国产传媒

Politics and community coalition building aren't the usual interests of most middle-school students. But then, Dora Nunez MBA '15, was not your average middle-schooler. 

Nu帽ez absorbed the Los Angeles city hall and school district news airing on 鈥淣oticiero 34,鈥� KMEX-TV鈥檚 Spanish-language news program. Watching government at work in real life inspired her to take leadership roles in the student councils at John Burroughs Middle School鈥檚 Highly Gifted Magnet and Hollywood High School鈥檚 Performing Arts Magnet. As her high school鈥檚 class president, she once shadowed the late Los Angeles City Council President John Ferraro through the marbled chambers of City Hall. 

Her early experiences taught her a valuable life lesson she has carried into public service: It is government鈥檚 job to help people understand how their government works and how to make sure it works for them.   

Today, Nu帽ez keeps that mission front of mind as the first director of community affairs and engagement for Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin. It is a role ideally suited to her more than 16 years of experience working in and with local, state and national public- and private-sector organizations that have direct interaction with the constituents they serve. Nu帽ez began her new job at the city shortly after earning her master's of business administration at Mount Saint Mary's. 

The University鈥檚 MBA program, Nu帽ez says, taught her to tackle work by constantly applying project management tactics and operational strategies. 鈥淭he program also taught me that data sets are just numbers unless they are processed through qualitative and quantitative analysis,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd on a personal level, several of my courses were focused on the internal self and how to lead with soul.鈥�   

In her role with the city, Nu帽ez serves a key office that, despite its unfamiliarity to many city residents, touches the lives of Angelenos in more ways than they realize. The controller, who serves as Los Angeles鈥� chief auditor and general accountant, often has been called the city鈥檚 鈥渢axpayers鈥� watchdog.鈥� Since assuming her new position last September, Nu帽ez has led community outreach and public awareness initiatives promoting both the controller鈥檚 critical function, as well as efforts to make city hall more transparent to those whose taxes pay for every public service the city provides, from street maintenance to water and power to police and fire.

Nu帽ez's team of three utilizes a grassroots outreach effort that involve dozens of business, community, cultural and educational organizations, 60 neighborhood councils, and 15 council districts that encompass more than 4 million residents spread across 500 square miles. 

鈥淕etting people to care about city government and the city controller鈥檚 role, in particular, is one of our biggest challenges,鈥� said Nu帽ez, who is a member of the controller鈥檚 executive team. 鈥淓ach community we work with is different. That means we have to find different ways to build the one-on-one relationships that will empower them to more fully engage with government agencies and to understand how those agencies are serving them.鈥�

Nu帽ez brings a wealth of experience to her current role. She previously worked as a field deputy and community organizer for City Council District 14, and later served a two-year stint as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa鈥檚 special projects director. In 2007, Nu帽ez joined The Nielsen Company, where she last served as manager of public affairs and government relations responsible for increasing brand awareness and grassroots outreach.    

Six-and-a-half years later, Nu帽ez left Nielsen to enroll in the Mount鈥檚 inaugural MBA summer program. While she pursued her degree, she served as a public relations and marketing consultant to Los Angeles鈥� history division of El Pueblo Historical Monument and the museum division of the city鈥檚 Department of Recreation and Parks. Those positions paved the way to her current assignment.

In the not-too-distant future, Nu帽ez envisions an even higher calling in government service: the White House.

鈥淢y career and personal goal is to inform, support and motivate people to improve their lives and become successful through empowerment,鈥� said Nu帽ez. 鈥淏ecoming the chief of public affairs and engagement for the president would be the ultimate opportunity to achieve that goal.鈥