She’s served as the director of intergovernmental affairs and the President’s point person on immigration… But now Cecilia Muñoz is expanding her role in Obama’s administration.

The 49-year-old Bolivian-American, a longtime civil rights advocate, has been named the new director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Muñoz’s new position will now place her among the president’s top aides, overseeing policy making on issues like education, health care, and immigration.

In adition, the new role will elevate Muñoz, already the highest ranking Hispanic in the White House, to a publicly prominent policy position during a political year in which the Latino vote will play a critical role.

As the director of intergovernmental affairs, Muñoz has been serving as a liaison between the White House and mayors, governors, tribal leaders and other officials. But it is for her role as the Obama Administration’s point person on immigration that has garnered her the most attention.

Before working in government, Muñoz served as senior vice president at the National Council of La Raza—the nation’s oldest civil rights organization—where she focused on education, health care and immigration advocacy.

The child of Bolivian immigrants to the United States, she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2000 for her work on immigration and civil rights.

“Over the past three years, Cecilia has been a trusted advisor who has demonstrated sound judgment day in and day out,” President Obama said of Muñoz in a statement. “Cecilia has done an extraordinary job working on behalf of middle class families, and I’m confident she’ll bring the same unwavering dedication to her new position.”