Stewart Irel

CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Stewart has been involved with the arts for over 20 years, having worked in the world of live theater and music performances as an artist, director, and producer. As the Managing and Technical Director of the theater company at Playhouse West – one of LA’s most prestigious acting schools - for just over a decade, he was a prolific writer and director, mentoring emerging artists while lending his talents to productions with lighting/sound design, prop creation, and as co-director of the annual film festival. More recently, he spent 12 years at Universal Studios Hollywood managing the entertainment program on CityWalk, producing large events at the 5 Towers concert venue as well as booking live bands in Margaritaville and Antojitos. He also led a nightly entertainment program out on the walk, where he auditioned, developed and promoted the performers. The program was a successful platform for artists – with some having been discovered by industry executives who have signed them to recording and management deals. He is currently writing a book on artist self-development and still finds time to coach performers.

Canyon Cody

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Canyon Cody is Los Angeles native, Cuban-American producer, promoter, publicist and artist that has worked in the music industry for more then two decades. Co-founder of Subsuelo, he's a Fulbright scholar in Ethnomusicology and worked extensively with Fania Records as Executive Producer of remix compilations from the iconic Latin catalog. Canyon has performed at Coachella, Red Bull Music Academy, Supersonico, Lightning in a Bottle, Boiler Room and festivals across Latin America. He currently hosts Alternalido, a weekly radio show based at KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles, syndicated on FM stations in NYC, Miami, Dallas and across the country, where he has interviewed Juanes, Cypress Hill, C Tangana, Danny Ocean, Caifanes, Omar Apollo and more.

ZINDY LANDEROS VALLE

ADMINISTRATION AND OFFICE MANAGER

Zindy Landeros Valle has been at Grand Performances for over 20 years.  In her role as Operations Manager, she helps oversee the front and back end of Grand Performances’ coordination with Plaza Commons Incorporated. 

Most of the time you will catch her behind a computer, but if you don’t it is because she is outside enjoying the performances in the beautiful summer weather.

MONIQUE FISHER

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Monique Fisher has worked in the arts and non-profits for over a decade. Her experience is wide ranging. She has worked in the box office and alongside the development and marketing departments at such institutions as the Pasadena Playhouse, the Ford Amphitheatre, Long Beach Opera and the Skirball Cultural Center.

Monique holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Dance from California State University, Los Angeles. She is very excited to be part of the Grand Performances team.

Jack Monforte

SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jack Monforte is an A/V engineer, event curator, music producer and accomplished DJ whose career has spanned over 30 years. Besides his passion for event and music production, he has also worked post-production-supervisor and marketing consultant -- truly a man of many skill sets.

Rachel Colón​

MARKETING AND DESIGN MANAGER

Rachel, an Afro-Latina, Los Angeles native, has worked in the arts for over two decades. She studied modern dance and fine art in college. Her passion for problem-solving and helping others naturally matched her love for design. She majored in art with an emphasis on Graphic Design, graduating from Cal State University Los Angeles. Rachel has worked on crucial design campaigns, from engaging the community to vote during the 2020 presidential election to advocating for justice for the victims of police violence during the civil unrest. Her work in the community also includes working with youth as a teaching artist throughout Southern California. Rachel brings her experience working with non-profit organizations and her expertise in design and marketing to the robust team at Grand Performances.

Rafael González

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Rafael is a proven and inclusive leader, manager and advocate driven by his core values of justice, collaboration, accountability, balance, respect, trust and innovation. Over the years, he has worked and organized in the nonprofit, government, service and philanthropic fields. This multisector experience has gifted him the skill to develop and maintain relationships with individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds for purposes of realizing common objectives, social impact, equity and community/systems change.

Rafael previously served as Director of Community Outreach and Engagement with the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission; Director of Community Relations for First 5 LA; Director of Community Relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers; Chief Service Officer and Director of Neighborhood & Community Services for City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Executive Director of Collective SPACE; Founder and Executive Director of Public Allies – Los Angeles; Director of Civic Education & U.S. Citizenship Project Director at the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund; Affirmative Action Campaign Coordinator at the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF); Campaign Field Director at Coalition LA & Senior Field Deputy for LA Councilmember Mike Hernandez.

