For over 35 years Mr. Raul 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 Raul 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.