Staff & Board

OUR STAFF

ANNE HUANG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dr. Anne Huang (she/her) is a seasoned arts executive, and a highly regarded, culturally specific capacity building consultant and resource equity advocate. In 2019. Anne was appointed the first person of color, immigrant and San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival artist to lead World Arts West. Under Anne's equity and inclusion focus, World Arts Arts embarked on a new horizon. For the first time since 1978, World Arts West board and staff are now majority BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and reflect the diversity of its artist community. By centering the voices of cultural artists, Anne works to empower everyone to make and present revolutionary new artworks, and uplift underrepresented voices and stories.

Anne is the former Executive Director of Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), where she transformed OACC from a struggling arts organization into a leading cultural institution serving 50,000 people per year. Anne led the OACC in large-scale innovative partnerships, including with StoryCorps, Stern Grove, Independent Television Service, and 100 Families: Art and Social Change with California College of Arts, Center for Art and Public Life. OACC’s partnership with KALW and StoryCorps produced the first and only full-length audio documentary about the history of Oakland Chinatown.

As a thought leader with deep knowledge of challenges and solutions for cultural artists in the 21st century, Anne is a sought-after speaker and consultant for conference panels, cultural convenings, and resource equity in philanthropy. Anne has served in leadership roles for National Dance Project’s Regional Dance Development Initiative, New York Foundation for the Arts’ Immigrant Artist Program, and the City of Oakland’s Mayoral Arts Task Force. She is the Board Chair of Dance/USA Board of Trustees.

  ANTINETTE JACKSON
FINANCE MANAGER

  Antinette Jackson (she/her) is a seasoned finance professional with two decades of experience in the nonprofit and private sectors. She has held senior positions in Resource Media, Youth Speaks, and Center for Community and Family Services. Antinette has an MBA from University of Southern California.

CORA BARNES
SENIOR PROGRAM & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Cora Barnes (she/her) has over 15 years of engagement with the Bay Area dance community as an artist and advocate. She has supported local festivals and dance companies including CubaCaribe Festival, San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival and Black Choreographers Festival.
Cora served on the board of the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble and was the founder and co-artistic director of Timbea, an award winning, all-women, salsa rueda dance company. She is a proud alumnus of San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, having performed with both the Arenas Dance Company and Las Que Son Son.
As the Programming and Development Associate for World Arts West, Cora is part of a committed team serving the cultural artist community through advocacy, education, and access.

EMILIO TORRES
MARKETING & PROGRAM ASSOCIATE

Emilio Torres is a second-generation folklorista. Coming from a family of Mexican folkloric dancers, Emilio was introduced to the cultural dance style at the age of four. It was in this setting that Emilio cultivated a love and passion for folklórico.

Emilio attended Fresno State and became one of the lead dancers and assistants for Los Danzantes de Aztlán (LDA). With LDA, Emilio attended national folklórico conferences and festivals and had the privilege of appearing in the prestigious San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival three times. He is also a workshop instructor for many LDA community outreach programs. Emilio is also involved with LDA’s marketing and events promotion. With his second passion for visual media, Emilio has created visual graphics and promotional videos for LDA’s events and manages the troupe’s social media.

Emilio graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Media Communications and Journalism. He is excited to be part of a team of cultural artists dedicated to the promotion of the dance arts.

 NOELLE CAMPOS
SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

  Noelle Campos is a mover, creator, and educator based in the Bay Area. She was born in Manila, Philippines and began dance classes at the age of five.  When her family immigrated to the United States she continued studying at the Westlake School for the Performing Arts in Daly City, CA.  Noelle trained extensively in Ballet (Vaganova), Lyrical and Modern, and has performed in dance competitions and Nutcracker productions as a soloist. She also attended the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive Program in New York City.
Noelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance at San José State University where she studied Contemporary, Jazz, and Modern (Jose Limon technique). She discovered Parangal Dance Company in college and has been an active member since 2014.  As a lead dancer with Parangal, Noelle has participated in international tours in Italy, Greece, and Slovenia.
Noelle is currently a performing artist and dance instructor at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and for Robert Moses’ Bootstraps program. Noelle is World Arts West’s Social Media Specialist.  Using the skills she’s honed from years of promoting Parangal and engaging with the Virtual-verse, Noelle is creating a rising social media presence for World Arts West, keeping our audience up to date through the lens of a cultural artist centered institution.

JASON DITZIAN
GRANTS MANAGER

Jason Ditzian (he/him) is a multi-wind instrumentalist and composer, Jason has performed, recorded and toured internationally with artists such as Charming Hostess, Oakland Symphony, Dohee Lee, Joan Baez, Frank London, inkBoat, Kitka, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Lord Loves a Working Man, Kiosk, Hadi Tabatabai, Faun Fables and Kunst-Stoff.
He is clarinetist/leader of old-world klezmer ensemble, Kugelplex.