Rafael serves on the boards of California for the Arts, Western Arts Alliance, Center for Nonprofit Management and ActiveSGV. He also serves on the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Advisory Council and the City of El Monte’s Planning Commission.

Rafael is a musician and previously served as a producer/writer for independent film and documentary features.

Rafael was born and raised in the downtown area of Los Angeles and resides in the City of El Monte. He graduated from Cal State University at Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicano Studies and received his Master’s Degree from the USC Price School of Public Policy. He is married and has three sons.

Jesse Ramos

FRONT OF HOUSE AND LEASE EVENTS MANAGER

Roger Jao

COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Roger has nearly two decades worth content and community-based marketing experience. Originally hailing from the world of video games, Roger has managed online communities from notable brands such as Call of Duty:Modern Warfare, Spider-Man, and UFC Undisputed. At the bleeding edge of interactive entertainment, he’s helped produce mobile and virtual reality video games as well (he was the music supervisor on the award-winning VR music remix app Electronauts).

For the past decade, Roger has also been a dedicated volunteer, organizer, and fundraiser for multiple non-profit organizations in Los Angeles addressing poverty and homelessness. These orgs include Monday Night Mission, The Shower of Hope, LA on Cloud 9, Pauly’s Project, Share Hope USA, Grassroots Neighbors, and the Urban Partners LA food bank (where he recruited DJs to play for volunteers during the pandemic).

Witnessing firsthand the healing powers of community and music during COVID-19, Roger then joined the team of Grand Performances where he’s continued to build bridges and unite people through the arts.

SIAVASH RAHIMI

Director, PwC

Siavash Rahimi joined PwC in 2014 in Dubai where he was serving public and private clients as a strategic management consultant across Middle East and beyond. During the pandemic, he moved to Los Angeles continuing to serve clients in the US. He has been focusing on his client challenges mainly around major transformation, growth strategy, change management and capability building.

Since 2020 he has been a guest lecturer at Kellogg School of Management. Siavash received his PhD from McGill University where he also served as VP of graduate students’ society and also Constitutional Committee and Bargaining committee member of Teacher Assistants Association. Moreover, he volunteers his time on teacher appreciation committee of his daughter’s school. He lives on the westside of Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

KARLA V. SALAZAR

CHAIR

Executive Director, ScholarMatch

Since 2010, Karla V. Salazar has served in nonprofit organization management positions such as the California Community Foundation, Nonprofit Finance Fund, Interim CEO and COO for Families In School, Interim CEO Casa Treatment Center, and currently Executive Director at ScholarMatch. Her collaborative work with nonprofits has led to directly providing financial management consulting services to more than 40 nonprofit organizations throughout California along with managing the day-to-day operations including business development, relationship management, staff management and leading board meetings and advisory committees.

In 2013, she launched her financial and strategic management consulting work under SOS Strategies partnering with nonprofit organizations interested in strengthening their organizational workflow and effectiveness in the areas of business planning, leadership transition, restructuring, governance, revenue model realignment, and financial literacy and training. Karla's volunteer experience includes serving as a board member of the United States Selective Service System and continues to be involved in several community projects.

In the public sector, she worked as an Assistant Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's Los Angeles branch, Field Director in the California State Controller's Executive Office, and an Analyst at the City of Santa Monica's Finance Department. Karla earned a Master of Arts Degree in Public Policy from the Claremont Graduate University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with an emphasis in international relations and specialization in Chicana/Chicano Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Salazar also completed the Executive Program in General Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, John E. Anderson School of Management.

DENA HARTE

TREASURER

Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking

A native Angeleno, Dena Harte is Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking, which covers the LA Metropolitan and San Gabriel Valley regions. She has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and has been with City National Bank for over 15 years.

Dena holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. She lives in South Pasadena with her husband and son.

CYNTHIA A. HARDING

VICE CHAIR

Cynthia Harding is a musician and vocalist, playing a number of different instruments from Latin America. She performs Latin American folk jazz with her husband in the Ciro Hurtado Band, and with her sister in Conjunto Jardin (pronounced con-HUN-toe har-DEEN), a group that performs the music of Veracruz, Mexico.

