Linda Grimes

Board of Directors

Linda Grimes is currently the Executive Director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District; a non-profit she helped create from the ashes of the former Community Redevelopment Agency. Linda is passionate about creative placemaking and the power of public art. The Arts District’s accomplishments over the past 11 years, reflect this commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in San Pedro.

Linda is a recovering, retired AT&T marketing executive and has employed her marketing ‘superpowers’ as the former Executive Director of the Golden State Pops Orchestra, as a communications consultant to the Port of Los Angeles High School and for the Grand Vision Foundation. Since November 2022, she writes a monthly column for San Pedro Today Magazine about local arts and culture.

Under her guidance, the Arts District has commissioned over 25 DOT boxes, painted by professional artists, 8 storm drains and 3 large murals in downtown San Pedro. In the summer of 2019, the Arts District launched another new pilot program, “Adventures in Public Art”, aimed at giving students public art experiences. The second Adventures in Public Art mural will be painted on the Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s Building G in June of 2023, in collaboration with the San Pedro High School’s STEAM Magnet students, led by Teaching Artist Jay Davis.

In August 2021, Linda was part of a team that included the San Pedro Arts and Culture District Partners the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce and the San Pedro Property Owner’s Alliance to bring back the pandemic shuttered FirstThursday ArtWalk. In November 2023, the FirstThursday ArtWalk celebrated its 25th Anniversary.

In 2017, the Arts District launched a new arts appreciation series, called “Cuatro@Cabrillo”, hosted by the preeminent arts scholar, Gregorio Luke and in collaboration with one of the Arts and Cultural District Partners, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Now it is called Culture TALKS! this series was relaunched in the fall of 2022 at the Aquarium and included an LA-ist, 89.3 Retake Live John Horn conversation with Culture Clash’s Richard Montoya.
In 2017, San Pedro was named as a California Cultural District by the Sacramento based California Arts Council. San Pedro is one of 14 initial Cultural Districts and has been recertified for another five years.

Linda’s past community involvement includes – Board President of the Palos Verdes Art Center, Arts for LA Advancement Committee, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Harbor Communications Committee, communications assistance for the Beacon House Men and served on the Board of the Little Italy of LA non-profit. Linda also served as the Arts for LA Advancement Committee co-chair and is now a proud member of the Arts for LA Board.

Linda Grimes
Board of Directors

Mark Edwards

Board of Directors

Mark brings serves as the Vice President of Government Relations for JVS SoCal where he advocates for the systems change that address the barriers to good paying jobs, including the creative sector. Much of the work is done in collaboration with other organizations.

Mark has an expertise in navigating complex bureaucratic systems that was first developed in the private sector while employed as an Associate for a leading land-use firm, where he specialized in land use entitlement issues and later serving as the Director of Government Relations for a premier boutique lobbying firm. In this capacity, Mark assisted clients with obtaining or maintaining nearly $250,000,000 in contracts with city and county governments.
In the public sector, Mark’s knowledge base was further developed as a Senior Field Deputy for former Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. He was responsible for managing Brentwood, West Los Angeles and a portion of Palms serving the array of needs for approximately 50,000 constituents. Solving constituent issues involved working collaboratively with city, county, and state agencies, and with the community.

Mark worked for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a Planner. In this capacity, he was an integral member of a team that brought to completion the Bring Los Angeles Home Plan, a blueprint to significantly reduce the number of people who are homeless within ten-years. The project was a successful public-private partnership that involved managing a broad and diverse coalition of stakeholders.

Mark is involved with and committed to community. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and was honorably discharged. He was instrumental, as part of a team of community leaders, in the creation of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council. He completed a three-year stint as a Board Member of Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles, a dynamic, and progressive, not-for-profit agency that effectively works to improve the health of people who are homeless through direct services, education, and advocacy, working with fellow board members and the executive director to navigate us through a horrible economic downturn. Mark served on the board of Barnsdall Art Park Foundation Board, where he served as chair for two years where they had a role in supporting the inclusion of the Hollyhock House as an UNESCO World Heritage Site representing one-of-eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Presently, Mark serves on the Executive Board of Governors for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, chairs the Legislative Action committee, and formerly co-chair of the Economic and Workforce Development committee.
A product of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Mark has resided in Los Angeles for 27 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from California State University, Northridge with a concentration in Public Administration and Community Service.

