*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1994.02.17 : Appointment of Omar Victor Guerrero as Deputy Director of OCR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office Thursday, Feb. 17, 1994 (202) 690-6343 HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala has appointed Omar Victor Guerrero, 39, of Austin, Texas, as deputy director of the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services. Guerrero will work to ensure that programs and activities receiving funds from the department are in compliance with all civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which forbids discrimination against disabled persons; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. In addition to the headquarters operation, OCR operates 10 regional offices. Guerrero will work closely with Dennis Hayashi, director of OCR, to revitalize this important agency and make it more accessible to its constituency. Guerrero is an accomplished attorney who has devoted his professional career to fighting for civil rights. From 1990 to his recent appointment, he worked for the Texas Attorney General's Office. Guerrero represented state agencies in civil litigation and provided them legal assistance in civil rights and administrative law. He focused on health and human services issues, including the rights of the elderly, governmental law, nursing home regulation, employment discrimination and special education law. Before joining the attorney general's staff, Guerrero provided legal and technical assistance to the Developmental Disabilities Protection Program and the Client Assistance Program as a staff attorney for Advocacy, Inc., in Austin, Texas. He represented clients throughout the state in matters relating to the civil rights of persons with disabilities, including employment discrimination, special education and vocational rehabilitation. From 1983 to 1986, he served Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc., providing legal services to low income residents in the South Texas region. Guerrero is a native of San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.S degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and his law degree from Antioch University School of Law in Washington, D.C.