Janet Murguía President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
ise of the American Dream, Janet Murguía has devoted her career to public service. Since joining the organization in 2005, Murguía has made it her first priority to harness the power of the nation’s 50 mil- lion Hispanics and to improve opportuni- ties for Latino families by strengthening the partnership between the NCLR and its network of nearly 300 community-based affiliates. A poised, well-spoken woman, Murguía has advocated for the Hispanic community on a number of issues, including education, healthcare, immigration, civil rights, the economy, and hate crimes. In addition to her duties as a spokesperson, Murguía helped over 200,000 new Hispanic voters register for the 2008 election and has par- ticipated in initiatives to assist eligible im- migrants to apply for citizenship. Strengthening the NCLR’s relationship with additional civil rights and advocacy organizations has been essential in build- ing bridges between the African American and Latino communities. Because of these efforts, Murguía was invited to be the first Hispanic leader to be keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Unity Breakfast in Birmingham, Alabama. One of key concerns for Janet Murguía
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has been the visibility of Latinos in the me- dia. In 2006, after a three-year hiatus, the NCLR ALMA Awards® returned to televi- sion to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. “NCLR promotes diversity by ad- vocating on behalf of Hispanic Americans and fighting for their civil rights each and every day,” mentions Murguía. “As advo- cates, we aim to make sure that they Latino population reaches its full potential as an economic and political powerhouse.” Besides the ALMA Awards, the NCLR Annual is a major event for the organiza- tion. The conference is the largest gather-
www.hnmagazine.com
s one of the many people in the United States who has experienced the prom-
ing of the Latino community of its kind. This year, the four-day event was held in Washington D.C., July 23–26. With more than
40,000 registered individuals and
more than 200 vendors, the event proved a promising meeting ground for community leaders, activists, volunteers, elected and appointed officials, business owners, phi- lanthropists, academics, senior citizens, college students, and young job seekers. “There were so many highlights to this event, but of course the major highlight was having President Barack Obama come and speak to us at our Monday luncheon,” adds Murguía. Currently, Murguía sits on the board of
directors of the American Heart Associa- tion and the Partnership for a Healthier America. She also sits on the executive committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and serves as the board chair for the Hispanic Associa- tion on Corporate Responsibility. Murguía has been recognized on numerous occa- sions for her work. She has been selected twice as one of Washingtonian Magazine’s
Celebrating 19 Years of Diversity
100 Most Powerful Women in Washington and featured in Newsweek’s Women and Leadership issue. In addition, her name is in the NonProfit Times’ Power and Influ- ence Top 50 and also in People en Espa- ñol’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics. Janet Murguía grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. She received three degrees from Kansas University: a BS degree in journal- ism (1982), a BA degree in Spanish (1982), and a JD degree (1985) from the School of Law. In 2011 she received an honorary de- gree—Doctor of Humane Letters—from California
State University, Dominguez Hills. NCLR will hold
its 2012 Annual Conference and
National Latino Family Expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 7–10.
HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE 11
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