Daniel Garza Garza

§ Married 19 years to Micaela, proud father of three children Daniel (17), Camila (16), and Marko (14) § Employed as staff at Mercedes Independent School District in Mercedes, Texas § Active in Republican Party for almost two decades; Precinct Officer, elected City Councilman, County platform committee member, Delegate to the 2000 National Convention, State Director of Hispanics for Bush 2000, Outreach Director for the RNC § Congressional Staff Assistant, Political appointee, and White House Staff Member § Graduate of the Washington State Criminal Justice Commission, attended Central Washington University, and received Washington State Liquor Board Agent certification § President of HISPANIC, PODER and Hispanic Enterprise magazines - Televisa Editorial § Host of the National news interview show “Agenda Washington” on the Univision Network

Born in the Central Valley of California, Daniel’s family would migrate annually from his ancestral hometown of Garza Gonzales, N.L. Mexico throughout California, Nebraska, the State of Washington and South Texas as they followed the crop season as farm workers during his developing years. Today, he has more than two decades of managing media and public relations, directing corporate projects, and working at all levels of government that includes an appointment as White House staffer. Daniel Garza has developed a broad and comprehensive range of public and private sector experience. Daniel earned his Criminal Justice certification in 1990 and was then sworn in as a police officer in the City of Toppenish, Washington where he served on numerous boards and task forces related to community policing, alcohol safety and anti-drug and gang enforcement.

Three years later, Daniel accepted a position to serve as U.S. Senator Slade Gorton’s statewide liaison to the Hispanic community and as chairman to his Yakima County Advisory Council. In 1995, he joined the Office of U.S. Congressman Richard “Doc” Hastings as a Congressional Staff Assistant. There he was assigned as liaison to the Department of Defense, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Department of State. Concurrently, Daniel was elected Councilman for the City of Toppenish, Washington and worked closely with other local and state elected officials to advance region wide improvement of local economies and develop effective public policy to create jobs.

After helping to successfully elect George W. Bush as President in his role as State Director of Hispanics for Bush for Washington State in 2000, Daniel was then appointed in 2001 by the Bush Administration to serve as Deputy Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of the Interior. During his tenure, Daniel helped to coordinate and implement several significant initiatives and programs on behalf of Secretary Gale Norton such as the Lewis &amp; Clark Bicentennial campaign, the US-Mexico Bi-national cooperation natural resources agenda, the development and re-launch of the Take Pride In America program, roll-out of 23 national monument management plans, and the President’s Healthy Forest and Cooperative Conservation Initiatives. Daniel also served as liaison between the Office of the Secretary and all of the fifty state governors, county and local elected officials. By 2004, his successful execution of his assigned duties and responsibilities at Interior quickly gained the attention of the White House and he was then hired to assume the position of Associate Director at the Office of Public Liaison at the White House.

Garza quickly earned a reputation as an effective advocate who strengthened the President’s support with the Hispanic community by coordinating many successful presidential events, White House functions and policy briefings involving a broad diversity of Hispanic interests and constituencies. Those events included the Hispanic Heritage Month and Cinco de Mayo Celebrations, a score of bill signing ceremonies, dinners, and policy briefings all held within the White House compound. Daniel represented the U.S. Hispanic community at the policy table advocating on their behalf on issues such as immigration, trade, healthcare, education, national security and the war on terror. Similarly, he was responsible for coordinating all communications and policy roll-outs, programs and initiatives on behalf of the President to the Hispanic Community. Daniel was also highly successful in enlisting support for the President’s nominees to his cabinet and the Supreme Court; some of these nominees included Carlos Gutierrez for Secretary of Commerce, Alberto Gonzales for US Attorney General, and Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court. It was his work on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) where Daniel distinguished himself the most leading a successful communication effort to promote the president’s effort to achieve fair and free trade agreements with our Central American neighbors. An ardent believer in free trade and free markets, Daniel managed, coordinated and executed various messaging strategies and events in the White House involving business interest groups, Hispanic organizations, and all of the participating Presidents of the proposal in promoting public support for this vital, and ultimately successful, international trade accord.

In 2006, Daniel accepted an offer to work for Televisa Publishing as President of HISPANIC and PODER Group. In his position, headquartered in Miami, he oversaw the editorial, commercial, and promotional aspects of HISPANIC, Hispanic Trends, PODER and Tu Dinero magazines (Owned and published by Televisa Publishing USA). Daniel authored editorial pieces and articles of interest for the magazines on contemporary issues impacting the Hispanic community, and was lead writer of PODERBlog.com website. He was also President of the prestigious 2006 PODER Forum held in Miami securing the participation of distinguished attendees that included former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner, ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, U.S. Immigration Services head Emilio Gonzalez, U.S. Undersecretary for Public Affairs Karen Hughes, and Televisa CEO Emilio Azcarraga Jean.

Just recently, Daniel worked as co-producer and host of Agenda Washington, a Spanish language news/interview weekly television program that covered state, economic, political and social issues impacting the U.S. Hispanic community. The groundbreaking program was broadcast in 20 of the top U.S. Hispanic markets on Univision television stations and also broadcast on 60 radio stations located in 36 of the top 50 Hispanic markets. Daniel presented special reports and analysis from Washington, engaged top experts and distinguished guests in insightful and discerning discussions on the vital issues facing Hispanic voters, and provided relevant and comprehensive coverage of 2008 election season in a straightforward and clear style that informed and alerted the viewer.