Mark Edwards
Board of Directors

Clifford Warner

Board of Directors

Cliff has garnered a reputation for being one of the top producers of award-winning experiences including Universal Studios’ WaterWorld Stunt Show, FiestaAventura’s Templo Del Fuego, Bollywood Park and Motiongate including the THEA Award-winning DreamWorks Animation Zone.

Having earned his MFA at the Yale School of Drama, Cliff has collaborated with some of the most creative people in the entertainment industry (notably as producer on Tokyo DisneySea and DisneyFest Asia). Cliff was one of the original founders of Thinkwell Group for which he served as CEO and Chairman for over a decade. Cliff produced notable projects including Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter; Sesame Presents: The Body touring exhibit and many more projects for Universal Studios, Walt Disney Entertainment, Harrah’s Entertainment and MGM Studios. In 2011, Cliff founded the entertainment development company Mycotoo, Inc., which was designated a top media company by Inc. 500 in 2017.

As chairman, Cliff has continued to build on his reputation of delivering compelling experiences. Mycotoo’s design collaborations have resulted in the opening of two theme parks (Motiongate and Bollywood Parks) for which Cliff oversaw the production development, strategic planning and team staffing. He built the award-winning creative team and served as liaison to facilitate master planning, production design, engineering and management of the specialty groups involved with the both parks. Cliff has been an invited speaker on multiple industry panels. His roots in theatre keep him anchored to like-minded organizations. He serves as board member for the Yale Global Alumni Leadership Exchange (YaleGALE) – an international leadership exchange with China, France, United Kingdom, South Africa and Mexico; And Ojai Valley Playwrights Association – a non-profit group that champions the introduction of new, aspiring playwrights to wider audiences off and on Broadway.

Clifford Warner
Board of Directors

Amy Schiffman

Board of Directors

Amy Schiffman has been a literary agent and manager in the film and television fields for over twenty five years. After graduating from Hamilton College, she worked in New York, first at the CBS News Broadcast Center, and then in magazines, including the award winning American Photographer Magazine, where she eventually became an editor and columnist, and later at GQ and Diversion magazines. Her Hollywood career began in the Literary Properties division of the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills, where she was Vice President. There she sold the books “Friday Night Lights,” “Apollo 13,” “Sleepers,” “Permanent Midnight” and “Primal Fear,” all of which were produced as feature films during her tenure at the agency.

Schiffman later became a partner in the literary management firm Intellectual Property Group before joining Echo Lake. She represents Dennis Lehane, (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island, The Drop), Don DeLillo (Cosmopolis) and Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone) among many others. Among her recently released book to film projects are the international best seller “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” by Mary Anne Shaeffer and Annie Barrows. The film, starring Lilly James and directed by Mike Newell, is streaming on Netflix, as is the film “Nappily Ever After” based on the novel by Trisha R. Thomas.

Schiffman recently joined Echo Lake Entertainment, to build and run the intellectual property department.

Amy Schiffman
Board of Directors

Felicia Rosenfeld

Board of Directors

Felicia Rosenfeld, through FARconnector, serves as thought partner, organizational catalyst, infrastructure architect and creative strategist, working with artists and creative organizations to define and attain success.

Felicia has been involved in the not-for-profit world for most of her working life. After graduating with honors from Swarthmore College, she worked at Pentacle (in New York) and also for David Gordon Pick Up Company. Receiving a J.D. from Fordham Law School, Felicia practiced for five years, concentrating in entertainment, copyright and trademark law. Felicia returned to Pentacle as Director of Educational Programming in 2002, then became Director of Programming, and ultimately Co-Director.Felicia served as Executive Director of Dance Resource Center, the service organization for dance in the Greater Los Angeles Area from 2015-2018, professionalizing a 30 year-old all-volunteer organization and making it a leading example of arts service. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2006, Felicia also has worked and consulted with many arts individuals/organizations and social service organizations.

