Polly Baca
Inductee Name
Polly Baca
Place of Birth
Colorado
Date of Birth
1941
Year Inducted
2000
Category
Politics, Government & Military Service
Sponsor
Lena Archuleta
Impact
Colorado
Polly Baca has a life-long list of accomplishments as a pioneer for both women and Latin Americans. She served as regional administrator of the General Services Administration of the Rocky Mountain Region, as special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and as director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. She was also executive director of the Colorado Hispanic Institute and, through the U.S. Information Agency AmPart Program, lectured in Japan and the Philippines on the role of race, ethnicity, and women in the American socio-political system. Baca was the first minority woman to be elected to the Colorado State Senate and served in the Colorado legislature for 12 years. She was also the first Latina woman to co-chair a National Democratic National Convention and the first Latina to receive a major party nomination for the U. S. Congress. Baca was chief executive officer of Sierra Baca Systems, a management consulting firm specializing in motivational presentations, multi-cultural leadership, and diversity training, before becoming executive director of the Latin American Research and Service Agency.
Books containing reference to Polly Baca
The Latino Student’s Guide to College Success