The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently announced that 13 people will be added to its Utah Advisory Committee.
The committee will assist the federal commission in conducting fact-finding reviews on civil rights problems in Utah, working in con-junction with the commission's Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Denver.Michael Martinez, an attorney and vocal minority rights advocate, was elected chairman of the committee. He is on the advisory committee to Utah Job Service and has served as chairman of the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Committee and assistant Utah attorney general. Martinez has also worked on both the state and national levels as chief deputy of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Currently, he is chairman of the University of Utah Health Sciences and Hospital Advisory Board and a member of the Women's Business Center Advisory Board and the Multi-Ethnic Board of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Other members of the committee are:
Lisa Hurtado Armstrong, a board member of Utah Legal Services, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to low-income people. She is also a member of the Utah State Board of Education, Utah Coalition of La Raza and the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Committee.
Bruce Cohne, a member of the board of directors of the Western Region Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith and the Community Resources Committee of the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Legal System.
John Florez, a member of the Utah State Bar Commission, the Salt Lake School Board, Governor's Citizens Committee on Utah Courts and the Salt Lake Civil Service Commission. Also a past appointee to the White House Ini-tia-tive on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
Timothy Funk, chairman of the board for the Salt Lake County Housing Authority and board member of the Utah Oral History Project.
Ronald Gardner, legal director of the Disability Law Center and pro-fessor of business law at Brigham Young University. Also president of the National Federation of the Blind, Utah Chapter.
Bettye Gillespie, executive board member, press and public relations chairwoman, and voter registration chairwoman of the Ogden Chapter of the NAACP. Also a member of the Weber/Davis counties Habitat for Humanity.
Darlene Hutchison, a member of the Guadalupe School Advisory Board, Governor's Initiative for Families Today and the Utah Chapter, Prevent Child Abuse. Also secretary of the Community Services Council.
Wendy Kim, Bountiful, president of an international research and development firm in Utah, and board member of the International Trade Committee of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
Jimi Mitsunaga, president of the Utah Minority Bar Association and member of the Utah State Bar Association. Was also organizer and past chairman of the Utah Asian Association and past president of the Salt Lake Japanese American Citizens League.
Frances Palacios, a former district court commissioner and judge pro tem. A member of the Utah State Bar Criminal Bar Section, Domestic Law Section, and the Utah Chapter of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. Also past member of the National Association of Women Judges.
Albert (Nino) Reyos, a social worker for the Community Counseling Center in Salt Lake City. Also chairman of the Heber Valley Pow-Wow Committee and serves on the Salt Lake City review board that examines citizens' complaints against the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Debra Ridely, who served for more than 10 years as juvenile court judge for the Ute Indian Tribe. She is also a steering committee member of the Court Improvement Project and board member and co-chairwoman of the Child and Family Services Advisory Council.
Robert Whitehorse, a member of the Dine (Navajo) Tribe who has been an elected Navajo Nation Council delegate for the past 25 years. Recently appointed to the Utah Tribal Leaders Council by Gov. Mike Leavitt.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was established in 1957 and is an independent agency of the federal government dedicated to investigating discrimination based on color, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, disability or in the justice system.
For more information, contact Martinez at 261-8169.