Ms. Harding was previously the Chief Strategist for Interdepartmental Initiatives for the Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources (DHR). In this role she facilitated and implemented transformational initiatives of importance to the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Office and DHR. She provided executive level consulting services to other County Departments in order to transform service delivery, build new services or staffing models, provide oversight on executive projects or develop new entrepreneurial services.

Prior toDHR, she worked in the Department of Public Health for 35 years in a variety of different public health programs including serving as the Chief Deputy Director, Interim Director, and Director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Tobacco Control, and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs.

Ms. Harding is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and taught as a visiting professor at the National School of Public Health in Brazil. Ms. Harding has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Community Health from Brown University, a Masters of Public Health from UCLA, and a Certificate of Management from USC’s Center of Excellence in Health Care Management.

MICHAEL BOARDMAN

Attorney, Baker McKenzie

Michael Boardman is an attorney for Baker McKenzie. Michael focuses on commercial and consumer litigation, including breach of contract, unfair competition, fraud and other business torts, as well as government investigations in the white collar context.

He is also experienced in intellectual property litigation, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret disputes. Before joining Baker McKenzie, Mr. Boardman worked at DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries, and previously an associate at another international law firm and a mid-sized firm in Los Angeles focusing on commercial and intellectual property litigation.

He received his JD from Loyola Law School Los Angeles and a BA in English from Yale University. Music has always been an integral part of Michael’s life as he is a guitarist and his father worked as a composer, arranger and orchestrator for movies, television, and various recording artists. He was attracted to the Grand Performances Board of Directors as it provides an opportunity to engage with like-minded civic and professional leaders interested in music and who believe in the mission of free access to global performing arts.

JACQUELINE CHUN

Associate Director, Center for Strategic Partnerships

Jacqueline Chun is a lifelong advocate of the arts and is honored to stand alongside the staff and Board of Grand Performances to celebrate and support the performing arts in Los Angeles. She worked steadily in the non-profit sector for over 20 years and recently transitioned to the public sector at the Center for Strategic Partnerships, a public-private partnership between LA County and philanthropy to effectively transform systems, promote equity, and improve the lives of children and families. Prior to joining the Center, Jacqueline was the Chief Programs and Operations Officer at The Carl & Roberta Deutsch Foundation for 16 years where she was responsible for managing the Foundation's strategic grantmaking and daily operations. During her time at the Foundation, she regularly participated in strategic public private partnership committees, all of which aimed to advance healthier communities, achieve equitable access to education, housing, and services, and promote community-driven solutions. 

CRYSTAL D. CRAWFORD

Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Weingart Foundation

A seasoned leader with more than 20 years of senior management experience in the legal, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, Crystal D. Crawford has played a pivotal role in advancing the health and economic security of low-income Californians, women of color and communities of color.

Before she was Western Center’s Executive Director, Crawford was a program director at The California Wellness Foundation, where she developed and led the organization’s groundbreaking Women’s Initiatives, a multi-million dollar program that amplifies the voices of women of color and provides philanthropy and policymakers with a vision for how to advance the health and economic security of women of color. She also helmed Cal Wellness’ legacy portfolio, Increasing Diversity in the Health Professions, which has supported community-based organizations, academic institutions and countless people of color pursuing and sustaining health professions careers. Prior to leaving the foundation, she helmed the development of the Leading for Power and Change portfolio which was created to amplify the voices, leadership and power of people of color.

Prior to her work with Cal Wellness, Crawford was CEO of the California Black Women’s Health Project, the only statewide organization devoted to improving the health of California’s Black women and girls through policy, advocacy, education and outreach. Prior to her tenure as CEO, she served as Director of Public Policy for CABWHP and Legal Director for the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Before working in the nonprofit, public interest sector, Crawford was a litigation associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and a summer associate with major corporate law firms in Los Angeles, Boston and New York. She began her post-collegiate career as a public school teacher in Harlem.

