Linda Chavez

The New York Times calls Linda Chavez "an influential voice on civil rights policy." The Washington Post describes her as one of "a new generation of intellectuals (seeking) to question the orthodoxies of the civil rights establishment."

Linda Chavez is president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, based in Washington, D.C. She is the author of Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation (Basic Books, 1991), which chronicles the untold story of Hispanic progress and achievement and addresses the implications of bilingual education, voting rights, immigration, and affirmative action. The Denver Post said that the book "should explode the stereotypes about Hispanics that have clouded the minds of patronizing liberals and xenophobic conservatives alike."

Many know Linda Chavez from her syndicated column, which appears in newspapers across the country. She often writes for many other publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, The New Republic, Commentary, and Reader's Digest. She also makes regular appearances on The McLaughlin Group, CNN & Co., To the Contrary, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and hosts a nationally syndicated daily radio show on Liberty Broadcasting in Washington, D.C.

Chavez has held a number of political positions, among them White House Director of Public Liaison (1985) and director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (1983-85). She won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator from Maryland (1986), but lost in the general election. Chavez was editor of the Prize-winning quarterly journal of the American Federation of Teachers, American Educator (1977-83). She also served as the U.S. expert on the United Nations Subcommission on Human Rights (1992-96).

Linda Chavez currently sits on the boards of directors for several non-profit organizations and is a director of Greyhound Lines, Inc. and ABM Industries, Inc. Her work, An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal, was released in 2002. Her latest book is Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics.