Minnesota Deputy Attorney General Luz María Frías to retire

(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota Deputy Attorney General Luz María Frías announced Tuesday that she is retiring from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office after a 30-year career in public service.

Luz Frías said her retirement will be effective Sept. 1. Frías has served in senior leadership positions across Minnesota’s government, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors. She joined the Office as a deputy attorney general in July 2020.

“Luz Frías is one of a kind. It’s not only that she is a sharp legal mind who has guided important divisions of our office through complex litigation and negotiations that have huge impacts on Minnesotans’ lives — though she has done that brilliantly. It’s not only that she has super-charged the equity efforts of our office and challenged us all to do better, which has surely contributed to our repeated recognition as a top workplace — though she has also done that brilliantly. It’s that Luz has inspired all of us by always leading with community and the folks our society has historically left behind, and by always leading with kindness and generosity of spirit. As she takes her much-deserved retirement, I join people across our state in thanking her for her decades of public service and for having selflessly changed the lives of untold numbers of Minnesotans for the better,” Attorney General Ellison said. 

Before joining the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, Luz Frías served as the CEO of Centro Legal; as a Magistrate for the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts; as Hearing Examiner for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Community; as External Affairs Director and the first Director of the Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity for the City of Saint Paul, under former Mayor Chris Coleman; as Vice President for Community Impact at the Minneapolis Foundation, and as President and CEO of the YWCA of Minneapolis.

She has served on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards, has coached, and received many professional awards and recognitions. Earlier this month, she was honored with the Public Lawyer Diversity Award by the Minnesota State Bar Association, upon Attorney General Ellison’s nomination. 

“Public service is a core value of mine. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with Attorney General Keith Ellison, my distinguished colleagues, and the wonderful staff in our office,” Ms. Frías said. “Attorney General Ellison is a visionary leader who continues to transform the scope of our work to the benefit of the people of Minnesota. His leadership has also inspired leaders and policy makers throughout the nation. I’m leaving the office, confident that Attorney General Ellison will continue to ensure that Minnesotans can afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect.” 

Since joining the Attorney General’s Office as a Deputy Attorney General, she has overseen four divisions of the Office that provide direct support and legal representation to many State of Minnesota agencies, boards, and commissions, providing them with strategic counsel and guiding them through a variety of complex litigation, investigations, and negotiations.

In addition, she has led the Office’s equity efforts. Her work in that area has included reinstating a mentorship program for all employees; creating a job-shadowing program for those interested in exploring new areas of the office; establishing affinity groups for employees; conducting on-going office-wide training on workplace culture and diversity, including in hiring, retention, and promotion.

AG Ellison said his office is accepting applications to fill the position through July 10.