Board of Directors / About Natalie

Natalie Vega O’Neil

President, Junior Achievement of Washington

Natalie is the president & CEO of Junior Achievement of WA, the largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Natalie is a passionate advocate for marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable communities and has worked as an executive in the nonprofit sector for almost two decades.

Prior to joining Junior Achievement of WA, Natalie was associate vice president for the global humanitarian agency Save the Children where she oversaw domestic programs focused on early childhood education and grade level reading across 38 states reaching more than 300,000 children. Prior to joining Save the Children, Natalie was a founding staff member at Thrive by Five Washington, a statewide public-private partnership led by education, government and business leaders. Prior to her work in Washington, Natalie lived in California where she was the co-founder and director of early childhood education for a public charter school in Los Angeles.

With an emphasis on early childhood policy, Natalie has worked at the state and national level advocating for initiatives and legislation that promote children’s well-being and racial and geographic equity. Natalie holds a master’s degree in early childhood education from the Erikson Institute.