Latinas confirmed by U.S. Senate to serve on Federal Reserve and FCC

The United States Senate on Thursday confirmed two Latinas to serve in significant positions within the executive branch on Thursday,

After a 55-43 vote, the Senate confirmed Anna Gomez to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, and Colombian American economist Adriana Kugler as a Federal Reserve governor,

Gomez will be the first Latina on the commission in more than 20 years, and Kugler is the first Latina to join the Fed Board in its lengthy 109-year history. 

Both women were congratulated by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s on the organization’s Facebook page.

“The Unites States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce congratulates Dr. Adriana Kugler's historic confirmation as the first person of Latino descent ever to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. A former chief economist of the @DOL and current Executive Director at the World Bank, she is an exceptional and qualified leader,” the Chamber said of Kugler.

“USHCC is proud to share the news of Anna Gomez's Senate confirmation to the Federal Communications Commission! Her wealth of experience and dedication will be a great contribution to FCC. Congratulations, Anna! #LatinaLeaders,” the group said of Gomez.

The confirmations were heralded by New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and a powerful leader of the Cuban American Congressional Caucus.

“To hear her tell her story is to listen to the American dream come to life,” Menendez said in a speech supporting Kugler’s confirmation that fellow senators had the chance to alter the course of American history.

Kugler, 53, is the World Bank's group executive director for the United States and has been credited with having vast knowledge about international economics and labor relations.

She took a leave from Georgetown University, where she has taught as a professor for 13 years. She was also the Labor Department’s chief economist from September 2011 to January 2013 during the Obama administration.

Menendez said Kugler has proven that she will remain independent and expressed enthusiasm that Kugler "will finally bring the lived experience of being Latino in the United States to the Federal Reserve."

The New Jersey senator said the absence of a Hispanic American in the Federal Reserve Board of Governors was an “affront” to the 62 million Hispanics in the U.S. because it meant they had no voice in how America’s $3 trillion economy was being handled.

It "violates the idea that the hopes and dreams of Latinos are essential to America," he argued. "Never again should a Latino or Latina wonder if they can rise from humble beginnings to hold seats of power.”

Kugler has also spent time researching worker training in Colombia, and she has studied the impact of extended unemployment benefits in the United States. Her research determined that the extended financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic helped Americans find jobs that aligned with their professional and educational backgrounds.

She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Ph.D. in economics.

“Ms. Gomez is an exceptional nominee with considerable telecom experience and broad support from groups on both sides of the aisle," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, said. "Another glass ceiling broken. And these are so important to getting a full, diverse view on important governing agencies like the Fed, like the FCC."

On the FCC side, Gomez has experience practicing law as a telecommunications attorney. She has worked in both domestic and international communications law and policy, according to a report published by the White House.

She has previous experience at the FCC.

Although Gomez was born in Orlando, she spent a lot of time during her childhood in Colombia. After leaving South America and returning to the United States, her family relocated to New Jersey. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University and George Washington University Law School, which is located in the Foggy Bottom area of the nation’s capital.

The FCC is currently chaired by Jessica Rosenworcel and the Federal Reserve Board is chaired by Jerome Powell.