Nate Salazar is a Salt Lake City native, raised in the East Central neighborhood and a proud graduate of Bryant Middle School and East High School. He has dedicated his life to serving his community, both professionally and politically.

Nate earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work, specializing in Community-Based Practice, from Portland State University in 2011. After graduating, he began building his career on multiple fronts. His first role upon returning to Utah was with the State of Utah Juvenile Justice Services, where he worked as a youth counselor. In 2012, Nate served as a Field Office Organizer in Southeast Colorado for President Obama’s reelection campaign and later as the Utah Hispanic Coordinator before being recruited to Colorado. A highlight of his life was delivering the field pitch and sharing the stage with Dolores Huerta and Vice President Joe Biden at a campaign rally in Pueblo, Colorado.

In 2013, Nate was elected Chair of the Salt Lake County Democratic Hispanic Caucus and served on the State Democratic Hispanic Caucus executive committee through 2017. During this time, he co-founded the Frank Cordova Foundation, which has provided thousands of turkeys to families at Title I schools within the Salt Lake City School District and Salt lake County. He also served as the Community School Director at South Kearns Elementary.

After a close race for Salt Lake City Council in 2015, Nate was appointed Deputy Director of Community Empowerment in Mayor Jackie Biskupski’s administration. He has taught at the University of Utah’s School of Social Work and has served on several community boards, including the Salt Lake City Library Board, the Douglas Neighborhood Association, and as Vice Chair of the East Central Community Council.

In 2018, Nate was elected to the Salt Lake City School District Board of Education as the Precinct 4 representative. He has served as Vice President of the Board, and in 2023, was elected Board President—becoming the first Hispanic or Latino to serve as School Board President in Utah state history. He is currently serving his second term in that role.

For the past six years, Nate has worked in the Salt Lake City Public Library system and currently serves as the Nonfiction and Audiovisual Department Manager at the Main Library in downtown Salt Lake City.