As a native Texan and Libyan-American with extensive global experience, Nadia Mavrakis brings the perspective of these worldviews to her role as Chief Executive Officer of Culturingua, a nonprofit that elevates the people and heritage of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA). Culturingua brings education opportunities to San Antonio K-12 students to improve their global competencies and activate their voices; immigrant integration programs to enable new Americans to reach their full potential and lead prosperous lives; and economic development programs to support workforce development and small business success for Bexar County residents.

Nadia graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Strategy and Finance as well as a minor in French. She studied in France and Morocco. She is a HOLT Values-Based Leadership Fellow with the San Antonio Area Foundation. She completed business leadership courses at Harvard Business School, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, HEC Paris, and INSEAD. She is fluent in English and speaks French and Arabic. Nadia has worked in the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

Nader Mehdawi is the co-founder and co-leader of Culturingua where he serves as Chief Operating Officer. He oversees and manages the successful implementation of programs across youth development, community and economic development, and career and workforce development initiatives. He also leads the strategic development of Culturingua’s Community Land Trust strategy to provide affordable and attainable homeownership opportunities to residents living around the Greater Medical Center area.

Prior to entering the nonprofit industry, Nader spent more than eight years in the Civil Engineering industry which included planning, supervising, and managing residential, commercial, retail, and federal projects. A signature engineering project he worked on was the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Replacement Project, a $900 million-dollar project that includes development, design, and construction of longest cable-stay bridge in the United States and tallest structure in South Texas with a total of 6.44 miles of bridges and connecting roadways.

Nader has a Master of Science degree (M.S.) in Geotechnical and Structural Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Nader graduated with honors with his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Garyounis. He is a fellowship graduate with Social Venture Partners San Antonio. Nader is a frequent speaker at conferences about workforce development and entrepreneurship strategies to support economic empowerment for immigrants and refugees.