Raśl Yzaguirre
For over 35 years Mr. Raśl Yzaguirre has been internationally
recognized as one of the premier U.S. leaders and advocates on
behalf of civil rights for the Hispanic American community. As
the CEO and President of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
he was directly responsible for transforming NCLR into the
premier national Hispanic advocacy organization and think tank
in the country. A native of the Rio Grande Valley, he is
currently working in conjunction with The University of
Texas-Pan American in the soon to be established Raśl Yzaguirre
Policy Institute.
Mr. Yzaguirre’s accomplishments and accolades within the
political, educational, corporate, and community service are
unparalleled. In 1979, he was the first Hispanic to receive a
Rockefeller Public Service Award for Outstanding Public Service
from the Trustees of Princeton University. From 1989 to 1990, he
served as one of the first Hispanic Fellows of the Institute of
Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University. In 1993, Mr. Yzaguirre was the recipient of the
Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights. In 1998, he was honored with the
Charles Evan Hughes Gold Medal Award for courageous leadership
in civic and humanitarian affairs by the National Conference for
Community and Justice. Mr. Yzaguirre has also been awarded five
honorary degrees.
Mr. Yzaguirre is the immediate past Chairperson of the
Independent Sector, a nonprofit coalition of over 850 corporate,
foundation, and voluntary organizations. He serves on the Board
of Directors of numerous organizations, including the Enterprise
Foundation, the National Democratic Institute, and the Trustees
of Dowling College. He was recently elected to the National
Boards of the Salvation Army and the 4-H Club. He was the first
Hispanic to serve on the Executive Committee of the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights. He was Chairperson of President
Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for
Hispanic Americans, and is currently the President of the
Mexican and American Solidarity Foundation. Mr. Yzaguirre also
serves on the Visiting Committee for the John F. Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University and is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
Mr. Yzaguirrre has been described by Hispanic magazine as being
“at the center of the Hispanic leadership stage.” He is a
frequent commentator on Latino issues; he has appeared on NBC
Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, The
Today Show, CNN, and National Public Radio and in The Washington
Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The
Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Time, Newsweek, and
The National Journal.
Most importantly, in 1993 Mr. Yzaguirre received the Order of
the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor given by the government of
Mexico to non-citizens.
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