Louise Nelson is general counsel and head of environmental, social and governance for April Housing, a Blackstone Real Estate portfolio company committed to the creation and preservation of high-quality affordable housing in the U.S. Prior to this role, Nelson served as vice chancellor, Legal Affairs for the University of California, Los Angeles where she oversaw legal affairs across the university’s administrative functions and schools, as well as UCLA Health.
Nelson was a member of both the Chancellor’s Cabinet and the UC System General Counsel’s systemwide leadership team. Previously, Nelson served in a variety of senior legal roles at Hilton Hotels, where, a member of the company’s Senior Leadership Team, Nelson led global teams focused on mitigating business compliance risk across highly complex, multi-jurisdictional legal frameworks.
Nelson currently serves on the board for Travel Sentry, a company that creates standards to solve issues for airlines, airports, security agencies and passengers, as well as the board for New Village Academy, a college preparatory charter school for girls who have not been successfully served in traditional public schools. Nelson is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she received a Bachelor of Arts in History with High Honors, and received a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.