I have directed organizations and projects and served on boards and panels in the field of folklore. Here are some highlights.
The American Folklore Society
An active member of the American Folklore Society since my days in graduate school when I worked on the Society’s Centennial Commission in 1988, I was a co-founder and first convener of the Folklore Latino, Latinoamericano y Caribeño (FOLLAC) section of the Society. In 2019, I was elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Society for a three-year term. Since leaving the board, I have remained active as convener of the AFS Website Images Subcommittee of the Media and Public Outreach Committee at AFS.
Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture WIthout Borders/
Mano a Mano: Cultura Mexicana Sin Fronteras
In 2003, I joined the staff of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance as Director of Communications and Coordinator of the Mexican Community Cultural Initiative, Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders/Cultura Mexicana Sin Fronteras. When project funding ended, I worked with a community team to reconfigure Mano a Mano as a 501(c)3. I served as Executive Director from 2005- 2010 and then was active on the Board until 2014.
During my tenure, Mano a Mano produced three signature annual events: Día de los Muertos at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery; Posadas y Pastoras, A Winter Holiday Celebration at the Museum of the City of New York; and a festival of Mexico’s regions in Central Park. In addition, the organization created a music school in Brooklyn, Mexicanidad, and sponsored seminars, workshops and technical assistance workshops for community artists.
Texas Folklife
I worked for Texas Folklife in 1991 as a researcher on the culture of the Borderlands region of Chihuahua/Texas for the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s 1993 Festival on the US/Mexico Borderlands. Currently I serve on the External Affairs Committee of the organization’s board and on the Folklife Network of Texas’ Mapping Project.
New York Folklore
I have attended NYSCA New York State Folk Arts Roundtable for over a decade, a leadership meeting with folklorists and artists from throughout the state. I served on the Editorial Board of Voices, the Society’s journal from 2017 – 2019.
Board Service / Expert Panelist
I have served on the Executive Board of Mano a Mano (2010-2014) and on the founding Board of the CUNY Instititue of Mexican Studies (2012-2014). I have been a repeat panelist for Folk Arts and/or Arts in Education for the New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, and Texas Folklife.
