July 24, 2003

Contact: Andrea Albright, University Relations, (785) 864-8860.

KU vice chancellor to meet with nation's brightest students in Washington, D.C.

LAWRENCE -- University of Kansas Executive Vice Chancellor for University Relations Janet Murguia will speak to some of the nation's brightest young women this week during the 57th annual American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation in Washington, D.C.

Murguia, a 1977 alumna of Girls Nation, will be the featured speaker at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at the Flag Retreat and Banquet.

The event is part of a week of activities, July 19 through 26, for 96 high school students from 48 states. Two high school seniors from Kansas are attending: Stacy Edwards, from Olathe East High School in Olathe, and Genevie Gold, from Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kan.

Other speakers during Girls Nation will include Steve Robertson, legislative director for the American Legion; Henry Shea, national winner of the American Legion oratorical contest; and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. On Friday, attendees also are scheduled to meet with President George W. Bush in the White House.

Girls Nation offers future leaders a firsthand introduction to the structure and functions of the federal government. The young women will attend lectures and forums, and each "senator" is scheduled to meet with her own state senators and representatives.

Other prominent women who have attended Girls Nation include Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney; former Texas governor Ann Richards; and newswomen Jane Pauley and Leeza Gibbons.

Murguia serves on the board of directors for the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the United States; the Youth Development Board of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; and the board of directors for YouthFriends, a nationally recognized school-based mentoring effort. In April 2002, Murguia was one of 13 women in academia chosen for Hispanic Business magazine's list of the "Elite 80" Hispanic businesswomen in the United States.

Murguia earned three degrees from KU: a juris doctorate from the law school in 1985 and bachelor's degrees in journalism and Spanish in 1982.

Before returning to KU in 2001, Murguia served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign. Murguia previously worked at the White House in various capacities beginning in 1994. She was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of legislative affairs, serving as the senior White House liaison to Congress.

Murguia started her career working as legislative counsel to former Kansas congressman Jim Slattery for seven years.

Murguia grew up in Argentine, a Mexican-American neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., as one of seven children of Alfred and Amalia Murguia. The Murguia siblings are known for their accomplishments. Ramon Murguia is a lawyer and former chair of the National Council of La Raza. Janet Murguia's twin sister, Mary, is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for Arizona; brother Carlos is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Mary and Carlos Murguia are the nation's first brother-sister duo to become federal judges.