Celebrating Latino Leaders: Fernando Muniz

Muñiz is the Deputy Commissioner of Administration at the Department of Children and Families (DCF). He is the first Latino deputy commissioner at the state department, and his 2013 appointment came at a time of sweeping changes. Formerly the Chief of Quality and Planning at DCF, Muniz helped oversee policy reforms aimed at restoring trust with minority communities such as increasing the number of children placed with relatives.

Describe your life's journey and where you grew up

I was born in Puerto Rico, the oldest of three. My parents moved to Connecticut when I was 7 because my father had lived in Bridgeport as a teen in the 50s, and 60s, when everything was booming and there was a lot of work. So, he had always wanted to return.

I was born in Puerto Rico, the oldest of three. My parents moved to Connecticut when I was 7 because my father had lived in Bridgeport as a teen in the 50s, and 60s, when everything was booming and there was a lot of work. So, he had always wanted to return.

What do you do for a living?

I oversee the budgets, contracts, and human resources for the Department of Children and Families.

At heart, I still consider myself a youth worker. I empathize with the difficulties workers face. As I make decisions about resources, I think, "How are these choices going to impact the kids and how will they impact the workers?"

When did you start giving back to the community?

We had a civic-minded household. My mother was a teacher and volunteered for a youth services organization. In high school, l did a lot of volunteer work for a youth leadership organization where I was a tutor. I always had a calling for community service.

While I was an undergraduate, in 1994, it was the first year of Americorps. I ran a youth program for a substance abuse agency.

I had started college as computer science major. After I got involved in the social services field I switched to psychology.

Who were your mentors and what did you learn from them?

After college I was hired by The Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), where I was mentored by executive director Bob Francis. He offered me my first opportunity and mentored me in the nonprofit field. I looked up to him as a leader and someone who was civic minded.

My other mentor is Alma Maya, the town clerk in Bridgeport. She was the director of ASPIRA Connecticut, where I worked on getting first and second generation Latino-Americans ready for college. She’s had a huge influence on me in how we think about our responsibility for the next generations.

If I learned anything from my mentors, it's important that we leave the world a better place, either through giving or volunteering time, or mentoring.

What do you see as critical for the progress of Latinos in the region?

I think that education is the key. Even though job prospects aren't great, we have to encourage kids to look at opportunities where there are jobs. In STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education) and for anyone who is bilingual and bicultural, there are great opportunities.

At the DCF, we recently had 150 applicants for open social worker positions and less than 10 percent were proficient in Spanish. There are opportunities if students are majoring in the right things.