Mickey Ibarra

After serving as Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House from 1997-2001, Mickey Ibarra established a government and public affairs firm in Washington, DC. His clients include corporations, associations and governments in need of issue advocacy, intergovernmental support, and Hispanic outreach.

"At the White House, Mr. Ibarra was responsible for building support for the President's policy initiatives and responding to the concerns of state and local elected officials..."

Highly recognized inside and outside of Washington, DC, Mr. Ibarra was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Utah in 2007. Hispanic Magazine has named him among the "25 Most Powerful Hispanics in Washington, DC." He is the Founder and Chairman of the Latino Leaders Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing leaders together. Currently Mr. Ibarra serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the Board of Directors of eLeaderTech, Inc.

At the White House, Mr. Ibarra was responsible for building support for the President's policy initiatives and responding to the concerns of state and local elected officials as well as the U.S. Territories. In 1998, President Clinton appointed Mr. Ibarra to serve as a vice-chair of the White House Task Force for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In addition, he co-chaired the White House Task Force on Drug Use in Sports and the President's Interagency Group on Insular Areas.

Mr. Ibarra, prior to his White House appointment, was the Political Manager for the National Education Association responsible for assisting with campaign strategy development, federal candidate support, political education, and state government affairs. He also served as the Senior Advisor and Director of Special Projects for the Clinton-Gore '96 campaign. A native of Salt Lake City, Mr. Ibarra taught at-risk high school students for five years in the Utah public schools. He served in the United States Army from 1970-1973.

Mr. Ibarra is a lifelong advocate and an accomplished public speaker having addressed hundreds of audiences at White House ceremonies, briefings, conferences, seminars, receptions, and other events. He continues to share his compelling personal story often to include keynote addresses at Northern Arizona University, Sam Houston State University, Estrella Mountain Community College and the University of Utah.