In 2003, Jason began working with various organizations to produce projects and festivals, and create marketing and development strategies. Jason has helped raise millions of dollars for nonprofit arts organizations. Career highlights include: co-founding and co-producing the International Body Music Festival with Keith Terry; receiving a 2011 American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Award for the Bowls Project with Charming Hostess and a 2005 Isadora Duncan Dance Award in MUSIC/SOUND/TEXT for his work with Hiroko and Koichi Tamano.

Currently, Jason is the Managing Director of Dohee Lee Puri Arts and Director of Communications for Asian Refugees United. Jason founded nonprofit arts consulting firm, Narluga Arts in 2019 to further his capacity to support amazing artists realize their visions and to help further the field of socially-engaged arts.

  KRISTA SMITH
CO-DIRECTOR GRANTS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

  Krista Smith's (she/her) job is to support our Grants Accelerator Program
participants to submit competitive grant applications. Krista co-leads WAW GAP and teaches grant writing workshops to our cohort participants. Krista brings 22 years of experience as an artist, artistic director, grant writer, arts organization administrator, and arts advocate to the San Francisco Bay Area’s arts and culture landscape. Her experience includes serving as the Development Director of the Queer Cultural Center, Fresh Meat Productions, and Frameline and as as a panelist for the California Arts Council and MAP Fund. In addition to grant writing, Krista
  has also led strategic planning processes for NAKA Dance Theater, Foglifter Press, Queer Rebels Productions, Still Here Productions, and 3Girls Theatre, and serves as a speaker, workshop facilitator, and coach with a focus on grant writing, artistic programming, organizational development, and racial and cultural equity.

AKHIL JOONDEPTH
INTERN

Akhil Joondepth (he/they) is a dancer, dance teacher, student, and choreographer from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently based in Connecticut, where he studies Anthropology and Dance at Wesleyan University.

As a dancer, Akhil has trained extensively in Odissi and other indigenous South Asian dance forms, as well as various other disciplines, including contemporary, modern, and hip hop. In his work, he strives to find connections between the various artistic disciplines he has studied, while opening and embodying questions and stories pertinent to today’s world. He is particularly interested in exploring critical and diverse perspectives on modern South Asia, and conjuring these critiques through modes of whole-body practice like dance. Akhil has performed in the U.S., Canada, and India, and at venues including the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the Golden State Warriors pre-game, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the San Francisco Pride Festival, and many others. He currently performs and collaborates with Ishami Dance Company in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Akhil is currently an intern with World Arts West, working on strategy, archival research, and more for the organization. He hopes to bring his perspective as a young professional dancer to the World Arts West team, as well as his research background and extensive experience in journalism.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

VICTOR TORRES
CHAIR

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 serves as Chair for World Arts West (a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that supports the cultural arts). He is President of 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.

HERNA CRUZ-LOUIE
VICE-CHAIR

Herna (pronounced “Er-Na”) Cruz-Louie is the Director and Co-Founder for the
American Center of Philippine Arts (ACPA), based in Oakland, CA. Herna’s exposure to Philippine dance and music started at the age of 5, when she learned Philippine cultural dances to perform at local town fiestas. In 1995, she graduated from learning Philippine dance in garages and backyards to becoming a performer with PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company of San Diego, CA and eventually became an instructor for music by the age of 18. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2000, she performed with LIKHA-Pilipino Folk Ensemble as a musician and became their Executive Director from 2005-2008.

For over 20 years, Herna has performed and collaborated with many dance companies, organizations, schools, and individual artists such as KulArts and Alleluia Panis, Sydney Loyola, Barangay Dance Company, Kawayan Folk Arts, Kariktan Dance Company, Parangal Dance Company, Patrick Landeza, Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) of SFSU, Asian Pacific American Youth Promoting Advocacy & Leadership (AYPAL), Mga Kapatid of UC Davis, Kasamahan of USF, Little Manila Dance Collective of Stockton, and more.

Herna has over 15 years working as an administrator and youth program practitioner for nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA, Coaching Corps (formerly Team-Up for Youth), San Francisco Community Health Center (formerly Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center), Kearny Street Workshop, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. She also spent 7 years in human resources with tech start-ups (Circle of Moms and Tightrope Interactive, Inc.) in San Francisco. She currently serves as Chief Organization & People Officer at Girl Scouts of Northern California and leads the organization’s human resources, member success, retail, marketing and communications, organizational effectiveness, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives.

Herna was awarded as one of Filipina Women's Network’s 100 Most Influential Filipinas in 2011, and was a featured Asian American Studies Alumna of San Francisco State University in 2014. She completed her Masters in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University in 2015, and completed her Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University in 2020. Herna is a Girl Scout troop leader, and proudly raising 2 daughters with her husband in Oakland, CA.

