Janet Murguía

As someone who has experienced the promise of the American Dream firsthand, Janet Murguía has devoted her career in public service to opening the door to that dream to millions of American families. Now, as a key figure among the next generation of leaders in the Latino community, she continues this mission as President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.

Murguía has sought to strengthen the Latino voice on issues affecting the Hispanic community such as education, health care, immigration, civil rights, the economy and the rise of hate rhetoric and hate crimes targeting the Latino community. She has also focused on deepening NCLR’s relationships with its sister civil rights and advocacy organizations, spearheading efforts to build bridges between the African American and Latino communities in conjunction with organizations such as the NAACP and the National Urban League.

Prior to NCLR, Murguía worked at the White House, ultimately serving as deputy assistant to President Clinton, and as executive vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Kansas. She grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and received three degrees from University of Kansas: a BS degree in journalism, a BA degree in Spanish and a JD degree from the School of Law. She also received an honorary degree — Doctor of Humane Letters — from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Murguía has been recognized on numerous occasions for her work and leadership, most recently on the 2024 Forbes 50 Over 50 list. This includes being highlighted on Hispanic Business Magazines’ "100 Top Latinas" and "100 Most Influential Hispanics" lists, Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, the NonProfit Times’ Top 50 Leaders of Power and Influence, People en Español’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics, Newsweek's 3rd Annual Women and Leadership issue, Poder magazine’s The Poderosos 100, Latino Leaders magazine’s 101 Top Leaders of the Hispanic Community and Hispanic magazine’s Powerful Latinos.

Murguía was the first Hispanic to give the keynote speech at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast in Birmingham, Alabama. She also received Alpha Phi’s Frances E. Willard Award in 2018. In 2019, Murguía was inducted into the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame which recognizes Kansas City women who have made significant and enduring contributions to their fields of endeavor and helped open new frontiers for women.

Murguía is a Board member of Achieve, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit education reform organization; the Clinton Foundation; and the Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility. She also serves as a member of Diversity Advisory Councils for Bank of America, Charter Communications, Comcast/NBC Universal, and Wells Fargo.