Uniting
Research and Policy

Natalie J. Reyes is a first-generation Latina MPP student at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her areas of interest includes group identity formation, gaps in community and public trust, and governmental systems or policies that can address breakdowns in trust and how to build community. Natalie sits on the Executive Board of the Chicago Policy Review as head of community engagement, and she works as a nonprofit manager at the Community Programs Accelerator in the university’s Office of Civic Engagement.

Prior to her graduate studies at the University of Chicago, Natalie worked in Los Angeles as a communications consultant for the California Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) where she worked in strategizing how to improve digital outreach to public works offices throughout the state of California. During her time in Los Angeles, she managed communications for organizations engaged in transportation workforce policy research and workforce development initiatives.

Previously, Natalie lived in Istanbul, Türkiye for six years, where she worked in the education and nonprofit sectors. She began teaching English in both Turkish and Syrian spaces, including a nonprofit focused on the integration and empowerment of refugee women. Natalie later worked in programs and communications roles in organizations that researched and/or supported Syrian refugee integration such as the Hollings Center for International Dialogue and Building Markets.

Natalie holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations global business from the University of Southern California (USC) as well as a Master of Arts in Turkish studies from Sabanci University.