Nathan Graeser
Director, Veteran Initiatives, SoCal Grantmakers
2022
Nathan Graeser is both a Social Worker and an Army Chaplain in the California National Guard. He serves on numerous local and national boards and is a national expert on policies and programs for supporting service-members transitioning out of the military. He has led multiple Veteran initiatives including Warrior Bards, the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative and,
most recently with Southern California Grantmakers to build the first county-wide Veteran Peer Access Network. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, he has worked tirelessly to counsel hundreds of veterans and their families who return home from war. He obtained a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Masters in Social Work, and a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Most recently, he was called up for the protests in downtown Los Angeles and a Balkan deployment with the 79th Infantry Brigade in December 2018. He lives in Highland Park in an eco-friendly house with chickens, bees and three small humans ages six, four, and two. His rock star wife, Rachel, makes it all possible.
The catalytic power of this Summit in bringing together those who are devoting their lives to pushing back and working to confront, understand and work towards solutions around hate in our society is a noble and difficult task. The Summit not only energized those who attended but led to connecting the dots in a global network of those doing this work. The stories of the victims of hate were painful to witness but their courage in coming forward was inspirational. Those who attended left energized with the hope that by working together solutions can be forged.
