Natalie Blais

Natalie has more than a decade of experience in public service, including her previous role at UMass in Chancellor Subbaswamy’s office. In 2019, she was sworn in as State Representative for the 1st Franklin District, becoming the district’s first female State Representative.

Natalie rejoined UMass as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations in 2026. She oversees state and federal government relations for the campus, communicating to elected officials the value UMass Amherst provides to the people of Massachusetts as the Commonwealth’s flagship public university. She works closely with faculty, students, and administrators to develop and advance UMass Amherst’s broad government affairs agenda and oversee the UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield.