President Obama's announcement that Cecilia Munoz will be appointed to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council is great news for Progressives - and especially for advocates of immigration reform.
Munoz is a passionate advocate of the interests of everyday working people and defending the embattled American middle class. She is also a talented and inspiring leader. Munoz knows how to get things done in a tangled world of government bureaucracy. And she knows her way around the byzantine corridors of the Capitol.
More importantly, she is deeply committed to progressive values and to the welfare of ordinary, working Americans.
Her appointment is great government - and great politics.
Her skill will bolster the President's ability to take initiatives that will strengthen America's economy, with or without Congress. And her appointment is symbolic of the Administration's commitment to mount a major campaign to pass immigration reform in a new Congress if he is re-elected this fall.
Munoz, who has served since the beginning of the Administration as the Director of Intergovernmental Relations, has always been the key point person in the White House on immigration reform. Before joining the White House team, she served as a leader at one of the nation's most respected Latino organizations - The National Council of La Raza. By tapping her as his top domestic policy adviser, President Obama assures that immigration reform will be at the center of the domestic policy agenda.
And from a political point of view, Munoz' appointment gives the President a spokesperson who is widely respected in the electorally critical Hispanic community.
I knew Cecilia for many years before her work in the White House. Apart from her obvious political and leadership skills, she is also a delightful, optimistic, caring person with a deep commitment to her core beliefs and her mission in government.
Cecilia Munoz is the epitome of someone who enters public service to do something - not just be something. Great choice, Mr. President.
Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com. He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Follow him on Twitter @rbcreamer.