Meet our Advisors: Natalya Zernitskaya

Natalya Zernitskaya has been part of the Santa Monica community since she moved to the LA area after earning her B.A. in Economics from UC Santa Cruz.  Natalya has always been passionate about making a positive impact in her community and as such, she has been an advocate for housing, the environment, voting rights, and other policies that support inclusion and equity in her local and regional communities for over a decade. She was born in Belarus and moved to the United States in the mid-1990s with her family as Jewish refugees after the fall of the USSR.

Outside of serving on the Advisory Board of Climate Action Santa Monica, Natalya currently serves as Secretary of the board of the Human Relations Council of the Santa Monica Bay Area, Secretary of the board of the International Women’s Resource Center, Recording Secretary of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, and as a member of the Santa Monica Transient Occupancy Tax Advisory Commission. Several prior roles of note include previously serving as President of the League of Women Voters of Santa Monica, Secretary of the administrative board of the Church in Ocean Park, and a member of the City of Santa Monica’s Audit Subcommittee. In addition to her “extracurriculars,” Natalya works in the financial services industry as a Sr. Due Diligence Analyst and holds her Series 7, Series 66, and Series 24 licenses. Natalya is also a member of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives’ Rising Leaders Council for 2022-2024. 

Natalya’s favorite climate action is minimizing her carbon & GHG emissions by choosing to walk, bike, take a scooter, or public transit instead of her car whenever possible.