Felicia sits on the Boards of Directors of Arts for L.A., Dance Resource Center and Koreatown Youth & Community Center. She is a member of the Ford Theatre Connector Council, Americans for the Arts and Californians for the Arts. Felicia was a member Dance/USA Board of Trustees for six years; the Co-Chair of Dance/USA 2018 Conference Host Committee; and served on Pentacle’s Board of Directors; the Advisory Board of Show Box LA, as a Trustee of New Roads School, and on the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Karsh Social Service Center Steering Committee.

Felicia Rosenfeld
Board of Directors

Cary Lefton

Board of Directors

Cary J. Lefton is Chief Executive Officer of Agora Realty & Management, which he founded in 1986. Agora Realty is a full service commercial real estate company holding income producing assets in California, Hawaii and Nevada. Since 2001, Agora has been listed as the 3rd largest private developer in the San Fernando Valley and been listed in the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 developers in Los Angeles County.  His firm has joint ventured with private and publicly traded companies such as Kimco Realty and Alexander and Baldwin. Agora is a family-owned business that has an investment strategy that especially benefits small businesses, assisting them in navigating the complexities of starting a new business.  Agora’s team prides itself on developing socially responsible projects with the objective to add value to communities in which it invests in. Agora currently owns and operates a commercial real estate portfolio of approximately 1.9 million square feet.

Lefton began his career in 1980 as a real estate broker, specializing in commercial real estate, with Arthur Rubloff and Company of Southern California. He earned the “Rookie of the Year” award during his first year with the company, representing such companies as Westinghouse and Huffy Bicycles, and leased more than 1,500,000 square feet during his two-year tenure. In 1982, Lefton joined Westwood Properties as vice president of acquisitions, where he successfully negotiated for commercial and industrial real estate throughout the Southern California region. His responsibilities also included project analysis, loan packaging and general office administration.

Lefton attended the University of Southern California where he majored in Political Science.  He has been married to his wife Marla for over 40 years. Marla is an artist who enjoys painting with oils on canvass. Cary and his wife have two sons Ryan and Aaron who also work for Agora.

Hobbies include, collecting wine, tennis, skiing, traveling, sailing and playing with his grandchildren…….not necessarily in that order.

Cary Lefton
Board of Directors

Gustavo Herrera

Chief Executive Officer

Gustavo was appointed as Arts for LA’s Executive Director in December 2018.  Prior to working with us, he was the Western Regional Director for Young Invincibles (YI), where he was responsible for leading YI’s California offices, including its West Coast expansion. As director, he set strategic direction and advanced YI’s policy priorities on health care, higher education, jobs, and civic engagement for the region.

Before starting at Young Invincibles, Gustavo was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of L.A. Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LAPCA), overseeing the day-to-day operation of a county museum, including the oversight of a master plan committee responsible for strategically developing three acres of additional museum campus. From 2010-2012, Gustavo led the Maestro Foundation, a classical music and performance arts foundation, as the Director of Organizational Development. Between 2007-2010, he assessed and recommended business growth strategies in the US marketplace for the global Fortune 500 Company, American Honda Motors, Co.

Gustavo holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from American Jewish University and a dual Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with an emphasis in socio-politics and economics and Art History from the University of California Santa Barbara. Gustavo served on the Board of Directors of the Create: Fixate Arts Organization (2006-2010). He is a current Strong Workforce Implementation Advisory Board Member for the California Community Colleges, Advisory Board Member for the California Physician’s Alliance and founding Board Member of Silverlake Forward.

Gustavo Herrera
Chief Executive Officer

Bronson Foster

Chief Administrative Officer

Based in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, Bronson Foster is a strategist and leader who believes that our shared creative and cultural expressions demonstrate the best of what we can achieve. His work focuses on increasing capacity, innovating systems, creating space, utilizing data and research, empowering people, and fostering future-oriented thinking for arts and cultural organizations and the creative sector broadly. Bronson currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer at Arts for LA. In this leadership position, his work focuses on operations and strategy as he works with the team to advance the mission of leading communities, artists, and organizations to advocate for an equitable, healthy, vibrant, and creative Los Angeles region through the arts.

