Announcing Create CA’s New Executive Director!

Announcing Create CA’s New Executive Director!
Dr. Veronica Alvarez will join Create CA in September 2024

LOS ANGELES, CA (AUGUST 1, 2024) — Create CA, California’s advocacy organization for equitable arts education, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Veronica Alvarez as its next Executive Director.  

 

This is an unprecedented time for arts education in California. Schools are struggling to implement The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act, which was overwhelmingly passed by voters as Prop 28 in November 2022. Dr. Alvarez has a track record of leading with equity at every level of the public education system, making her the clear choice to lead Create CA at this moment.

“Dr. Veronica Alvarez’s appointment will accelerate Create CA’s mission to ensure equitable access to high-quality arts education, said Cyrus Wadia, President of Create CA’s Board of Directors. “We have the next year to ensure that Prop 28 is implemented as intended, and Dr. Alvarez’s experience working with K-12 schools and in higher education in California give her a unique lens into the challenges we face.”

Born in Michoacán, Mexico, Dr. Veronica Alvarez is an LA-based educator, historian, and arts advocate with a focus on equity and access to the arts for students, teachers, and communities.

“I am thrilled to be joining Create CA at such a critical time for arts education for California’s six million students,” said Dr. Alvarez. “It is an honor to join the passionate and talented staff to further Create CA’s mission of equity and access to high-quality arts education for all. I look forward to working together with our school communities, parents, and students to advocate for equitable policies to advance the arts.”  

 

Dr. Alvarez is currently the Executive Director of Community Arts Partnership with a special appointment in the Critical Studies Department at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where she also helped create an Arts Education program that will launch in fall 2024. Prior to CalArts, she was in the museum field for over twenty years, at both the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Getty Museum. Dr. Alvarez has served as an education consultant for other entities such as UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, the Kennedy Center, the US State Department in Serbia, and the State Department of Cultural Affairs in Mexico. 

 

Dr. Alvarez has a BA in Liberal Studies and an MA in History from Cal State-Northridge and a doctorate from Loyola Marymount University’s Educational Leadership for Social Justice Program. 

 

Dr. Alvarez will officially begin her new role on September 23, 2024. 

 

About Create CA

Create CA  (formerly the California Alliance for Arts Education) is the largest statewide organization advocating for equitable and accessible arts education for all California students. Create CA ensures every student reaches their full potential by advancing an education model that prioritizes creativity and the arts.

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