Belén Bernal was elected to the Latinos LEAD governing board in July 2021. Belén is the Executive Director of Nature for All, an environmental and social justice nonprofit organization that focuses on advocating that everyone in the Los Angeles region, especially underserved communities, have equitable access to nature and the many benefits it brings. An accomplished management professional and a determined community leader, Belén has more than fifteen years of experience in leadership within the nonprofit sector, focusing on advocacy, nonprofit operations, finance and program development.
Belén served as the City Treasurer, Mayor and Councilwoman of her hometown of South Gate,
from 2009 to 2020. During her time on the City Council, she introduced events such as Reading with the Mayor, Mayor Bernal’s Youth Mentor Program, and South Gate City Hall “Open House”. In addition to serving on the City Council, Belén has served as Board members to regional agencies including Southern California Association of Governments, Southeast Water Coalition, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, Hub Cities Workforce Development Joint Powers Authority. Belén currently serves on the Advisory Board of Community Lawyers, Inc.
Belén holds BA degrees in Sociology and Chicano Studies from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach. She enjoys the simple things in life, like home gardening and walks in nature with her husband and two children.
Latinos LEAD promotes more inclusive and effective civil society organizations by preparing and recruiting Latinos for nonprofit board leadership; helping nonprofit organizations to develop governing boards that reflect their constituents; and, collaborating with partners to increase ethnic diversity in nonprofit governance.