Crawford is active in the leadership of numerous civic and community organizations. She sits on the five-member Los Angeles County Public Health Commission and the Dartmouth Alumni Council. She also serves on the boards of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Foundation and Funders Concerned About AIDS. She previously served on the boards of Dartmouth College’s Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, the Tucker Foundation at Dartmouth College, Health Access California, SisterSong, and on the advisory council for the California Breast Cancer Research Program.

Crawford is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2009 Advocates’ Award from Western Center, the 2012 PowerPAC Award from the Los Angeles African American Women’s Political Action Committee, and the 2015 Outstanding Women of the City Club Award.

Originally from Harlem, New York and Teaneck, New Jersey, Crawford earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College and law degree from the New York University School of Law, where she was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow, Chairperson of the Black Allied Law Student Association and served on the editorial staff of the Journal of International Law & Politics. She is admitted to the bar in California, New York and New Jersey.

VALARIE DEAN

CEO, TechnoTaries

Working in the legal industry for more than 30 years, Valarie’s philanthropy efforts are recognized outside of and throughout the SoCal legal community. Valarie is a revered leader, mentor, minority business owner, and colleague. After learning from and working with some of the most prestigious attorneys and firms in Los Angeles County, in 2013, Valarie founded TechnoTaries, a virtual paralegal company that works solely with SoCal attorneys, and she is also the founder and CEO of Val Dean Events.

Valarie is an active member of several non-profit organizations where she serves as an Officer, Chair, Board Member, including 2022 Officer and 5-year Gala Event Planner for the John M. Langston Bar Association, former 5-year Co-Chair, Inclusion & Diversity Committee and 2023 Trustee for the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, and many more. Valarie was also the 2018-2022 Chair for the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California, an alliance of more than 20,000 members consisting of judges, attorneys and other legal professionals. She is a member of the Law Advisory Committee for Los Angeles Mission College, a former Ambassador for the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Board member for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, former Area-3 Rep for Encino Neighborhood Council; and member of the LAFD Valley Public Safety Advisory Committee. Valarie has received awards and recognition for her outstanding contributions, commitment and consistent work in the community, and willingness to always lend a hand to others.

Valarie enjoys mentoring students of every age. Her activities at local schools, such as Vista Middle School, Panorama High School and Daniel Webster Elementary School, include presentations on diversity and business, volunteering for various activities, and lending a hand with programming. Valarie also helps organize and participates as a mentor in law school programs, such as Virtual Speed Mentor Jet programs at UCLA School of Law and Pepperdine Caruso.

Valarie is a native Texan who migrated to California over three decades ago and decided to call it “home”. She is a proud single mom to her lovely daughter, and Valarie lives by her mantra, which is “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life … and always do it with music!”.

JOHANA FLORES

CPA, Moss Adams LLP

Johana Flores is a Business Assurance Senior Manager at Moss Adams LLP, one of the 15 largest public accounting firms in the United States. Prior to joining Moss Adams, Johana worked for a Big Four firm. She has practiced public accounting since 2010 serving a wide variety of not-for-profit, manufacturing consumer products, and professional services clients. Johana focuses on providing assurance services to child-care development agencies, foundations, higher education institutions, middle-market companies, executing multi-location audit engagements, and conducting Sarbanes-Oxley Act 404 audits.

Johana was born and raised in South America. She studied Financial Engineering in Colombia and received her BS in Accountancy and Finance from California State University, Northridge. Johana is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. While at Moss Adams, she has worked closely with Forum W and LatinX business resource groups on initiatives to foster an inclusive and diverse culture.

RAUL PACHECO

Founding Member of Ozomatli, Singer, Songwriter, Music Producer

Raul Pacheco is a native Angeleno from Boyle Heights with a musical career defined as a founding member of Los Angeles’ 25-year world music mashup group, Ozomatli.

The three-time Grammy winner has represented his home town in over 55 countries, giving insight to a collective and positive worldview of our city. Grand Performances is an important integral part of Ozomatli’s history. 

Mr. Pacheco’s role on the board is to help continue the singly unique experience that Grand Performances offers: presenting the profound depth of world music and culture to an eclectic city and its equally eclectic residents.

