Biography

Margarita Palau-Hernandez is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hernández Ventures, a privately held enterprise involved in business and real estate ventures. Ms. Paláu-Hernández serves on the board of directors of Conduent Incorporated. She previously served on the boards of International Flavors and Fragrances, Xerox Holdings Corporation, Apartment Income REIT Corp., Occidental Petroleum, Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., and ALJ Regional Holdings, Inc. In September of 2018, Ms. Paláu-Hernández was nominated to serve as a Representative of the United States of America to the Seventy-third Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations with the personal rank of Ambassador. Prior to founding Hernández Ventures, Ms. Paláu-Hernández was an attorney with the law firm of McCutcheon, Black, Verleger & Shea.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Ms. Paláu-Hernández serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the American Latino at the Smithsonian, as Chair of the Yale School of Management Council of Global Advisors, and as an ex-officio board member of the Yale School of Management Board of Advisors. She also serves on the Board of Advisors of Project Dynamo, and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Board of Advisors. She previously served as a board member and currently a trustee emeritus of UCLA School of Law Board of Advisors, the University of San Diego Board of Trustees and UCLA Law Women L.E.A.D.

Ms. Paláu-Hernández was born in Mexico where she received her primary and secondary education. She completed her education in the United States, earning a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law.