La Raza President to Speak at Hispanic Heritage Event

Date: 10/9/06
Contact: Marc Lebovitz

Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, will be the guest speaker at Illinois State University's Hispanic Heritage Month Commemoration at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18. Her talk will take place in Brown Ballroom of Bone Student Center.

Admission is free and open to the public. Host of the event is the Diversity Advocacy Office at Illinois State and State Farm Insurance. Doors will open at 6:30.

Murguia, a former deputy assistant to President Bill Clinton, has emerged as a key figure among the next generation of leaders in the Latino community. On Jan. 1, 2005, she succeeded Raul Yzaguirre as president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) after having served as the executive director and chief operating officer.

NCLR is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., working to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

Prior to joining NCLR, Murguía was the executive vice chancellor for University Relations at the University of Kansas (KU), overseeing KU's internal and external relations with the public, including governmental and public affairs. Murguía coordinated the university's strategic planning and marketing efforts at the four KU campuses with those of the Alumni Association, the Athletics Corporation, and the Endowment Association.

Murguía began her career in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery, serving for seven years. She then worked at the White House in various capacities from 1994 to 2000, ultimately as deputy assistant to Clinton, providing strategic and legislative advice to the president on key issues. She also served as deputy director of legislative affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress.

Prior to joining KU in 2001, Murguía served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign. In that role, she was the primary liaison between former Vice President Gore and national constituency groups. She also served as a spokesperson for the campaign, working with radio, print, and TV media outlets.

Murguía has served on NCLR's Board of Directors and on the Kauffman Foundation Youth Development Board. She is currently a Board member of the Independent Sector, a coalition of leading nonprofits, foundations, and corporations committed to connecting, informing, and advocating on behalf of the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

Hispanic Business magazine named Murguia as a finalist for its 2005 "Woman of the Year Award." In 2004, Hispanic magazine chose her for its annual list of "100 Top Latinas" and Hispanic Business magazine selected her as one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics." Murguía grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. She received three degrees from KU: a B.S. degree in journalism, a B.A. degree in Spanish and a J.D. degree from the School of Law.