About > Staff + Board
Meet the team driving change
Our staff
Julie Baker
Chief Executive Officer | julie@caforthearts.org
Tracy Hudak
Director of Field Engagement | tracy@caforthearts.org
NeFesha Yisra'el
Director of Programs | nefesha@caforthearts.org
Eduardo Robles
Senior Manager of Communications | eduardo@caforthearts.org
Ted Russell
Program Consultant Lead | ted@caforthearts.org
Teri Ball
Programs Manager | teri@caforthearts.org
L.T. Martinez
Executive Liaison | assistant@caforthearts.org
Jean Young
Communications Coordinator | jean@caforthearts.org
Jennica Bisbee
Field Engagement Coordinator | jennica@caforthearts.org
Board members
Jennifer Laine
CA Arts Advocates, Board President Executive Director, San Benito Arts Council
Josiah Bruny
CA Arts Advocates, Vice President CEO, Music Changing Lives
Sean Fenton
CA Arts Advocates, Secretary Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area San Francisco
Edmund Velasco
CA Arts Advocates, Treasurer Local 7 Musicians’ Union
Felicia Shaw
CA for the Arts, Board President Executive Director, San Diego Art Matters
Jonathan Glus
CA for the Arts, Vice President Executive Director, City of San Diego Commission on Arts and Culture
Cara Goger
CA for the Arts, Secretary Executive Director, Mariposa County Arts Council
Nurit Siegel Smith
CA for the Arts, Treasurer Executive Director, Music Forward Foundation
Leticia Rhi Buckley
CEO, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Heather Angelina Dunn
Partner, DLA Piper LLP US, California Lawyers for the Arts
Rafael González
CEO & President, Grand Performances
Maria Jenson
Creative and Executive Director, SOMArts Cultural Center
Lyz Luke
Executive Director, Living Jazz
Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer
CEO and Founder, Studio T Arts & Entertainment / Studio T Urban Arts Academy
Usha Srinivasan
Co-Founder, Mosaic America
Megan Van Voorhis
Director of Convention & Cultural Services, City of Sacramento
Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez
Executive Director, Arts Connection- The Arts Council of San Bernardino County
Alonso Escobar
Arts Advocacy and Policy Director, Mono Arts Council
Bob Lehman
Executive Director, San Diego Museum Council
Marisa DeLuca
President, Artists in Solidarity / Arts Commissioner, City of Oceanside
Marleena Barber
Director, Orange County Arts and Disability / VAPA Consultant , Orange County Department of Education
Michelle Amador
CA Established Artist Fellow, Self-Employed / Director of Development, Mark Morris Dance Group
Natalie Johnson
Founder, Web3 Uncut LLC (self-employed) / Co-Founder, Corner Store Co-Op
Shayla James
Director, San Diego Creative Youth Development Network
Who we are
We’re advocating for legislation to make California more creative
We’re working to increase California’s investment in the arts, make creativity an integral part of our economy, and give artists in California a voice in Sacramento.
Careers at CA Arts Advocates
There are no open positions.
Help us build awareness of the arts in California
Our sister organization, California for the Arts, provides programs and services to make advocating for the arts easier than ever. As a 501c3, they help promote awareness of the arts, while California Arts Advocates – a 501c4 – ensures the arts are represented on a legislative level.
