Miriam Lira-Hickerson
Miriam Lira-Hickerson is the Ombudsman of Consumer
Affairs for Minorities at the Nevada Department of Business and Industry.
She is responsible for
implementation of the Department’s education and outreach activities within the
State’s minority communities. As the
Ombudsman, Ms. Lira-Hickerson provides consumer education, helps resolve
consumer issues involving fraud or deceptive trade practices and assists with
business outreach and development.
Ms. Lira-Hickerson is the founder and CEO of Nevada Consumer
Advocates, a consulting company established to provide services to individuals
seeking assistance with consumer fraud and deceptive trade practice
complaints.She is also a certified
mediator and has mediated numerous civil disputes in the areas of landlord/tenant,
divorce, financial and business, among others.She currently hosts a weekly radio show “Proteccion Contra Abusos al Consumidor” to educate and inform the
public about consumer affairs topics.
Previously, she volunteered with the State of Nevada Consumer Affairs
Division.
She was named the City of Las Vegas April 2013 Citizen of
the Month in recognition of her work with the Las Vegas Metro Police
Department’s Hispanic American Resource Team
Program (HART) to create the Double Vision Youth Program, a gang
prevention and education program. She
was also recognized for providing assistance to victims of fraud and other
crimes by serving as their court advocate and a number of other efforts to help
the Latino community access services in the city of Las Vegas.
Lira-Hickerson holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a
master’s degree in International Commerce from Instituto Politecnico Nacional
in Mexico City. She is a member of the
National Latino Peace Officers Association, a graduate of the FBI Civil Academy and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department Hispanic Citizen Academy. She has been an FBI Ambassador since 2014.
Responsibilities and Duties of the Ombudsman
1) Provides education, outreach and service programs for minority groups pertaining to:
Consumer fraud and/or deceptive trade practices, business outreach and advocacy, affordable housing for minorities and workforce and workplace issues of minorities.
2) Serves as a liaison to Business and Industry Divisions in matters pertaining to
minority consumer fraud and/or deceptive trade practices.
3) Participates on task forces and work groups that have relevance to the Ombudsman’s programs and purview.
4) Coordinates with the department's Public Information Officer to publicize information and events through media and the department’s web site.
5) Represents the Department of Business and Industry in interviews with minority print and
broadcast media in matters pertaining to consumer fraud and/or deceptive trade
practices.