JENNIFER PIPPARD

Executive Director / ARC-Cares

Jennifer Pippard is a longtime advocate, and systems change champion for families and communities, who is known for her collaborative spirit and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. She served as Director of the Strategic Partnerships Department for First 5 LA , the state’s largest funder of Early Childhood Development.

Jennifer led many of First 5 LA's large scale investments, public-private partnerships, strategic efforts, and had strong success in mentoring members of her team who, many, have become leaders in the philanthropic field, for the seventeen years she served at First 5 LA.

Prior to that she was a part of the executive leadership in the City of LA's Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families. In addition, she has consulted with various organizations that focus on building communities to best support children and families including the Children's Planning Council. Jennifer is an active volunteer and advocate, with her daughter, in efforts to stop gun violence. She received her BA in Sociology, from Western Washington University, then lived in Ecuador as a Peace Corps Volunteer before completing her MSW from the University of Southern California.

Jenny was attracted to the Grand Performances Board of Directors as she knows firsthand the value of music and the arts in public places which allow for social connections to grow and create a larger sense of community. Grand Performances offers people a new experience to learn about each other in a fun and welcoming environment.

JESSICA KACZMAREK

SECRETARY

Initiative Director at the James Irvine Foundation

Jessica brings more than a decade of experience supporting leaders of private, public, and nonprofit agencies as they strive to make strategic decisions about their programs, operations, and resources. Jessica Kaczmarek joined The James Irvine Foundation in 2015 as a Senior Program Officer and was named Initiative Director in 2020. Jessica is responsible for leading our Priority Communities initiative work. Since 2015, she led the Foundation’s grantmaking in Riverside, San Bernardino, and the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to these efforts, Jessica worked to develop new initiatives in support of the Foundation’s goal to expand economic and political opportunity for families and young adults working but struggling with poverty.Prior to Irvine, Jessica served as the Director of the Office for Strategic Planning and Integration for First 5 Los Angeles. She has extensive experience in program design in the areas of early childhood development, policy change, systems improvement, and building community capacity to achieve long-term change for disadvantaged communities. Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Pomona College and her Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

LAURA GLOVER

Founder/CEO, DAYDREAMER

Ten years after her arrival in Los Angeles from her hometown of Chicago, Laura Glover founded DAYDREAMER, an apparel enterprise uniting her love of classic rock and roll with the creation of clothing designed to tell authentic stories and evoke emotions with musical roots.

Headquartered in a historic brick warehouse in the heart of the downtown Los Angeles Arts District, Laura leads a collective of fashion-forward visionaries who celebrate rock’s rebellious spirit in bold motifs with SoCal sensibilities -- casual comfort attire with a striking visual impact.

As a continuously evolving brand, DAYDREAMER signature tees, tanks, and sweatshirts are emblazoned with graphics and exclusively licensed art portraying iconoclastic originators from Johnny Cash to Biggie Smalls and Beastie Boys; Nirvana to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The collections are featured in select boutiques across the United States, including Nordstrom and Fred Segal, and specialty shops worldwide.

A dedicated concert devotee who attends an impressive number of Grand Performance events, Laura personifies the enthusiasm of an appreciative audience member who is deeply inspired by the uplifting power of extraordinary presentations. Honored to be a Grand Performances board member, she is proud to share her entrepreneurial expertise and socially supportive advocacy in service to the vibrant cultural communities of Los Angeles.

Lorenza Muñoz

Throughout her varied career as a leader in the entertainment industry, public communications and as a journalist, Lorenza has established a reputation as an original thinker who builds successful strategies to achieve results around an organization’s vision. She is a collaborative, hands-on leader who works with teams to find practical solutions to complex problems. Lorenza has managed high-profile clients and talent in the entertainment industry, politics and business as well as high-stakes projects to help guide organizations through significant change. In addition, she has managed the communication and adoption of new initiatives to ensure a positive impact for affected stakeholders. 

Lorenza was a Senior Executive at Amazon Studios who works with the Original Movies team.  Her current focus is talent relations, industry stakeholder relations, inclusive storytelling and nurturing the next generation of filmmakers to share their stories. 

