EthnicMajority

(New York Times) The White House said Tuesday that Cecilia Muñoz, who has led its efforts to overhaul immigration laws, had been named director of the Domestic Policy Council, making her one of President Obama’s chief advisers on a broad swath of issues, including education and gay rights.

Ms. Muñoz, the highest-ranking Hispanic in the White House, had served as director of intergovernmental affairs. She replaces Melody Barnes, who left this month. Her promotion is notable because it comes at the start of an election year in which Hispanic voters are expected to play a major role.

“Over the past three years, Cecilia has been a trusted adviser who has demonstrated sound judgment day in and day out,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “Cecilia has done an extraordinary job working on behalf of middle-class families, and I’m confident she’ll bring the same unwavering dedication to her new position.”

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(Afro) President Barack Obama held the first ever African-American Policy in Action Leadership Conference at the White House on Nov. 9 to coincide with the release of a report, “The President’s Agenda and the African-American Community.”

In front of a gathering that included Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, the president used the conference to lay out his policy achievements three years after winning the Oval Office with the solid embrace of Black Americans.

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(Asian Journal) To promote Asian-American leadership in government, the White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) has launched a training program for managers.

The program is expected to increase the number of senior and mid-level managers in the federal government.

“(This is) part of ensuring that our government looks very much like our community. We are committed to preserving that diversity in government,” Kiran Ahuha, WHIAAPI executive director told media last Oct. 14.

The one-year mentor training fellowship program is expected to enhance communication and leadership skills in these individuals.

“There is a sense of frustration among AAPIs because of cultural upbringing,” Ahuja said, referring to how these individuals think they are seen as future leaders.

Ahuja noted that doubts about their communication style or “how outspoken” they need to be are common questions among AAPI government employees.

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(Politico) President Barack Obama will meet with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus at the White House on Friday, his first sit-down with the group since taking office, White House and Congressional aides say.

The meeting comes amid some frustration by caucus members who felt that the White House neglected them in recent months. Before the lawmakers met in July with senior administration officials, the 30-member caucus had not had a formal session at the White House.

(Huffington Post) Kal Penn, the actor who in 2009 left his role on the TV show "House" to work for the Obama administration, has left his job at the White House and will be returning to Hollywood, ABC News reports.

Penn, whose given name is Kalpen Modi (he went by the latter while working at the White House), served in the Office of Public Engagement as the the Liaison to Young Americans, the Arts, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

But he is probably better known as Kumar Patel, the White Castle-loving stoner in the "Harold & Kumar" series, a new one of which is scheduled to be released in November.

TVLine.com reported earlier this month that Penn would also be joining the cast of "How I Met Your Mother."

He described his job at the White House to ABC's Jake Tapper in an interview on Thursday, video of which is available below:

"Our office doesn't handle policy, but we help kind of bridge the gaps between policies," he said to Tapper. "So if there's a group of young folks that are particularly concerned about an issue, and they want to bring in 10 or 12 folks, we'll put them in a room with some of our policy team and kind of link up that way."

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(Chicago Tribune) Tina Tchen has plenty of qualities that made her a logical choice as Michelle Obama’s top aide, but here’s a key attribute:

Tchen sleeps only four hours a night.

Appointed Wednesday as chief of staff to the first lady, Tchen cited a “biological-clock thing” in explaining why she sleeps only from 2 a.m. to 6. “I have the good fortune to not need a lot of sleep,” she said. “That’s been a great gift.”

The other 20 hours a day, Tchen earns a reputation as “driven” and “indefatigable” and “phenomenally brilliant,” according to friends and colleagues.

Tchen, 54, the daughter of a psychiatrist born in China, will succeed chief of staff Susan Sher, who is also a Chicago attorney, as is the first lady. All three are longtime friends.

An Ohio native, Tchen lived in Chicago for 30 years before President Barack Obama tapped her to direct the White House Office of Public Engagement.

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(Daily Press) Former U.S. Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday that a lack of diversity in the Obama administration might have led to her hasty dismissal after a doctored video of one of her speeches made her a target of conservative bloggers.

Sherrod said no African-Americans were involved in the direct discussions prior to her being forced to drive to the side of a Georgia highway and submit her resignation.

“There was no black person in his inner circle who could even talk about this, to say, ‘hey, you ought to look into this.’”

She said that the lack of the diversity ran from her bosses at U.S.D.A. all the way to the White House and that no person of color was among the dozen people who discussed her fate.

Instead, Sherrod said her dismissal came after a series of phone calls from U.S.D.A. deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development, Cheryl Cook, who eventually told her that the White House wanted her resignation.

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