Vancouver City Councilor Diana Perez was recently appointed by the National League of Cities to serve on its 2023 Race, Equity, and Leadership Council.
The council — composed of city leaders from across the country — develops and guides strategies for cities to confront challenges regarding race and equity.
“I am honored to be appointed to the NLC’s Race, Equity and Leadership Council and to represent Vancouver in this capacity,” Perez said in a press release. “I look forward to this opportunity to collaborate with colleagues on a national scale as we work to eliminate racial disparities and divisions, and to advocate for issues that are deeply important to the Vancouver community.”
Perez joined the Vancouver City Council in 2021 and has expressed a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion issues.
Outside of her current 30-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, Perez served as president of Washington’s League of United Latin American Citizens Council from 2016 to 2020. Prior to that role, she founded and led the organization’s Southwest Washington chapter for five years.
“I am proud to have Councilor Perez join NLC’s REAL Council,” National League of Cities President Victoria Woodards said in the release. “Together with a team of local leaders from around the country, we will work to address the toughest challenges facing our communities and ensure that America’s cities, towns and villages have the resources they need to thrive.”
The National League of Cities, founded nearly 100 years ago, exists to “advocate for, and protect the interests of, cities, towns and villages by influencing federal policy, strengthening local leadership and driving innovative solutions,” according to its mission statement.
Perez joins fellow Vancouver City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Ty Stober at the organization. Stober holds several positions, including memberships on the Board of Directors and the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee.
