The obscure words slip by - and they are subtle. But the message connotes a clear and deliberate effort under Mayor Ralph Becker's new City Hall to reach out to every community across the capital.

"This is a new era of community involvement," explains Francisco-Nez, whom the mayor named Friday as coordinator of the retooled diversity office that now stresses human rights.

"[Becker] has a collaborative vision of what will move us forward."

Having served eight years as former Mayor Rocky Anderson's executive assistant, Francisco-Nez brings expertise in organizing Liberty Park's annual Native American Celebration along with success in growing the city's internship program into an international attraction.

And she wants to do more - from huddling with the Latino and Asian chambers of commerce and extending the capital's nondiscrimination rules to city contractors, to encouraging an anti-bullying policy at city schools.

Francisco-Nez's goal: Create protections "for those who feel they are faced with discrimination in any form."

Within six months, she expects Utah' capital to join a growing list of international cities committed to protecting human rights as a municipal value.

An East High graduate with a degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, Francisco-Nez spent 14 years as vice president of Cal Nez Design, her husband's graphic design and advertising firm that serves American Indian tribes across the nation.

During the past decade, she has worked with nonprofit organizations ranging from churches, boys and girls groups and gay-rights organizations to the women's business center.

She founded the Dineh Women's Book Club and chaired the Indian Education Parent Committee in Utah's largest school district (Jordan).

In recent years, Francisco-Nez helped boost attendance at the July 24 Native American Celebration to exceed 50,000 and played a lead role in bringing interns to Utah's capital from across the globe.

Her priorities in her new city post include keeping the vitality of the Civilian Review Board and emphasizing the importance of diversity training in all departments.

Becker, who campaigned on a platform of social justice, expects the office to be an outgrowth of his initiative on human rights.

"The rationale is to make a more comprehensive way to protect the rights of all residents in Salt Lake City," spokeswoman Helen Langan says.

For Francisco-Nez, the transition should feel natural.

djensen@sltrib.com