Janet Murguía

Janet Murguía
Born (1960-09-06) September 6, 1960 (age 64)
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Kansas, Lawrence (BA, BS, JD)[1]
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesMary H. Murguia (twin sister)
Carlos Murguia (brother)

Janet Murguía (born September 6, 1960) is an American civil rights activist in the United States. She is president of UnidosUS, formerly National Council of La Raza (NCLR), a Hispanic advocacy organization.[2] Her twin sister Mary and elder brother Carlos are both federal judges.

National Council of La Raza

On January 1, 2005, Murguía replaced Raul Yzaguirre as the president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights advocacy organization in the U.S.[3] As President and CEO, Murguía often testifies before Congress about issues affecting the Latino community including education, health care, immigration reform, civil rights and the economy. In her role as a spokesperson for the organization, she is frequently interviewed by various news outlets and has appeared on many news programs.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings with Janet Murguía on July 18, 2005

Murguía currently serves as a board member of the Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, and is an executive committee member of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She also sits on the board of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.[4] Murguia serves on the advisory board of the National Hispanic University.[5]

Murguía endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[6]

Past positions held

In 2001, Murguía joined the University of Kansas (KU) as Executive Vice Chancellor for University Relations.[7] Murguía managed KU's strategic planning and marketing efforts on four campuses.

Before joining KU, she served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Al Gore's presidential campaign during the 2000 presidential election where she was the primary liaison between former Vice President Gore and national constituency groups.[8] She also served as a spokesperson for the campaign, working with radio, print, and TV media outlets.

Murguía served seven years as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery before working at the White House from 1994 to 2000. She eventually served as deputy assistant to President Bill Clinton, providing strategic and legislative advice to the president. She also served as deputy director of legislative affairs where she was in charge of the legislative staff and acted as a senior White House liaison to Congress.[9]

Honors

In 2022, Murguía was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Year, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Fireside Chat with Janet Murguia of NCLR". April 1, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Janet Murguía". National Urban League. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  3. ^ Casares, Cindy (5 October 2012). "National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguía's Plan to Take Over the Texas Capitol". The Texas Observer. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Janet Murguía". HuffPost. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Henry Cisneros to Head Advisory Board for The National Hispanic University". PR Newswire. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  6. ^ Bernal, Rafael (18 October 2016). "Top Latino group picks Clinton for first-ever endorsement". The Hill. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Janet Murguia". PBS. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  8. ^ Rombeck, Terry (9 February 2004). "Kansan's success will take family's story to national level". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Janet Murguía". California State University. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Meet USA TODAY's Women of the Year". USA Today. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.