Jheison Romain Nieto began his new position in Dallas County government as the chief equity officer on March 13.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted Monday evening, “@DallasCountyTx has their first ever Chief Equity Officer! Congratulations @jvromain!”
Prior to stepping into this role, Nieto had worked on Jenkins’ staff for several years as the policy advisor, office manager, and program coordinator.
The judge held a farewell lunch for Nieto on March 10, explaining he had “served Dallas County residents for over 6 years in my office.”
“We know he will do great things as the new Chief Equity Officer in the County,” Jenkins added.
In reply, Nieto tweeted, “Feeling sad to leave team CJ, but thrilled to embark on a new journey, still serving the people of Dallas County.”
Nieto’s professional experience also included time as the Latino outreach director for Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign and as deputy press secretary for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), according to his LinkedIn profile.
As chief equity officer, Nieto will serve “as subject matter expert and liaison to County departments regarding diversity and inclusion initiatives” in addition to “developing and integrating diversity and inclusion goals.”
The announcement brought criticism, with County Judge challenger Lauren Davis tweeting, “What an absolute joke Clay Jenkins is.”
“Adding more government waste and solving nothing,” Davis continued. “I’m sure we could have hired a few officers for the price of this do nothing position.”
Judge Jenkins has received criticism in the past for painting his face black and breaking into women’s dorms while studying at Baylor University in 1983, as reported by The Dallas Express.
One of the women told police that Jenkins and two other men “were dressed in dark colored clothing like camouflage and had on dark oil … or paint or dark makeup on their faces to make them look like black people.”
A representative for the Dallas County judge denied Jenkins wore racially motivated blackface, saying, “He has never darkened his face in an attempt to appear as a member of another race,” as The Dallas Express reported.
In 2016, Nieto responded to the casting of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor as Jesus by tweeting, “I understand White actors need work, but can they at least put on some browface [sic] to play Jesus?”
He has also raised questions about the interracial marriage of black Marxist writer Frantz Fanon, tweeting, “#FranzFanon [sic] wrote on internalized antiblackness and lactification, yet went on to marry a white woman. Contradiction? How is it reconciled?”
The Dallas Express reached out to Nieto for comment on his appointment and these previous statements but did not receive an immediate response.
