Deputy Attorney General Luz María Frías to retire after 30-year career in public service

AG Ellison: ‘Luz Frías is one of a kind … always leading with community’

June 13, 2023 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Deputy Attorney General Luz María Frías announced today that she is retiring from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office on September 1 after a 30-year career in public service. For three decades, Ms. Frías has served in senior leadership positions across Minnesota’s government, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors, where she has lifted up the voices of marginalized and underserved communities, and served with vision, creativity, and character. Ms. Frías 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. 

“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.” 

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. 

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; and much more. 

Ms. Frías’s efforts have helped the Attorney General’s Office on its way to becoming a leader in best employment and equity practices, and have undoubtedly contributed to the Office being named a Star Tribune Top Workplace and a Top Workplace USA several times. 

Attorney General Ellison is seeking a new deputy attorney general for the Government Support Section; the Office is accepting applications through July 10. Qualified applicants who are interested in a career in public service and in the mission of the Attorney General’s Office to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect are strongly encouraged to apply. The State of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer, and the Attorney General’s Office is committed to embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace.