|
Dr. Anne Huang
|
|
Antinette Jackson
|
|
Cora Barnes
|
Andréa Spearman
Program & Marketing Manager
Andréa Spearman balances life as an Artist and Arts Administrator. She has supported artist-led community development work, and increased visibility for dance artists, locally, nationally and internationally for over 100+ dance artists. Spearman has served on grant funding panels for several organizations including the San Francisco Arts Commission, Dancers’ Group, California Arts Council, and an artist relief fund led by Dancers’ Group, Theatre Bay Area and InterMusicSF.
For 20+ years, Spearman has been a student, teacher, choreographer, and performer of a variety of modern-based movements. She creates works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and an eclectic mix of styles.
She is also the Executive Producer & Host of the award-winning podcast, The Black Landscape, The show is an interview series that highlights emerging and established Black San Francisco Bay Area leaders of various industries. Spearman takes audiences through journeys of past and present intricacies to reveal the depths of the guests current endeavors.
Program & Marketing Manager
Andréa Spearman balances life as an Artist and Arts Administrator. She has supported artist-led community development work, and increased visibility for dance artists, locally, nationally and internationally for over 100+ dance artists. Spearman has served on grant funding panels for several organizations including the San Francisco Arts Commission, Dancers’ Group, California Arts Council, and an artist relief fund led by Dancers’ Group, Theatre Bay Area and InterMusicSF.
For 20+ years, Spearman has been a student, teacher, choreographer, and performer of a variety of modern-based movements. She creates works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and an eclectic mix of styles.
She is also the Executive Producer & Host of the award-winning podcast, The Black Landscape, The show is an interview series that highlights emerging and established Black San Francisco Bay Area leaders of various industries. Spearman takes audiences through journeys of past and present intricacies to reveal the depths of the guests current endeavors.
JASON DITZIAN
Grants Manager
Jason Ditzian (he/him) has supported World Arts West's grant writing, strategy and communications since 2019. As a clarinetist, he’s performed with SF Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Joan Baez, Frank London, inkBoat, Kitka, San Francisco Mime Troupe, and many others. He co-founded festivals such as the International Body Music Festival and Hornucopia. Career highlights include a Creative Work Fund Award and American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Award for the Bowls Project with Charming Hostess and an Isadora Duncan Dance Award in MUSIC/SOUND/TEXT for his work with Hiroko and Koichi Tamano. He is leader of two old-world klezmer ensembles: Kugelplex and Myrtle Street Klezmer.
For over two decades, Jason has worked with Bay Area arts organizations to produce projects and festivals, and create development and communication strategies. He is Founder and Executive Director of arts consulting firm, Narluga Arts – supporting cultural artists and organizations to realize their creative visions while working to further the field of socially-engaged arts.
KRISTA SMITH
Co-Director Grants Accelerator Program
Krista Smith (she/her) is a multidisciplinary movement based artist who spent two decades performing and touring internationally as Kentucky Fried Woman and with queer performance troupes that she co-founded including The Queen Bees, ButchBallet, ButchTap, and Chubb. She has produced and performed in hundreds of events and hosted The Kentucky Fried Woman Show in Oakland during the 2010s.
Krista has worked since 2000 in development, including as Development Director for Frameline, the Queer Cultural Center, and Fresh Meat Productions. Krista founded Krista Smith Development in 2015 to support historically excluded artists and arts organizations in securing foundation and government grants, helping to bring in over $30 million in the past 11 years.
Krista co-created the World Arts West Grants Accelerator Program with Anne Huang in 2021, and has co-directed the program ever since, supporting an annual cohort of 10 cultural artists to secure foundation and government grants through monthly gatherings, coaching sessions, proposal reviews, and grants research.
Krista lives with her wife, Jessie, and an orange polydactyl cat named Snacks Smith.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
,
KIAZI MALONGA
BOARD CHAIR
CEO, Pelisa Energy
Founder, Embrace Kongo
Kiazi Malonga is a second generation Congolese American born into a family of artists. He was first introduced to the Ngoma drum at age two by his father Malonga Casquelourd, a world-renowned traditional drummer, dancer and choreographer from Congo Brazzaville. Casquelourd traveled to the US in 1972 and shortly thereafter began to build his exceptional legacy in the traditional arts in the US.
It was in this setting that Kiazi Malonga was trained and learned about his Congolese cultural heritage. He became the lead drummer of his father’s dance company, Fua Dia Congo, at age 16 and began teaching at that time as well. Kiazi has taught and performed throughout the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and Africa. He currently teaches Congolese traditional music in Oakland, CA. Kiazi released his debut album, Tembo Kia Ngoma (https://linktr.ee/KiaziMalonga) in March of 2021; which incorporates never before recorded compositions from the late Malonga Casquelourd as well as newly composed music.
In addition to music, Kiazi founded and runs a US based nonprofit social enterprise, Pelisa Energy (https://www.pelisaenergy.com/support). Pelisa Energy aims to close the energy gap in Central Africa by supplying solar-powered technologies that have immediate benefits to the health, education and livelihoods of the Central African people.
Kiazi completed a dual masters in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development and has an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University. He has gained working familiarity with environmental, social, and governance criteria and ESG reporting frameworks.
KIAZI MALONGA
BOARD CHAIR
CEO, Pelisa Energy
Founder, Embrace Kongo
Kiazi Malonga is a second generation Congolese American born into a family of artists. He was first introduced to the Ngoma drum at age two by his father Malonga Casquelourd, a world-renowned traditional drummer, dancer and choreographer from Congo Brazzaville. Casquelourd traveled to the US in 1972 and shortly thereafter began to build his exceptional legacy in the traditional arts in the US.
It was in this setting that Kiazi Malonga was trained and learned about his Congolese cultural heritage. He became the lead drummer of his father’s dance company, Fua Dia Congo, at age 16 and began teaching at that time as well. Kiazi has taught and performed throughout the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and Africa. He currently teaches Congolese traditional music in Oakland, CA. Kiazi released his debut album, Tembo Kia Ngoma (https://linktr.ee/KiaziMalonga) in March of 2021; which incorporates never before recorded compositions from the late Malonga Casquelourd as well as newly composed music.
In addition to music, Kiazi founded and runs a US based nonprofit social enterprise, Pelisa Energy (https://www.pelisaenergy.com/support). Pelisa Energy aims to close the energy gap in Central Africa by supplying solar-powered technologies that have immediate benefits to the health, education and livelihoods of the Central African people.
Kiazi completed a dual masters in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development and has an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University. He has gained working familiarity with environmental, social, and governance criteria and ESG reporting frameworks.
RON P. MURIERA
VICE CHAIR
Director of Arts Industry Support, City of San Jose Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs
Advisory Committee Member, CA for the Arts/CA Arts Advocates
Ron Muriera is Director of Arts Industry Support for the City of San José Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs where he manages the city’s arts and cultural funding portfolio of over $5M, operating agreements for the City of San José’s six cultural facilities, and oversight of various artistic and creative initiatives and programs.
With over 20-years’ experience and knowledge as an arts and cultural administrator, multi-disciplined performing artist, community activist, educator, historian, consultant, and advocate for underrepresented communities in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, California and throughout the nation, Ron has dedicated his life’s work to addressing issues such as: racial, social, and economic justice, arts & cultural representation, and educational equity. His nonprofit board service includes:
Ron has also served two terms on the San José Arts Commission holding positions of Vice Chair and Public Art Committee Chair; He currently serves on the advisory board of Global Artists' Creative Collaboration for Empowerment (GAACE), an international arts association.
As a multi-disciplined performing artist in dance, theatre, music, and comedy, Ron was an original member of the Afro-Haitian dance group Roots of Haiti/Petit La Croix where he danced in the early years of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and Carnaval.
In the theatre realm, Ron was a member of the Asian American Theatre Workshop/Company, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. A graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.), he performed in over 20 productions throughout San Francisco.
As a musician, Ron was a founding member of San Francisco’s iconic squeezebox band, Those Darn Accordions! (TDA!) playing in various clubs and venues throughout California. TDA! played an integral role in making the piano accordion the official musical instrument of San Francisco.
In the comedy world, Ron began his stand-up journey in the mid-70s in San Francisco at the Holy City Zoo, Other Café, and Punchline. He also held membership with San Francisco’s longest-running improvisational comedy group, The National Theatre of the Deranged.
Ron has been recognized for his work both as a performing artist and social justice advocate receiving numerous awards and commendations for his volunteer work across communities.
RON P. MURIERA
VICE CHAIR
Director of Arts Industry Support, City of San Jose Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs
Advisory Committee Member, CA for the Arts/CA Arts Advocates
Ron Muriera is Director of Arts Industry Support for the City of San José Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs where he manages the city’s arts and cultural funding portfolio of over $5M, operating agreements for the City of San José’s six cultural facilities, and oversight of various artistic and creative initiatives and programs.
With over 20-years’ experience and knowledge as an arts and cultural administrator, multi-disciplined performing artist, community activist, educator, historian, consultant, and advocate for underrepresented communities in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, California and throughout the nation, Ron has dedicated his life’s work to addressing issues such as: racial, social, and economic justice, arts & cultural representation, and educational equity. His nonprofit board service includes:
- Board President of Californians for the Arts
- Vice President of California Arts Advocates
- National Trustee for the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) • Founding Board President of Red Ladder Theatre Company
- Board Trustee with the California History Center - De Anza College
Ron has also served two terms on the San José Arts Commission holding positions of Vice Chair and Public Art Committee Chair; He currently serves on the advisory board of Global Artists' Creative Collaboration for Empowerment (GAACE), an international arts association.
As a multi-disciplined performing artist in dance, theatre, music, and comedy, Ron was an original member of the Afro-Haitian dance group Roots of Haiti/Petit La Croix where he danced in the early years of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and Carnaval.
In the theatre realm, Ron was a member of the Asian American Theatre Workshop/Company, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. A graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.), he performed in over 20 productions throughout San Francisco.
As a musician, Ron was a founding member of San Francisco’s iconic squeezebox band, Those Darn Accordions! (TDA!) playing in various clubs and venues throughout California. TDA! played an integral role in making the piano accordion the official musical instrument of San Francisco.
In the comedy world, Ron began his stand-up journey in the mid-70s in San Francisco at the Holy City Zoo, Other Café, and Punchline. He also held membership with San Francisco’s longest-running improvisational comedy group, The National Theatre of the Deranged.
Ron has been recognized for his work both as a performing artist and social justice advocate receiving numerous awards and commendations for his volunteer work across communities.
VIJAY PALAPARTY
TREASURER
Founder & Co-Artistic Director, Spilling Ink
Senior Communications Specialist, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Vijay Palaparty’s creative and professional practice lives at the intersection of performance, design, cultural diplomacy, and community engagement. Drawing on a rich background in classical South Indian dance, storytelling, communications, and strategic research, he brings together movement, visual culture, language, and place to create experiences that are both deeply embodied and socially grounded.
Through Spilling Ink, a multi-arts organization he founded, Vijay leads projects that span disciplines and geographies—curating performances, residencies, and community initiatives that link dance, music, visual art, and literature with themes of identity, history, healing, and belonging. His collaborations with museums, schools, and cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, demonstrate a commitment to translating tradition into contemporary, participatory experiences. These efforts are rooted in a belief in art as a vehicle for transformation, cross-cultural dialogue, and social connection.
In parallel, his work in policy, research, and higher education reflects an ongoing investment in equity, systems thinking, and the ethics of representation. At the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, he contributes to national efforts around community economic development and participatory, trauma-informed research, applying storytelling and design strategies to surface community voice in policymaking. His academic work spanning teaching and consulting roles at The New School, and current doctoral research at RMIT University explores how embodied knowledge, particularly through yogic philosophy and somatic practice, can inform creative research, pedagogy, and curatorial design.
Across all his endeavors, Vijay operates with a commitment to care, presence, and reciprocity whether facilitating a movement workshop, shaping strategic communication for public institutions, or mentoring students through community-based projects. His work invites a reimagining of how creative practice can nourish public discourse, make space for memory, and move communities toward collective empowerment.
Instagram: @holybrowncow @spillinginkdc
Web: www.spillingink.org
SUHAILA SALIMPOUR
SECRETARY
CEO, Suhaila International
Co-Executive Director, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center
Suhaila Salimpour is an internationally recognized arts leader, director, choreographer, educator, festival producer, and scholar whose work bridges the dance traditions of Southwest Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean (SWANAM) with somatic inquiry and contemporary performance practices. Of Sicilian-Greek and Kurdish-American heritage, she brings a deeply embodied and cross-cultural perspective to her work as a second-generation dance artist and architect of the Salimpour Method—one of the most influential systems of belly dance pedagogy in the world. Her work is distinguished by a rare integration of lineage-based knowledge, interdisciplinary scholarship, and lived performance experience, reflecting a lifelong commitment to embodied intelligence, cultural integrity, and the evolving language of dance.
Her career spans international performance, large-scale productions, arts administration, and the creation of educational platforms and organizational structures that have shaped generations of dancers worldwide. As Director of the Salimpour School of Dance and Founder of Suhaila Salimpour School of Online Education, Suhaila Dance Company, and the YALLAH Arts Festival, she has developed comprehensive training systems, certification programs, artistic works, and global communities of practice. She also serves as Co-Executive Director of Education and Operations at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley, California, where she oversees educational programming, operations, community engagement, and institutional growth.
Suhaila earned her Master of Fine Arts in Dance: Creative Practice from Saint Mary's College of California. Her research explores questions of codification, cultural identity, decolonial practice, somatics, and the politics of representation in dance, with a particular focus on lineage-based SWANAM dance traditions. Through her work as an artist, educator, scholar, producer, and arts administrator, she continues to shape the future of dance through a practice that is deeply rooted, critically engaged, culturally responsive, and globally resonant.
SECRETARY
CEO, Suhaila International
Co-Executive Director, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center
Suhaila Salimpour is an internationally recognized arts leader, director, choreographer, educator, festival producer, and scholar whose work bridges the dance traditions of Southwest Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean (SWANAM) with somatic inquiry and contemporary performance practices. Of Sicilian-Greek and Kurdish-American heritage, she brings a deeply embodied and cross-cultural perspective to her work as a second-generation dance artist and architect of the Salimpour Method—one of the most influential systems of belly dance pedagogy in the world. Her work is distinguished by a rare integration of lineage-based knowledge, interdisciplinary scholarship, and lived performance experience, reflecting a lifelong commitment to embodied intelligence, cultural integrity, and the evolving language of dance.
Her career spans international performance, large-scale productions, arts administration, and the creation of educational platforms and organizational structures that have shaped generations of dancers worldwide. As Director of the Salimpour School of Dance and Founder of Suhaila Salimpour School of Online Education, Suhaila Dance Company, and the YALLAH Arts Festival, she has developed comprehensive training systems, certification programs, artistic works, and global communities of practice. She also serves as Co-Executive Director of Education and Operations at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley, California, where she oversees educational programming, operations, community engagement, and institutional growth.
Suhaila earned her Master of Fine Arts in Dance: Creative Practice from Saint Mary's College of California. Her research explores questions of codification, cultural identity, decolonial practice, somatics, and the politics of representation in dance, with a particular focus on lineage-based SWANAM dance traditions. Through her work as an artist, educator, scholar, producer, and arts administrator, she continues to shape the future of dance through a practice that is deeply rooted, critically engaged, culturally responsive, and globally resonant.
BLANCHE BROWN
BOARD MEMBER
Founding Artistic Director, Le Petit Croix
Blanche first began dancing as a 10 year old girl in Berkeley, California. She attended San Francisco State as a business major, and took dance classes there, but her true calling came to her at age 35, when Blanche returned to her first love of dance. She returned to SF State, studied all styles of dance she could, including ballet, tap, jazz, and folklore, while also dancing with the Wajumbe ethnic dance troupe. Blanche received her Bachelor’s degree in physical education, with a focus in dance, from San Francisco State in 1974. In 1988, Blanche formed the dance troupe Group Petit La Croix. Blanche created the troupe to fully express and visually explain the Haitian culture by combining western choreography and techniques with traditional Haitian dance and drumming. Blanche has since taught ethnic dance in the California University system from UCLA to Hayward, Sonoma, to Santa Cruz. Blanche has taught classes at Mills College, Santa Clara University, The Modern Dance Center, The Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, and at Third Wave Dance House in San Francisco for many years.
