206. County Commissioner Roger Garcia on Increasing Civic Engagement and Building Coalitions in a Divided Time

Roger Garcia represents District 1 on the Douglas County Board of
Commissioners. Garcia was elected to his first term in 2021,
becoming the seven-member board’s first-ever Latino commissioner.
He’s up for reelection this year but is running unopposed.


Garcia was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Honduras
and Mexico. He was raised in Columbus, Nebraska and moved to
Omaha in 2005. He holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and
Latino/Latin American Studies, a master’s in public
administration, a master’s in theological studies, a doctorate in
ministry, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public
Administration.


In addition to his tenure as a county commissioner, Garcia
co-founded the Metro Young Latino Professionals Association
(MYLPA) and serves on the boards for the Women’s Center for
Advancement and the Immigrant Legal Center.


In this episode, Garcia is in conversation with Michael Griffin
are talking about what exactly a county commissioner does, how
Garcia's family background influences his policy, and how to
increase civic engagement among youth and immigrants.