Civil Rights

Lucía Nuñez, Director of the City of Madison's Department of Civil Rights, announced that she has selected the new Division Managers for the Affirmative Action Division and the Equal Opportunities Division.

After seeking applications from qualified employees within the Department and conducting interviews, Nuñez selected Norman D. Davis, Contract Compliance Officer for the Affirmative Action Division since 2001, to fill the position of Affirmative Action Manager and Ariel Hicklin Ford, Investigations Supervisor for the Equal Opportunities Division since 2000, to fill the position of Equal Opportunities Manager, effective January 1, 2007. Both of these individuals had extensive knowledge and expertise in their respective areas of endeavor. Nuñez stated, "I am pleased that with the hiring of Ariel and Norman, we can now move forward to complete the consolidation of the Affirmative Action Division, the Disability Rights and Services Program and the Equal Opportunities Division into the new Department of Civil Rights. We have much important work ahead of us."

Ford has a Bachelor's degree in Education and has done graduate studies in Early Childhood Education. She retired from the IBM Corporation after spending 30 years. While at IBM, she held various management and staff positions in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Austin and Dallas, Texas; Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; and Atlanta, Georgia. One of the positions that she held at IBM was Equal Opportunities Compliance Program Manager. Having spent a career in the private, education and nonprofit arenas, Ford is happy to be able to share her experience and expertise with the Madison community.

Davis has worked for the City of Madison since 2001 holding several positions including Interim Director of the Affirmative Action Department and Contract Compliance Officer in the Affirmative Action Division. In addition, he worked at the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Office of Disadvantaged Business Programs. He attended Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan and started a degree in Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Davis looks forward to being on the leadership team of the Department of Civil Rights.

This brings to four the number of new positions filled in the Department. Nuñez herself was hired in February 2006 as the Director of the Department. In September, 2006, Harper Donahue was selected for the agency's new Recruiter position.

Mayor David Cieslewicz made the following statement in regard to the appointments: "Ariel Ford and Norman Davis are highly qualified individuals who have served the citizens of Madison and the City very well in their previous positions. I have every confidence that they will be important contributors as managers in the Department of Civil Rights."