Not many people serve in an Administration for all eight years at a senior level. It’s exhausting, often daunting work. But, Cecilia Muñoz, New America’s Vice President for Public Interest Technology and Local Initiatives, did just that. First as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, then followed by five years as Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Before working in government, Cecilia was Senior Vice President at the National Council of La Raza (now UNIDOS US), the nation’s largest Hispanic policy and advocacy organization, where she served for 20 years. She is soon to release a fascinating and timely new book called More Than Ready: Be Strong and Be You . . . and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise. As the daughter of immigrants from Bolivia, and one of the most successful women in Washington that Anne-Marie Slaughter knows, she wanted to find out from Cecilia what resilience has meant to her own life, both personally and professionally.