Interim director named for Latino council

The Legislature's Chicano Latino Affairs Council has named an interim executive director to replace Rogelio Munoz, who resigned abruptly last week, citing internal conflicts with the small agency's board of directors.

Rosa Tock will lead CLAC while the board finds a replacement, according to Chair Nick Juarez, who said he hopes the process will be complete by mid-August.

Munoz said his decision to leave his position came after months of tension with some board members about how to define the role of the council.

"The purpose of the council is to serve the people and engage the Legislature, and the purpose of the board is to deliver that organizational vision for the council," Munoz said. "We had been losing ground on that, because there was more investment in personal in-fighting and internal conflicts."

Juarez did not comment on any of the board activities, but did confirm the council has been facing some internal strife.

"With all boards, you have different personalities, different objectives, different goals, different outcomes that you want for the board, that you want for CLAC," Juarez said. "We all have our different opinions on how we want to work things."

Tock has served as the agency's legislative director for two years. Before that, she worked as a bilingual human rights investigator for St. Paul's Department of Human Rights.

CLAC was created in 1978 to be a liaison between Latinos and the state government. The group has endured through the years, despite a history of internal conflicts and a rapidly changing Latino community.

The council has also faced its share of controversy over issues of racism, improper conduct of its members and the council's priorities.

"We continue to move CLAC forward as best we can," Juarez said.