Previously, Bronson has worked with Long Beach Opera, Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, Boulanger Initiative, and Live Music Project. He has served his professional community as a mentor to young leaders and as a member of numerous advisory and elected board roles, including in Arts for LA’s ACTIVATE Protege Program and as a Board member of East LA Creative. He has also served on the Leadership Council for Emerging Arts Leaders/Los Angeles and various professional organizations’ committees, such as the Association of Arts Administration Educators.

In conjunction with arts and culture leadership, his creative work is expressed as a musician specializing in contemporary works where he can be found on stage crafting sounds. Bronson completed his graduate studies at the University of Southern California (USC) earning a Master of Science degree. His thesis, “Interdisciplinarity and Innovation: An Interconnected Future for the Arts,” examines the complexities of creative ecosystems and proposes building engagement in broader spaces that strengthen cultural communities. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

Bronson Foster
Chief Administrative Officer

Ricky Abilez

Director of Policy and Advocacy

Ricky Abilez (they/them) is a Queer, Latine artist, educator, and advocate who centers restorative and racial justice, social equity, and culturally responsive engagement in their work as an arts education practitioner and community leader. They’ve worked with prestigious arts organizations including South Coast Repertory, The LA Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and The Ford Theatre, and have taught a self-developed curriculum in using art for social justice at various high schools across the country, including California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley.

Prior to their work with Arts for LA, Ricky worked as a performing artist and freelance producer in regional musical theatre. They also served in nonprofit administration as the Education and Community Partnerships Manager at 4C LAB, the Associate Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at McCoy Rigby Entertainment, the Executive Assistant to Dr. Eric Cervini at Deviant Content, and Policy Fellow at the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

They hold a BFA in Theatre Arts from Cal State Fullerton and an MPA in Education Policy and Public Policy Analysis from the University of Colorado Denver. They were honored with the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award in 2022 by the CU Denver Alumni Association and Robert Earl McConnell Foundation for their commitment to equity and civic engagement in the arts and society. They are an avid singer and spend most of their downtime being the family clown.

Ricky Abilez
Director of Policy and Advocacy

Samantha Alexis Manuel

Executive Assistant

Sam (she/her/siya) is a recent UCLA grad with a BA degree in Communication with an Art History and Digital Humanities minor. She has a strong desire to forge connections between the arts, technology, equity, and advocacy. Her capstone project, a VR exhibition called “In Discrete Fashion: Garment Workers of LA,” considers the garment workers’ vulnerabilities within the industry, the harmful working conditions they face, specific forms of exploitation, and the laws, policies, and systems that sustain these unfair practices. Bringing together the Garment Workers of LA Photograph Collection from UCLA’s Library of Digital Collections, news footage, short documentaries, interviews, related scholarship, and a culminating community resource board, the experience is designed to equip viewers with the knowledge to influence the balance of power within the garment industry. It was chosen to be presented at UCLA Undergraduate Research Week 2023.

These values are reinforced by the exhibition/admin positions she’s held at LACMA, LACE, 11:11 Projects, and at the J. Paul Getty Museum where she coordinated and planned the launch of “Our Voices, Our Getty: Reflecting on Drawings,” the first exhibition of its kind that featured personal interpretations written by the 2022 cohort of interns.

While being the Executive Assistant at Arts for LA, the other half of her week is spent as an Arts Associate at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) under the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs Community Arts Division, assisting the gallery with exhibition-related administrative support.

Samantha Alexis Manuel
Executive Assistant

Dr. Katrina VanderWoude

Dr. Katrina VanderWoude brings well over 25 years of progressively qualifying leadership
experience (instructional and student services) serving community colleges and four-year
institutions. Formal education and experiences have provided a strong foundation,
knowledge, and understanding of the comprehensive community college and its role in
transforming lives through access to educational preparation, career training, and
essential life skills, as well as its role in the community with respect to economic and
workforce development and community engagement. Dr. VanderWoude possesses
expertise in the operational areas crucial to community college leaders: accreditation,
enrollment management, an understanding of state and federal laws related to students
and employees, facilities planning, accessible programs and services for all students, and
the ability to execute multiple initiatives in a culturally diverse environment. Professional
credentials include a doctorate in Educational Leadership, with emphasis in Higher
Education, Organizational Systems and Development, and Student Affairs.

