About Us

Irasema Garza

President

Irasema Garza is president of Legal Momentum, the nation's oldest legal defense and education fund dedicated to advancing women's rights. Before joining the organization in 2008, she established a reputation as a dedicated advocate on behalf of women and minorities. She began her career in the family court system, and later moved to public policy, working for the Department of Labor. Her varied experience also includes consulting Fortune 500 companies on diversity integration and directing national programs for labor unions.

A Clinton administration appointee, Garza served as the first secretary of the National Administrative Office, which was charged with implementing the labor provisions of NAFTA. Garza successfully managed the creation of the organization, building coalitions between labor groups, businesses, and governments to address labor rights. President Clinton later nominated her to serve as the fourteenth director of the Women's Bureau, the only federal agency mandated by Congress to represent America's wage-earning women in the public policy process. After receiving a unanimous Senate confirmation, Garza set to work ensuring that economic security for women was a policy priority for the Department of Labor. She established innovative outreach programs that expanded the reach of the organization outside of U.S. borders, helping the government of Costa Rica to establish a women's bureau within its own department of labor.

Garza has extensive experience advocating for and reaching out to large, diverse populations of constituents. From 2003 to 2006, Garza served as the director of women's rights for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which serves more than 1.6 million members. Garza later served as the national political director of Working America the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

In 2008, the same year she became the seventh president of Legal Momentum, Garza served on President Barack Obama's transition team. She frequently provides commentary on women's issues for mainstream media outlets, as well as in the Spanish-speaking press. Drawing on her varied experience, she continues to develop innovative programs to advance the personal and economic security of all women and girls. Garza is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.