Daniels appoints adviser for Latino affairs

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman who moved from Mexico to central Indiana will advise Gov. Mitch Daniels on Hispanic issues.\nDaniels announced Wednesday that he has appointed Juana Watson of Columbus, Ind., to the newly created post in the governor's office of senior adviser for Latino affairs.\nWatson will advise the governor on policy issues and work with the Hispanic community to improve access to needed services and bridge the cultural gap faced by immigrants.\nDaniels said Watson would serve as "an ambassador and point of contact for our growing -- and important -- Hispanic community."\nWatson has founded two community centers -- one in her Mexican hometown, Calnali, and "Su Casa Columbus" in her adopted Indiana hometown. She also created a not-for-profit program called Badges Without Borders that teaches police and firefighters how to communicate with Hispanics in crisis situations.\nWatson said she would work to break down misconceptions and improve understanding between Hispanics, particularly immigrants, and other Hoosiers.\n"Sometimes, Latinos feel they're not part of this country," she said.\nThe number of Hispanics living in Indiana jumped by nearly 12 percent between 2000 and 2003, and some of the greatest increases were in rural counties that a generation ago were nearly all white, according to Census Bureau estimates released in September.