Over the years Blanche has been widely recognized for her contribution to the dance community. In 1977 she was the first dancer to be appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission, and served from 1977-1981. In 1996 Blanche received the Artist Educator Award from the California Dance Educators Association. In 2003 she was President of the Board of World Arts West. And in 2008 Blanche received the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Ethnic Dance and Music. Today, Blanche still teaches and challenges people from all walks of life at ODC in San Francisco, and is beyond pleased to be rejoining the World Arts West board. Blanche now lives in Oakland among her children, grandchildren, and a great grandson.
SAMUEL CORTEZ BALDERAS
BOARD MEMBER
Artistic Director, Los Lupeños de San José
Samuel Cortez Balderas is a Mexican dance artist, arts advocate, dance researcher, festival director, and community leader whose work centers on the preservation, teaching, and continued evolution of Mexican folklórico in the United States. Born in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, he began his dance training at an early age and has dedicated more than three decades to advancing folklórico through performance, choreography, education, cultural research, and community-centered leadership.
As Artistic Director of Los Lupeños de San José, Cortez leads one of California’s most respected folklórico companies, guiding artistic programming, repertoire development, youth mentorship, and cultural education. His work is rooted in the belief that folklórico is not only a performance tradition, but also a living archive of community memory, identity, history, and resilience.
Throughout his career, Cortez has worked with more than 100 dance companies across the United States, contributing as a choreographer, educator, mentor, adjudicator, and cultural advocate. His work includes national and international touring, cultural exchanges, artistic collaborations, and long-term advocacy for culturally rooted arts access.
Cortez is also the founder and festival director of FOLKLOREADA, a San José cultural festival celebrating folklórico, traditional arts, and community. Under his leadership, the festival has grown into a meaningful gathering and was recognized as an official CIOFF® USA National Festival.
As a dance researcher, Cortez is committed to deepening the understanding of Mexican regional traditions while supporting their responsible evolution on contemporary stages.
Cortez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mexican Folk Dance and a Master of Fine Arts. He continues to work as a choreographer, performer, educator, and cultural organizer, and was recently awarded a Doctorado Honoris Causa by the Claustro Doctoral de las Bellas Artes y Humanidades in recognition of his contributions to Mexican folklórico.
He considers it a great honor to serve as a Board Member of World Arts West, an organization with five decades of extraordinary work supporting, presenting, and advocating for traditional dance and cultural artists from around the world.
HERNA CRUZ-LOUIE
BOARD MEMBER
Managing Director of HR & People Support, Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality
Agos Youth & Family Program Director, KULARTS
Herna is the Managing Director of HR and People Support at Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality, where she leads human resources strategy and workplace culture to foster organizational effectiveness and a dynamic environment of growth and learning. Guided by indigenous belief systems and cultural practices, Herna’s work centers on exposing the history of colonialism, immigration, and systemic inequity affecting the Pilipino/a/x community.
With over 17 years of experience as a nonprofit administrator, community organizer, youth development practitioner, and HR professional, Herna blends operational expertise with a lifelong passion for Pilipino/a/x cultural arts and intergenerational community engagement.
Herna is the Co-founder and Program Director of the Agos Youth & Family Program of KULARTS (formerly the American Center of Philippine Arts). She holds a B.A. in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University and an M.S. in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University. She is also a certified community mediator and earned a Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University.
Herna’s leadership and impact have been recognized widely: she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas by the Filipina Women’s Network in 2011 and honored in 2024 as a Reclaiming Our Space awardee by SOMCAN in the SoMa Pilipinas Cultural District.
MEENA GHAZIASGAR
BOARD MEMBER
Senior Director of Solutions, London Automation
Meena Ghaziasgar is a strategic partnerships and philanthropy executive with more than 20 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations build meaningful relationships, strengthen communities, and inspire philanthropic investment. Throughout her career, she has secured transformational gifts, led high-performing fundraising teams, and partnered with university leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and nonprofit organizations to advance education, innovation, and public good.
Her professional journey has taken her from New York to Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and across Asia, including Bangkok, Taipei, and Tokyo. These experiences have reinforced her belief that the strongest communities are built by embracing diverse perspectives, celebrating cultural traditions, and creating opportunities for people to connect across backgrounds.
Most recently, Meena served as Executive Director of Development for the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, where she led fundraising strategy and helped secure philanthropic support for engineering education and research. She now works as a senior director of solutions in the healthcare technology sector, building partnerships that help bring innovative artificial intelligence solutions to healthcare organizations.
Born to an Iranian father and a Mexican-American mother, Meena was raised in both Tehran and Cleveland, Ohio. She has a lifelong appreciation for the ways music, dance, storytelling, and artistic expression preserve cultural identity while fostering empathy and understanding. She believes the arts are among the most powerful ways to strengthen communities, honor heritage, and create a sense of belonging across generations.
As a member of the World Arts West Board of Directors, Meena is honored to support the organization's mission of uplifting cultural artists, preserving living traditions, and ensuring that communities of every culture have opportunities to share their stories through the arts.
SAMAD GUERRA
BOARD MEMBER
Lead Youth Program Specialist, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center
Samad Raheem Guerra is a multidisciplinary performing artist and arts educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A Fulbright-Hays Scholar, he holds a BA in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA and has toured internationally with CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater.
His credits include performing at the Hollywood Bowl and the Ford Amphitheater with Viver Brasil and Sergio Mendes, appearing as a featured artist and choreographer for La Doña, and producing work presented at LACMA, as well as Hamburger Bahnhof and daadgalerie in Berlin. He has taught with the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Diploma Program’s Summer Intensive and served as Director of World Dance at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts for five years. Currently, he sits on the board of World Arts West, the largest multicultural dance network in the United States.
VICTOR TORRES
BOARD MEMBER
Artistic Director, Los Danzantes de Aztlan
Dr. Victor Torres, Ph.D., is a full Professor in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno. He is currently director of Fresno State’s Los Danzantes de Aztlán Mexican dance program, one of the Central Valley’s most established and accomplished programs. Under his direction, the program has earned top awards in Binational (US- Mexico) and national competitions. It has made three recent appearances in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Dr. Torres is also on the Board of Directors of the Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF), serving as Vice-President, Director of Cultural and Educational Affairs, and Parliamentarian.
He is the founder of the annual Festival de Los Danzantes folklórico conference, and the annual Cal State Folklórico show (which features various California State University groups). He also hosts the High School Folklórico Summit on campus to inspire high school dancers to pursue a college education. Dr. Torres is also a member of the Danzantes del Valle Advisory Committee for Arte Americas–Fresno’s major Latino cultural center.
Dr. Victor Torres, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno. He is currently director of Fresno State’s Los Danzantes de Aztlán Mexican dance program, one of the Central Valley’s most established and accomplished programs. Under his direction, the program has earned top awards in Binational (US-Mexico) and national competitions. The group has made three recent appearances in the prestigious San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Dr. Torres serves on various Boards of Directors. He is Vice- President and parliamentarian for the Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (National Association of Folklóric Groups).
He is also on the Danzantes del Valle Advisory Committee for Arte Americas, Fresno’s major Latinx cultural center. Dr. Torres founded various folklórico-based programs that promote higher education, primarily to low-income, rural, Latinx students in the Central Valley. These programs include the annual Festival de Los Danzantes folklórico state-wide conference, the annual California State University Folklórico show, and the High School Folklórico Summit, which utilizes folklórico to motivate high school students to pursue higher education. At the university level, Dr. Torres serves in various leadership roles. He is a Co-Vice-Chair of the President’s Council for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Coordinator of the university’s Latinx graduation celebration, which draws over 14,000 people.