Dr. VanderWoude currently serves as Vice Chancellor at the Los Angeles Community
College District, the largest community college district within the nation with nine accredited
colleges, and over 200,000 highly diverse student enrollments. Dr. VanderWoude has also
served as President of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and Vice President of
Academic Affairs at Grossmont College, part of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community
College District (GCCCD) and an Achieving the Dream school. Dr. VanderWoude is
committed to equity-minded student success and brings that lens to all practices and
programs and additionally believes that fully collaborative partnerships are critical for
ensuring social, economic, and political mobility for our most underrepresented and
historically marginalized students and communities. Local community-based efforts have
included serving on the Los Angeles Mayor’s Commission for Reparations, the East San
Diego County Education Alliance Executive Committee (a formal K-12 partnership) with
emphasis on dual enrollment and transition to college for high school students, and initiating
the Pathways to Success Academy that brings community college courses and services to
incarcerated women. Dr. VanderWoude also served as Chief Instructional Officer for the
San Diego/Imperial Valley Community College Region for several years and the CCC Chief
Instructional Officer’s Executive Board, and the Basic Skills state-wide Advisory
Committee. Leadership roles have included: Vice Chancellor, President, Vice President,
Vice Provost, Dean, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Associate Dean, Corporate Training
Director/Grants Coordinator, Board President, and Foundation Board Trustee. Teaching
related assignments have included: Professor, Adjunct Faculty, Research Mentor,
Course Lead, and Lecturer in-person, hybrid, and online courses.

 

Kelly LoBianco

Kelly LoBianco was appointed Executive Director of Economic and Workforce Development, a branch of the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging, and Community Services, in November 2021. In this capacity, she is establishing a Countywide economic and workforce development strategy that centers an equitable recovery and inclusive growth and will cultivate a vibrant, regional economy with opportunity and mobility for all workers, businesses, and communities.

An executive-level public servant and nonprofit professional with over 15 years of public and social sector experience at the federal, state, and local level, Kelly brings wide-ranging expertise to LA County. She is a service leader who uplifts community voices and demonstrates measurable, equitable, and sustainable impact. She is also a successful change agent for policy and programs in the social services, workforce development, and economic revitalization fields.

Most recently, Kelly served as Chief Program Officer for The HOPE Program and Sustainable South Bronx, a leading New York City-based nonprofit, where she oversaw the design, delivery, and scaling of workforce development and social enterprise programming in furtherance of the organization’s economic and environmental missions. While at HOPE, Kelly was elected as co-chair of YES! Bed-Stuy, a place-based, collaborative effort of community-based organizations and young adults to build stronger pathways to education and employment for opportunity youth. Prior to HOPE, Kelly was appointed by the Mayor of New York City as Assistant Commissioner for the NYC Department of Small Business Services, following several senior-level roles within the agency. With key industry partnerships in healthcare, tech, and media and entertainment, among others, Kelly administrated citywide bridge, training, and transitional work programs that met hiring and training needs and advanced system change goals, seeking to build diverse, qualified, and enduring talent pipelines and career pathways with family-sustaining wages in emerging and high-growth sectors. Kelly began her career working for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell in Washington DC.

Kelly holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Northwestern University, and an executive education certificate from Columbia Business School’s Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals.

Kristin Sakoda

Kristin Sakoda is Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, a local arts agency which fulfills a mission to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout the largest county in the U.S. The Department of Arts and Culture provides grants and technical assistance to hundreds of nonprofit organizations; runs the largest arts internship program in the nation; coordinates countywide public-private arts education initiatives; increases access to creative career pathways; commissions civic artwork; supports free community programs; leads the LA County Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative; and advances cross-sector cultural strategies to address civic issues. Appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Ms. Sakoda previously served as Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Under her leadership, she led the organization during its historic transition into the County’s first Department of Arts and Culture.

