Austin City Council Appoints New Civil Rights Officer

AUSTIN, TX — The City of Austin has tapped Carol Johnson as the municiplity's first civil rights officer in a newly created position scheduled to start in mid-February, officials said Friday.

The move comes amid ongoing efforts to "reimagine" public safety against a backdrop of community calls for police reform. The newly created office was alloted a $2 million budget.

In an advisory, the city said the civil rights officer is responsible for supporting department programs and initiatives as it relates to all six of the Strategic Outcomes outlined in Strategic Direction 2023. The civil rights officer reports to the deputy city manager and will develop and monitor a clear vision for the Civil Rights Office and advance the city’s non-discrimination efforts while promoting promote outreach, education, and awareness events for both businesses and community stakeholders.

“I am very happy to have Carol Johnson join our team as the city’s first Civil Rights Officer," Deputy City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said in a prepared statement. "Her extensive experience in civil rights matters will be instrumental in driving the department’s programs for establishing goals, policies, and best practices that address racial equity, social equity, and inclusion for City of Austin residents.”

Johnson previously worked as the executive director of the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission, serving under the last three Arkansas governors in a bi-partisan capacity, according to a bio provided by the city. Johnson has nearly 20 years of experience in public administration and executive governance and was instrumental in developing a newly formed Civil Rights agency overseeing 75 Arkansas counties, according to the city-provided bio.

“I’m honored to be appointed as the City of Austin’s first Civil Rights Officer and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead in leading the City’s Civil Rights Office toward providing racial and social equity and inclusion for Austin residents,” Johnson said in a prepared statement.

Johnson also formerly served as the State of Oregon Civil Rights Director, as Director for the Programs and Compliance Branch of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and previously advised State Labor Commissioners on matters related to Civil Rights and Worker Rights in Oregon and Arkansas.

Other highlights from her background include:

• Founding Executive Director of the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission.
• Former Chair of the Arkansas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
• Former Gubernatorial appointee to the State of Oregon Public Safety Training and Standards Task Force created to address concerns of racial inequity in interactions between law enforcement and people of color.
• Former Mayoral appointee to the Portland Police Citizen's Review Committee, an advisory body to the Portland Bureau's Independent Police Review (IPR) and Internal Affairs Committee.
• Current 2nd Vice President of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies (IAOHRA), an international association empowered to provide opportunities and forums for the exchange of ideas and information among member agencies and other human rights advocates.
• Johnson earned a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and degrees from the University of Arkansas and Texas Christian University.

Rivera-Vandermyde, the deputy city manager, told city council members in a memo on Friday that Johnson's selection was based on a recruitment process that included input from community groups, residents and city staff.

The initial resolution for the creation of a Civil Rights Office was sponsored by Council Member Greg Casar, and co-sponsored by Mayor Steve Adler, Council Member Ann Kitchen, and former Mayor Pro Tem Garza on June 28, 2018.

Casar lauded the position's creation: “Today marks another step forward in our work toward reimagining public safety and protecting the civil and labor rights of all Austinites,” he said in a prepared statement. “This office was created by our new budget, which reimagined public safety and prioritized civil rights. The office will ensure that Fair Chance Hiring rules, anti-discrimination laws, wage protections, and other civil rights rules are followed. I look forward to working with Ms. Johnson in our efforts to advance and protect civil rights in our city.”

Casar sponsored the civil rights office resolution in 2018 and passed an amendment in the 2019-2020 budget to begin the creation of the office. The city manager included the office in his latest budget recommendation last summer that prioritized civil rights and reimagining safety. The office includes a mix of $300,000 of new funds and reorganizing existing staff for a total budget of approximately $2 million.