latina and my parents are Lebanese,” Rayes said in an interview. “I grew up in Venezuela until I was nine, and then my family moved to Santa Monica. At the time, L.A. was not as diverse as it is now, and I spoke no English. I was so embarrassed by my accent and my inability to communicate..’
By TONY CASTRO
Latina power activist and Democratic donor Nathalie Rayes, a former deputy chief-of-staff to then-Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate as ambassador to Croatia, becoming among the few Latinas to serve as chief U.S. diplomat to a foreign nation.
“I am humbled and honored to be confirmed as Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia,” Rayes wrote on Twitter. “I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the Biden Administration, to the U.S. Senate, and to leader @SenSchumer (Sen. Chuck Schumer) for the trust bestowed one me through this vote.
“I promise to always lead and serve with integrity and in the best interest of our country, while continuing to strengthen our diplomatic relations with the people of Croatia.”
President Biden nominated Rayes May 5, praising her “distinguished career in public service as a leader, consensus builder and advocate.”
With Wednesday’s confirmation, Rayes is the second Angeleno in recent months to become a U.S. ambassador. Former Mayor Eric Garcetti officially became the 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.
The Senate confirmed Rayes in a 53-47 vote.
Rayes will be stepping into a role in which Croatia has developed over the years into a key partner for the U.S., in delivering regional stability across Southeast Europe, and involved in the defense and strong Transatlantic coordination, including support for Ukraine, according to the State Department.
Rayes and her family will reside outside the capital of Zagreb, a city of some 1.2 million residents, at the 90-year-old ambassador’s mansion, the home of nine preceding American ambassadors since the U.S. and Croatia began to exchange ambassadors in 1993.
The U.S. Embassy, where Reyes and her staff of about 50 Americans and 175 Croatians have their offices, is near the Zagreb airport, a half-hour drive away. The embassy, situated on what may be appropriately named Thomas Jefferson Avenue, is heavily guarded. The U.S. Embassy is one of about 80 other embassies in Zagreb.
“Nathalie Rayes is a proven leader and public servant with extensive experience in the private and public sectors who is dedicated to building cross-cultural relationships and will be a great ambassador to Croatia,” said Rep. Nanette Barragan, a Democrat who represents California’s 44th Congressional District and co-chair of the Congressional Croatian Caucus. “As a trusted EU ally and fellow NATO member, the United States and Croatia have deep economic cultural, and security ties.”
Born in the small town of Anaco, Venezuela, Rayes is of Venezuelan-Lebanese background whose father died shortly after she and her family moved from Venezuela to the U.S. in 1984 when she was still a child.
“I am Latina and my parents are Lebanese,” Rayes said in an interview. “I grew up in Venezuela until I was nine, and then my family moved to Santa Monica. At the time, L.A. was not as diverse as it is now, and I spoke no English. I was so embarrassed by my accent and my inability to communicate.
“This was in the late 1980s, and I would show up to the playground with pita and hummus for lunch, which was mortifying — health food was not cool then! Very soon after we moved to California, my father passed away, which was devastating. My mother became a widow at age 37 and raised five children as an immigrant in a new country.
“Now, as I raise my own children and pursue a demanding career, I often think back on what she went through. She is one of my biggest inspirations.”
Rayes has long been known behind the scenes of Latino activism as one of the leading voices of the Latino power movement. But her activism attracted national attention after she became head of the Latino Victory Project and the Latino Victory Fund, a super PAC founded by big Democratic donor and actress Eva Longoria.
The organization’s PAC in the 2020 election cycle spent $9,118,302 in favor of Biden’s presidential campaign, accounting for 89% of its independent expenditures, according to Open Secrets.
“My dreams would not be a possibility in today’s Venezuela, but they are in the United States,” Rayes said in a 2020 interview after becoming president and CEO of the Latino Victory Project. “And when I received my citizenship to this great country, I did so with a solemn vow to serve the American people and the Latino community that helped advance my dreams.
“We cannot allow a world that builds walls of any kind– physical, social, or figurative walls of fear of who we are or where we came from. Our diversity is our strength — and embracing it can be our forward-leaning strategy to political victory.
“I could no longer sit on the sidelines — I have a moral obligation to ensure that everyone is engaged and active in the political process in this high-stakes election… I am proud to join Latino Victory to continue to build the bench of Latino leaders and to ensure we are part of the decision making in our country.”
Rayes, who is married and has two children, was also a driving force behind a Latino Victory Project investment of $5 million in a climate voter mobilization campaign led by famous Latina mothers using the slogan “Vote Like a Madre,” calling on other Latina mothers to vote for climate change.
“Latina moms are leaders in their families, the workforce and our communities, but they also exert tremendous power as voters,” she said in an interview during that campaign.
“Nearly 60 percent of Latinas support candidates that support initiatives to combat climate change, so we have a key opportunity to mobilize this powerful electorate to vote for climate change action.”
President Biden previously appointed Reyes as a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace.
She was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, appointed by then-President Barack Obama.
Rayes has also been vice chair of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, an advocacy arm of the progressive organization advocating for policies in support of legalized abortion.
Rayes began her career in government as a field deputy and senior adviser to Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Feuer. Then in 2001, at the age of 26, Reyes became deputy chief of staff to Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn. In that position she oversaw the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, International Trade, Protocol, and initiated the city’s inaugural Office of Immigrant Affairs.
“My portfolio varied from international trade protocol to liaising with the federal, state, and local governments,” she recalled. “I was the first one into work every day and the last one to leave. That dedication and drive came because I felt like I was too young for the job.
“So from 26 to 30, that was my entire life: going to City Hall every day. It was such an honor, and it was a great job, and I served with incredible people. I learned so much.”
Then Rayes took an unexpected break after Hahn lost reelection to Antonio Villaraigosa.
“When we lost our reelection campaign in 2005, I was so upset,” she said, looking back at that time in her life. “I would put it up there with losing my father in terms of how painful it was.
“I had to regroup. I made sure that everyone who had worked for me got a new job, and then I left L.A.— the city that I loved so much — because I was so disappointed with the electorate, that they did not support us and voted against a great guy. I took a year off.
“People were telling me, ‘You’re going to be seen as a has-been, going from the mayor’s deputy chief of staff to unemployed.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. I’m leaving.’ I needed to take care of myself.
“I went to Europe with then-City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who is now a county supervisor in L.A. We started a sister city program with Ischia, Italy. There’s a large population of Ischians in San Pedro, which is part of her constituency.
“Then I went to Beirut, Lebanon, and started a sister city there as well, with the help of then-City Councilmember Eric Garcetti… My sabbatical year was not really time ‘off,’ but it was very meaningful to me.”
Rayes received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in public policy from UCLA. In 2016, the UCLA Luskin of Public Affairs recognized Nathalie Rayes as “Alumna of the Year”.
And now she is in a position that she once said she would not hesitate and taking.
“When President Obama was in office, he offered me the job of Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security,” she said. “I spoke to Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and I said, ‘I’ll do it only if I can split my time between Boston and Washington, D.C. because my kids are so young.’ And he was like, ‘Yes, no problem.’
“And then he called me back and said, ‘We need you here in D.C.’ So I passed it up. But I will say this: If I’m ever offered an ambassador position, I’m not going to turn it down! My kids will have to move with me.”
