SPRINGDALE, AR- Janet Murguia, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR ), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, will speak at the 9th Annual conference of the Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas (HWOA) “Community Integration: Everybody Counts!” Friday, April 30, 2010 at the Jones Center in Springdale.

As someone who has experienced the promise of the American Dream firsthand, Janet Murguia has devoted her career in public service to opening the door to that dream to millions of American families. Now, a key figure among leaders in the Latino community, she continues this mission as President and CEO of NCLR.

Murguía began her career in Washington, DC as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery. During President Clinton’s administration, 1994 to 2000, she served as deputy director of legislative affairs, managing the legislative staff and acting as a senior White House liaison to Congress. Later, she served as Deputy Campaign Manager and Director of Constituency Outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign. In 2001, Murguía joined the University of Kansas (KU) as Executive Vice Chancellor for university relations, overseeing KU’s internal and external relations with the public, including governmental and public affairs. Currently, Murguia servers as board member of the independent sector, a coalition of leading nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.

The conference Community Integration: Everybody Counts! will focus on the importance of community participation and demographic changes as factors that place special emphasis on turning Latino growth into empowerment through the Latino vote. In the 2008 election, NCLR along with its partners, including HWOA, helped to register nearly 200,000 new Hispanic voters, helped more than 1.5 million eligible immigrants apply for citizenship across the nation. Ideas to be discussed include the economic and social stability of the region and the role that the Hispanic community plays, and may need to play in the future, as well as future plans for community integration.

HWOA is a non-profit organization that Celebrates Education, Culture & Community whose mission is to advance opportunities for Hispanic women and their families, to celebrate and teach others about our cultures, and become active participants in the community.

Conference sponsors include: Wal-Mart Stores, Tyson Foods, Cox Communications, Arvest Bank, and UA School of Law.
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