KIAZI MALONGA
SECRETARY

  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.

CARMEN ROMAN
TREASURER

Carmen Roman is a dancer, choreographer, educator, filmmaker, scholar, and the founding artistic director of Cunamacué, an Oakland based dance company which promotes the continuity of Afro-Peruvian culture not as a point in time, but as a living, vibrant and evolving form whose music and dance can be used as a means of contemporary expression. Raised both in Lima, Peru, and in the San Francisco Bay Area her work is deeply rooted in Afro-Peruvian dance vocabulary and also uses movements inspired by other dances of the African Diaspora and modern dance.

Her article, “The Danced Spirituality of African Descendants in Peru”, was published in a special edition of the African Performance Review (2013). In 2015-2016 Carmen was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Dance to Peru to research Afro-Peruvian dance through practice, performance, and observation. Her dance documentary “Herencia de Un Pueblo (Inheriting a Legacy )” shot in El Carmen, Peru, was awarded Best Documentary and Best Cinematography at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival (2016) and has screened in various cities across the U.S. and internationally in England, Tanzania, and Canada. In 2018 she was part of NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. In 2019 she was awarded the Mythili Kumar Emerging Artist Award and was commissioned to create new work for the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

Carmen has been teaching dance for over ten years to children and adults in the Bay Area and in rural communities in El Salvador and Peru. She holds a BA in Dance from San Francisco State University and an MFA in Dance from Mills College.

Carmen also holds a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting and currently owns a tax preparation and bookkeeping LLC. She is excited to be joining the board at World Arts West.

BLANCHE BROWN
BOARD MEMBER

Blanche Brown 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.

SAMAD GUERRA
BOARD MEMBER

Samad Raheem Guerra is a director, multidisciplinary performing artist and arts educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received his BA in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA in 2014. During this year, he was also awarded a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad scholarship to study Arabic Gnawa culture in Morocco. He collaborated with local artists on a multimedia project which was featured in his thesis work. Since graduating, he has worked as a teaching artist, program coordinator at a youth homeless shelter and toured internationally with CONTRA-TIEMPO ACTIVIST DANCE THEATER. He has also performed at the Hollywood Bowl and Ford Amphitheater with Viver Brasil and Sergio Mendes, and co-produced his own work at the LACMA, Main Museum in downtown Los Angeles, Hamburger Bahnhof and daadgalerie in Berlin, Germany.

Currently, Guerra directs the World Dance Department at Ruth Asawa School of Arts, an audition-based public high school in San Francisco. He is also in the process of receiving a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Dance at CSU East Bay as a part of California’s first cohort. When Guerra is not teaching or working on art projects, he enjoys spending time in the wilderness, at the beach and with loved ones. He finds it very healing to be in nature and goes on hikes to escape city life. A big part of his healing practice also includes the ancient practice of sweating, which involves prayer and meditation. Being inside the sweat lodge has helped him stay grounded and connect to his higher purpose in life, which is to work with children and make art that inspires positive change in the world. He is grateful to the community of Navajo elders and teachers who introduced him to the practice and continue to be a source of inspiration in his life. Aho Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (To All My Relations). Às̩ e̩ (So, Will It Be).

VIJAY PALAPARTY
BOARD MEMBER

Vijay Palaparty is the founder and co-artistic director of Spilling Ink, which offers a forum for critical and sensory investigation into the process of making dance. The organization is recognized for its contemporary classic style, supported by modern interpretations of tradition. With a penchant for curiosity and questioning, he has developed an exceptional method and approach to create meaningful artistic and cultural experiences.

The purpose of what Vijay does is rooted in why he founded Spilling Ink. When something is spilled, it really has no control. It is fresh and different each time. How the spill is addressed is what is interesting. He has received recognition for this approach, its genesis, and its impact from organizations including the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which awarded him five artist fellowships, along with a Young Artist Program award, and critical project support grants.

Community is a core value for Vijay, and he creates art to be in engagement with members of many communities. Vijay is channeling work with community development and engagement in his pursuit of a master’s degree in international affairs at The New School, where he is also a teaching fellow in the Schools of Public Engagement and the Parsons School of Design. Vijay earned bachelor’s and master’s degree in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University, where he also received a master’s degree in literary and cultural studies. He completed his M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. Vijay has a parallel career in communications and community development at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Vijay’s training in the classical South Indian dance form Bharatanatyam began with Padma Rajagopal from Nupur Anjali School of Dance. He continued his study of Bharatantayam with Sudharani Raghupathy from Shree Bharatalaya. He also studied classical South Indian Kuchipudi with K. Uma Rama Rao from Lasya Priya.