Cecilia Muñoz (born July 27, 1962) is an American political advisor who served as Director of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Domestic Policy Council under
President Obama, a position she held for five years. Prior to that, she served as the White House
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for three years.
Before working for the White House, she was Senior Vice President for the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation at the
National Council of La Raza
UnidosUS, formerly National Council of La Raza (NCLR) ( La Raza), is the United States's largest Latino nonprofit advocacy organization. It advocates in favor of progressive public policy changes including immigration reform, a path to citize ...
(NCLR), the largest Latino advocacy organization in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
At NCLR, she supervised all legislative and advocacy activities conducted by NCLR policy staff. She was also the Chair of the Board of the
Center for Community Change and served on the U.S. Programs Board of the
Open Society Institute
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
and on the boards of directors of the
Atlantic Philanthropies
The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) was a private foundation created in 1982 by American businessman Chuck Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies focused its giving on health, social, and politically left-leaning public policy causes in Australia, Berm ...
and the
National Immigration Forum. In 2000, she was named a
MacArthur Fellow
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and 30 individuals workin ...
for her work on civil rights and immigration.
She was featured in several episodes of the documentary series ''
How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories,'' and she contributed a chapter to ''West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House'' discussing her experiences in the Obama White House.
Early life and education
Muñoz was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
the youngest of four children. Her parents had moved to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
from
La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz ( Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolitan area ...
, so that her father, an automotive engineer, could attend the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
. When she was three, the family moved to
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Livonia is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,535. Originally organized as ...
, a Detroit suburb. Muñoz attended the University of Michigan in
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
. As a volunteer, she tutored Hispanic American inmates at the
state prison in nearby
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...
. 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
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
, where she earned a master's degree, also in Latin American studies.
Career
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 Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization in the United States that serves all three branches of state government.
Founded in 1933 by Colorado state senator Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum t ...
, the
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...
and the
National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials' association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States.
Background ...
. She co-chaired the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico's Political Status, where her work prompted several politicians
from both sides to celebrate her designation as head of the Domestic Policy Council.
She was featured in the documentary film ''Last Best Chance'', story twelve of the series ''
How Democracy Works Now
''How Democracy Works Now'' is a 10-part, feature documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform during 2001–2007. The films were directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team ...
'', from filmmakers
Shari Robertson and
Michael Camerini. A cut of the film premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
in March 2010, under the title ''The Senator's Bargain.''
Muñoz appeared in ''Mountains and Clouds,'' story two in the series ''
How Democracy Works Now
''How Democracy Works Now'' is a 10-part, feature documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform during 2001–2007. The films were directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team ...
'', 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.
In 2020, Muñoz authored ''More than Ready,'' an autobiography about her life and tenure in the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
.
Muñoz works at
New America, a think tank based in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In November 2020, Muñoz was announced as a member of
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
's
transition staff.
Personal life
Muñoz married attorney Amit Anant Pandya in September 1991. He is a human rights lawyer. They have two daughters, Meera and Cristina.
See also
*
How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories
*
Immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
References
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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{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Cecilia
1962 births
American people of Bolivian descent
Living people
MacArthur Fellows
Michigan Democrats
Obama administration personnel
Politicians from Detroit
University of California, Berkeley alumni
University of Michigan alumni