Ms. Sakoda is an arts executive, attorney, and performing artist with more than 25 years in the field. She has appeared on national and international stages including with dance and social justice company Urban Bush Women and in musicals Rent and Mamma Mia! on Broadway. Prior to her work at the Department of Arts and Culture, she served in key leadership roles at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs overseeing a portfolio of strategic, programmatic, policy, legislative, and funding programs with a $200 million annual budget, and was instrumental in advancing diversity and inclusion; public art; creative aging; cultural facilities; and affordable workspace for artists. She holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law with honors in Entertainment Law, and B.A. from Stanford University with a specialization in Race and Ethnicity and a secondary major in Feminist Studies. As of 2021, she is a Board member of Grantmakers in the Arts, the national association of public and private arts funders in the U.S.

Mark R. Edwards

Mark serves as the Vice President of Government Relations for JVS SoCal where he advocates for the systems change that address the barriers to good paying jobs, including the creative sector. Much of the work is done in collaboration with other organizations.

Mark has an expertise in navigating complex bureaucratic systems that was first developed in the private sector while employed as an Associate for a leading land-use firm, where he specialized in land use entitlement issues and later serving as the Director of Government Relations for a premier boutique lobbying firm. In this capacity, Mark assisted clients with obtaining or maintaining nearly $250,000,000 in contracts with city and county governments.

In the public sector, Mark’s knowledge base was further developed as a Senior Field Deputy for former Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. He was responsible for managing Brentwood, West Los Angeles and a portion of Palms serving the array of needs for approximately 50,000 constituents. Solving constituent issues involved working collaboratively with city, county, and state agencies, and with the community.

Mark is involved with and committed to community. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and was honorably discharged. He was instrumental, as part of a team of community leaders, in the creation of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council. He completed a three-year stint as a Board Member of Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles, a dynamic, and progressive, not-for-profit agency that effectively works to improve the health of people who are homeless through direct services, education, and advocacy, working with fellow board members and the executive director to navigate us through a horrible economic downturn. Mark served on the board of Barnsdall Art Park Foundation Board, where he served as chair for two years where they had a role in supporting the inclusion of the Hollyhock House as an UNESCO World Heritage Site representing one-of-eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Presently, Mark serves on the Executive Board of Governors for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, chairs the Legislative Action committee, and formerly co-chair of the Economic and Workforce Development committee.

A product of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Mark has resided in Los Angeles for 27 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies from California State University, Northridge with a concentration in Public Administration and Community Service.

Patricia “Patty” Huerta

Patricia “Patty” Huerta (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Mexican American performing artist, dance-maker, curator, community organizer, arts advocate, and educator from East L.A.  who is dedicated to amplifying the stories of her Latiné culture by weaving together her Afro-Latin Social Dance background with her contemporary dance practices.

She received her B.A. and M.F.A. in Dance and Experimental Choreography from UCR, where she earned The Gluck Fellowship of the Arts, M.F.A. Graduate Fellowship, and UC MEXUS Grant. Patty has collaborated and presented work at The Odyssey Theatre, Redcat Theater, The Ford, Our L.A. Voices at Grand Park in Los Angeles, UCR ARTS Museum, Oxy Arts at Occidental College, FLACC Festival, Mission Dance Theater, Berkeley Arts Museum (BAM), Highways Performance Space, Human Resources L.A., the BlakTinx Dance Festival in Arizona and L.A., and México City. She has taught and choreographed for the Tournament of Roses Parade at Pasadena City College, ACDFA Dance Festival at California State University, Long Beach, various K-12 schools in Southern California, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and is currently a faculty member in the Department of Dance at UCR. 

Patty is a founding member of Primera Generación Dance Collective (PGDC) for over 8 years, a board member of Show Box L.A. (SBLA) in Los Angeles, and an Arts Advocate committee member for Arts For L.A. in Los Angeles. PGDC is the recipient of the 2021-2023 National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) grant as well as the California Arts Council (CAC) and Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) grants. PGDC has been featured in The Los Angeles Times and recently produced and curated the third iteration of (de) Color-Es, a communal event designed to visibilize artists of color at the intersection of dance making and social activism, at NAVEL Space L.A. PGDC is currently working on their next full length work which will premiere at Redcat Theater in June of 2024.