Prior to Amazon, Lorenza was Executive Vice President at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in charge of their global Member Relations and Awards department. Among her achievements, she led the response to the Academy’s #OscarSoWhite controversy, which resulted in successful governance reforms and, eventually, the largest and most diverse incoming member Governor’s class in the organization’s history.  She was instrumental in generating increased member participation and overseeing a process that led to significant generational and cultural change within key stakeholder groups. 

Lorenza was a journalist for the LA Times for more than 15 years. At the Times she covered city leaders in politics, law enforcement, business and the entertainment industry. In addition, she worked to successfully increase coverage of Latin-related stories and Latin leaders throughout the region. She highlighted the Latin Wave of filmmakers new to Hollywood who would go on to become multiple Academy Award winners.

Lorenza competed as a swimmer in the World Championships, Pan Am, Pan Pacific Games and for her alma mater, UC Berkeley. Born in Mexico City, she is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French. She seeks purpose and impact in her work and regards mentorship as an important facet of her professional and personal life. She has been featured on numerous television and radio appearances including NPR, CNN and local stations. 

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, three kids and dogs. 

Jordan Gadd

Chief of Staff, Heluna Health

Jordan Gadd is an executive leader with 15 years of experience across nonprofits, public health, and higher education. He is currently Chief of Staff at Heluna Health, a Los Angeles-based national nonprofit leader in population health solutions. At Heluna Health, Jordan leads strategy execution and cross-functional initiatives; directs government relations, public policy, and advocacy; and is a liaison to Heluna Health’s Board of Directors and external stakeholders. He previously served in senior leadership roles at Loyola Marymount University in the Advancement division and the School of Education. Jordan holds a MA in education from Loyola Marymount University and BA in art history from Pomona College. He is a graduate of the Southern California Leadership Network’s Riordan Leadership Institute, a nonprofit board training and matching fellowship.

MICHAEL CENTENO

Michael is a retirement operation executive with more than 30 years of experience in establishing and servicing a diverse array of retirement plans. Currently, he is a leader at Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans, a non-profit organization serving more than 40 unions and guilds. He provides world class customer service through effective project management, strategic initiatives and people development.

Michael is passionate about giving back to the community. While at Transamerica, he led the giving program for the Transamerica Foundation. He has devoted over 20 years of community service through volunteer board leadership with some of Los Angeles’ most prominent non-profit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and more recently with the Geffen Playhouse.

As an avid concert goer, Michael attends at least 20 concerts each year from Punk, Salsa, Jazz, Rock, R&B, and Country. He loves to see his music appreciation instilled in his three sons.

FABIOLA TORRES

Professor of Ethnic Studies at Glendale Community College

Fabiola Torres, born and raised in Los Angeles, is a full-time professor of Ethnic Studies at Glendale Community College. She holds the esteemed position of department chair of Ethnic Studies, leading the department to win the Exemplary Program Award in 2024 from the California Board of Governors of the Community College System. Fabi is nationally recognized for her dedication to innovation, and equity-minded teaching practices in higher education earning her a spot in the Top 30 EdTech Influencers of 2023 for EdTech Magazine. Additionally, she has been an active participant with the vibrant dance familia at Grand Performances since day 1. Fabiola's journey showcases her commitment to excellence in education, social justice, and community engagement. “Grand Performances raised me.”

NICOLE MAURICIO

Partnerships and Development Manager

Nicole Mauricio (she/her) is a passionate arts advocate who is dedicated to making the arts more equitable and inclusive for all.

Nicole was the Rental Coordinator at Grand Park, where she collaborated with numerous clients in activating the outdoor public space and utilized it to foster community. She also served as a Program Manager at Harmony Project. In this role, Nicole managed partnerships with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and City of Los Angeles/Expo Center to increase access to music education, reaching over 300 young people in the Exposition Park/USC area.

Receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Whittier College and as a Filipino-American born and raised in Hawaii, Nicole is committed to celebrating and uplifting global arts and culture in Los Angeles County.

MiCHAEL JORDAN

HOOPS

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