Cecilia Muñoz
Cecilia Muñoz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director of the Domestic Policy Council | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2012 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | James Kvaal |
| Preceded by | Melody Barnes |
| Director of Intergovernmental Affairs | |
| In office January 20, 2009 – January 10, 2012 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Dial |
| Succeeded by | David Agnew |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 27, 1962 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Amit Pandya |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor University of California, Berkeley |
Cecilia Muñoz (born July 27, 1962) is director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Prior to that, she served as the White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. A longtime civil rights advocate, she worked as Senior Vice President for the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), a nonprofit organization established to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans, overseeing advocacy activities that cover issues of importance to immigrants.[1] In 2000, she was named a MacArthur Fellow for her work on civil rights and immigration. She was featured in several episodes of the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories.
Early life and education
Muñoz was born in Detroit, Michigan[2] the youngest of four children. Her parents had moved to the United States from La Paz, Bolivia, so that her father, an automotive engineer, could go to the University of Michigan. When she was three, the family moved to Livonia, a middle-class, predominantly white Detroit suburb. Muñoz attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As a volunteer, she worked as a tutor to Hispanic American inmates at the state prison in nearby Jackson. She earned undergraduate degrees in English and Latin American studies in 1984. Following graduation, Muñoz continued her education at the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned a master's degree, also in Latin American Studies.
Obama Administration
As Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Muñoz was the Obama Administration's main liaison with state, local and tribal governments, including the "Big Seven" organizations that represent most state and local officials, including the Council of State Governments, the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures. She co-chaired the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico's Political Status, where her work made several politicians from both sides celebrate her designation as head of the Domestic Policy Council.[3]
Personal
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: examples and additional citations. You can help by adding to it. (March 2011) |
Muñoz is married to Amit Pandya, a human rights lawyer; they have two daughters.
Film
She was featured in the documentary film Last Best Chance,[4] story twelve of the series How Democracy Work Now, from filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini. A cut of the film premiered on HBO in March 2010, under the title The Senator's Bargain.[5]
Muñoz appeared in Mountains and Clouds,[6] story 2 in the series How Democracy Works Now, where she and Frank Sharry discuss being at a potential "watershed moment" for comprehensive immigration reform, in 2001. Additionally, she was featured in Ain't the AFL for Nothin',[7] story seven in the series where she is shown working on a proposal for immigration, in 2003.
See also
References
- ^ change.gov (26 November 2008). "President-Elect Barack Obama names two new White House staff members" (Press release). Newsroom. Office of the President-elect. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
{{cite web}}: External link in|author= - ^ Notable Hispanic American Women (1999). "Cecilia Muñoz" (Website). Hispanic Heritage. Gale Biography Resource Center. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ "Home - El Nuevo Día". Elnuevodia.com. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "Twelve Stories: How Democracy Works Now | Story | The Senators' Bargain | Last Best Chance". How Democracy Works Now. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "The Senators Bargain: Home". HBO. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "Twelve Stories: How Democracy Works Now | Story | Mountains and Clouds". How Democracy Works Now. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "Twelve Stories: How Democracy Works Now | Story | Ain't the AFL for Nothin'". How Democracy Works Now. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
Further reading
- "Congress Weakens Immigration Policies." Associated Press. December 1, 1997.
- Eversley, Melanie. "A Leading Authority: Detroit Native Speaks Out Proudly for Latino Issues." Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1997.
- Hayward, Brad. "Welfare Reform Has Legal Immigrants Wary." Sacramento Bee. September 4, 1996.
- "Immigrants Add $10 Billion to Economy Annually, Study Says." Washington Times. May 19, 1997.
- McDonnell, Patrick J. "Proposed Cutbacks in Aid Alarm Legal Immigrants." Los Angeles Times. July 30, 1996, p. A1.
- Navarrette, Ruben, Jr. "Groups Ask for Cuts in Immigrants." Arizona Republic. November 11, 1997.
- Sample, Herbert A. "Activists Want Food Stamps Restored to Immigrants." Orange County Register. August 22, 1997, p. A15.
- Sun, Lena H. "White House Queries Activist on Citizenship." Washington Post. March 21, 1997, p. A28.
External links
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