Board of Trustees » Nathaniel Trives
Nat Trives was the Chair of New Visions from its inception 16 years ago until June 2010 when he became Trustee Emeritus. During his 16 year tenure, Nat worked tirelessly on behalf of the underserved children and youth New Visions serves. His belief is that the most rewarding service is volunteerism, and to that end he has dedicated his working years to improving the quality of life for those less fortunate than himself and his family. When he retired from his professional career in public service in 1997, he continued and added to his volunteer projects.
Most of Nat’s working life was spent in the area of criminal justice: as a practitioner in Law Enforcement with the City of Santa Monica; an Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Los Angeles – where he also served as a Special Master for the Northern District Federal Court. At Santa Monica Community College, Nat became its Deputy Superintendent and Chief Government Relations Officer, with responsibilities for the College Foundation and all external relations, and then an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice and Political Science.
During his five decades of professional work, Nat kept up an amazing community service record. He is a past president, chair and current executive vice chair of Crossroads School, Past and Founding President of New Roads School, President of Santa Monica College Associates, Past Chair of Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition, and many, many more community service boards to numerous to list.
Nat is the recipient of 41 awards and commendations – again, far too many to list, but which include the Santa Monica Lions Club, Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI),Community Service Award; and New Visions Foundation’s Recognition Award as Founding Board President. Nat has also received awards from as far afield as the City of Mazatlan, Mexico’s Honorary Citizen Award; the City of Paris France’s, Le Medaille de Vermeil; and the City of Fujinomiya, Japan’s Honorary Citizen Award.