Janet Murguia is a prominent civil rights leader. She grew up in Kansas City, Kansas but now lives in Washington, DC and works as a renowned advocate for the Latino community.

On January 1, 2005, Murguía replaced Raul Yzaguirre as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. As President and CEO, Murguía often testifies before Congress about issues affecting the Latino community.

Under Murguía’s direction, NCLR brought back the NCLR ALMA Awards after many years’ hiatus. NCLR created the ALMA Awards in 1995 as part of its strategy to promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry. Eva Longoria of ABC’s Desperate Housewives has been the show’s host for the last two years. Longoria and Murguía also serve as the show’s executive producers.