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 theNational 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. Muñoz was featured in several films in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories.

Early life and education[edit source | editbeta]

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 theUniversity of California at Berkeley, where she earned a master’s degree.

White House Years[edit source | editbeta]

As Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Muñoz was the Obama Administrations 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 also co-chaired the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Political Status, where her work on that divisive issue was recognized to the point that leaders from different political status stripes celebrated her designation to head the Domestic Policy Council.^[3]

Personal[edit source | editbeta]

This section requires expansionwith: examples and additional citations. (March 2011)

Muñoz is married to Amit Pandya, a human rights lawyer; they have two daughters.

Film[edit source | editbeta]

She was featured in the documentary film Last Best Chance, story twelve of the series How Democracy Work Now, from filmmakers Shari Robertson andMichael Camerini. A cut of the film premiered on HBO in March 2010, under the title The Senator’s Bargain.

Muñoz appeared in Mountains and Clouds, 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’, story seven in the series where she is shown working on a proposal for immigration, in 2003.

See also[edit source | editbeta]

• Immigration
• How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories

References[edit source | editbeta]

Further reading[edit source | editbeta]

• «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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cecilia Muñoz

• Cecilia Muñoz collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Works by or about Cecilia Muñoz in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
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  Cecilia Munoz

  Director of the Domestic Policy Council (since January 2012)

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  Why She Matters

  Munoz now serves as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council where she coordinates the policy-making process and supervises execution of domestic policy in the White House.

  She was formerly the White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

  Amidst the piles of papers strewn on Munoz’s old office was a framed cover of the Village Voice featuring the Statue of Liberty with a black eye. She’s holding a banner that reads «Immigrants, Get Out!»

  The cartoon is emblematic of what Munoz has opposed during her entire professional career. The civil-rights advocate has long fought for immigrant rights and better treatment for Hispanic Americans, taking on President Clinton ‘s welfare reform and conservative attacks on amnesty programs for illegal immigrants. It is a skill she learned from her Bolivian father, who rounded up friends to send letters to Congress to oppose various bills.

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  Corrections?
  • Background

  • Career History: Diocese of Chicago, immigration advocate (1984 to 1988); National Council of La Raza, executive vice president (1988 to 2009)
  • Birthday: 1962
  • Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

  • Alma Mater: University, of Michigan, BA, University of California at Berkely, Masters
  • Spouse: B/A
  • Religion: Roman Catholic

  Munoz was born in Detroit in 1962. Her parents, who were immigrants from La Paz, Bolivia, moved so Munoz’s father could attend the University of Michigan. Munoz attended the same school nearly two decades later, where she studied English and Latin American studies. She also tutored imprisoned Hispanic Americans.

  After graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, Munoz moved to Chicago to help the Diocese of Chicago legalize undocumented immigrants. «I was working 14-, 16-hour days. It was intense,» she told the Detroit News in 1997. «I had a real sense of obligation not to mess up.» But Munoz also said she faced sexism from some priests, discrimination that ultimately led her to reconsider her role with the Catholic Church.

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  Munoz has centered her advocacy work on fighting for the rights of Hispanic Americans. «The line between anti-immigrant and anti-Latino is pretty thin,» Munoz told The Washington Post in 2000. «The day when my kids can walk down the street and be called American, that’s the goal.»

  She has been described as the person to call when television stations need an immigration expert. «She’s a ferocious advocate, a very powerful spokesperson,» Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, told the Detroit News. «She is as tough and determined an advocate as you can find … she doesn’t back down an inch.»

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  Munoz was part of President Barack Obama ‘s 2008 presidential campaign. She advised him on Hispanic relations along with Cuauthemoc Figueroa and has worked with Secretary of Labor-designate Hilda L. Solis.

  1. Doug Ross Web site
  2. «Hispanic Caucus Applauds Appointment of Munoz to Obama Staff,» Congressional Documents and Publications, Nov. 26, 2008
  3. Sample, Herbert A., «Activists Want Food Stamps Restored to Immigrants.» Orange County Register, Aug. 22, 1997
  4. Allen, Kent, «The Gift of a Lifetime: 25 Receive MacArthur Grants,» The Washington Post, June 14, 2000
  5. Fletcher, Michael A., «Obama Appoints White House Speechwriting and Intergovernmental Affairs Heads,» The Washington Post, Nov. 26, 2008
  6. Price, Deb, «Obama names Detroit native to White House intergovernmental Post,» The Detroit News, Nov. 27, 2008
  7. National Council of La Raza Web site
  8. Navarrette, Ruben, Jr., «Groups Ask for Cuts in Immigrants.» Arizona Republic, Nov. 11, 1997
  9. Sun, Lena, «White House Queries Activist on Citizenship,» The Washington Post, March 21, 1997
  10. Eversley, Melanie, «A Leading Authority Detroit Native Speaks Out Proudly for Latino Issues,» Detroit Free Press, Nov. 3, 1997