Former FCC Commissioner Tristani to speak Nov. 8

Gloria Tristani, former Federal Communications Commission commissioner and current managing director of the Office of Communication for the United Church of Christ, will speak Nov. 8.

Tristani will present “The New Censorship: Have We Gone Too Far?” as guest speaker for the 2005 Friel Lecture at Washington State University on Nov. 8.

Sponsored by Washington State University Murrow School of Communication, the annual lecture is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of the school’s new Communication Addition.

The Charlotte Friel Memorial Communication Lecture series was established in 1973 by Jack and Catherine Friel in memory of their daughter, Charlotte Friel, a 1951 graduate of WSU. The purpose of the lecture series is to create an opportunity for a professional in mass communications to discuss current news media trends with WSU faculty and students.

Prior to serving as FCC Commissioner, Tristani was an active supporter of the commission’s equal opportunity rules and minority ownership of media properties. In 1994, she became the first woman elected to the New Mexico State Corporation Commission, where she served as chairman and advanced the interests of consumers, particularly in telecommunications and health insurance. While serving on the state commission, she played an active role in development of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and spearheaded HMO and managed-care rules.

A Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in New Mexico in 2002, Tristani comes from a family committed to public service and is proud of her Latino heritage. A granddaughter of the late U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez, she was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she learned Spanish as her first language. She was awarded the National Council of La Raza’s Ruben Salazar Communications award in 2001 and the NALEO Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service in 2000. In 1998 and 1996 she was named among the nation’s 100 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine.

Tristani holds a law degree from the University of New Mexico, School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Barnard College at Columbia University. She is a member of the New Mexico and Colorado state bar associations.