Rosario Marin is a compassionate mother, dedicated public official and consummate advocate for the disadvantaged and people with disabilities. She has served for 22 years at the local, state, and national levels. In addition, she is the author of "Leading Between Two Worlds." Currently she is a principal at Compendium Strategies.
Most recently she worked for Old Republic Title in the Default Management Services company as Vice President for Business Relations. She oversaw the effort to expand into new markets and government contracts.
Previously, she served in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's cabinet as Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency from 2006 through March, 2009 where she oversaw the state's civil rights enforcement, consumer protection, and the licensing of 2.4 million Californians in more than 255 different professions. The agency oversees the procurement of more than nearly $9 billion worth of goods and services, the management and development of the state's real estate, oversight of two state employee pension funds, the collection of state taxes, and programs managing the hiring of state employees – in addition to the administration of two state museums and a state park.
Secretary Marin chaired the Building Standards Commission, the Victim's Compensation and Government Claims Board, the Governor's Green Action Team and the Mexican-American Veterans Memorial Committee.During her tenure the state buildings codes were updated in record time and published the first in the nation Green Building Standards. The Governor's mandate to have 25% of the states procurement go to small business were attained and surpassed and she led the development and implementation of the plan to "green" the 1600 state's buildings by the year 2015.
She hosted 18 foreclosure prevention workshops throughout the state bringing together financial institutions, consumer, advocates, government officials and the media to reduce the number of foreclosures in the state of California. The model was replicated by other governmental and non-profit entities.
She was the Chairwoman of the California Integrated Waste Management Board from 2004 to 2006, Ms. Marin presided over the successful attainment of California's 50 percent recycling mandate. She also served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Border 2012 Program, and was appointed to the Good Neighbor Environmental Board by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
In 2001 she was appointed by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Ms. Marin served as the 41st Treasurer of the United States where she had oversight of the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. She championed the U.S. Treasury's financial literacy outreach program focusing especially on the 10 million unbanked Americans. Her signature accomplishment as a member of the Partnership for Prosperity efforts between the U.S. and Mexico was the significant reduction on the cost of remittances. In addition, she served on the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
Ms. Marin was first elected to the Huntington Park City Council in 1994 and served through 2001. Her tough-on-crime positions and the cleaning of the business district were rewarded with her overwhelming reelection in 1999. She was later elected president of the League of California Cities' Mayors and Councils Department, and she served as vice chair of the League's Latino Caucus.
Her dedication to state service beganin February 1992 as chief of legislative affairs at the Department of Developmental Services where she successfully shepherded the reform of the system for Californians with developmental disabilities and the governor's implementation of the Early Intervention Services Act. Her work continued as the Chair of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities where she secured the continuation of federal funding for that state program. As an assistant deputy director of the Department of Social Services, Ms. Marin was instrumental in the development of California's welfare reform plan. She also served as deputy director of the Governor's Office of Community Relations where she was the Spanish spokesperson for the Governor and his liaison to California's growing Latino population.
A recipient of countless awards and recognitions, she treasures the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Prize given to her by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation at the United Nations in 1995 for her tireless work on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities. She was only the second person to receive the honor.
Ms. Marin has held numerous leadership positions with nonprofit boards. She is a former member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. President of the Independent Cities Risk Management Authority, Chair of Southeast Community Development Corporation, Member of the Southeast Water Coalition. In addition, she was a governor's appointee to the California Film Commission, Member of the Multi-Cultural Committee by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, and Alternate to the Alameda Corridor Joint Powers Authority.
Furthermore, she has been a Member of Board of Governors of; Community, Mission, and Lincoln Hospitals, Board Member of Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Project,Member of the National Assn. Latino Elected Officials, Board Member of HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality).
Ms. Marin received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from CaliforniaStateUniversity, Los Angeles, and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at HarvardUniversity's John F. Kennedy School of Government. For her contributions, she has been awarded four Honorary Doctorate degrees from CSULA, Whittier College, St. Francis University and Woodbury University. With her husband of 29years Alvaro Marin, and her three children Eric, Carmen and Alex, she resides in Huntington Park, California.
