San Antonio, Texas, May 26, 2026 — The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is excited to share the 2026 NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI) fellows. This year’s cohort includes 14 arts leaders and cultural workers from around the U.S., across 10 states and Puerto Rico, working in 7 different artistic disciplines, including dance, literature, theatre, as well as visual, media, and interdisciplinary arts.
“We are thrilled to announce this year’s cohort of dynamic leaders serving our field,” said NALAC Director of Programs Cat Rodríguez. “The NLI provides a unique space where Latinx/é arts leaders and cultural workers can come together to connect, engage in critical conversations about current challenges, and ideate new ways of moving forward, together.”
The NALAC Leadership Institute (NLI) is an intensive weeklong professional development program for artists, arts administrators, and cultural workers. The Institute brings emerging and established arts administrators and cultural workers together from across the U.S., including Puerto Rico, for training in nonprofit arts management and leadership development.
The 2026 institute welcomes core faculty members Rosalba Rolón (Pregones/PRTT), Abel López (GALA Hispanic Theatre), Charles Rice-Gonzalez (BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance) and Evonne Gallardo (Senior Program Director for Community Partners), who will lead the fellows through an immersive curriculum of individual and group working sessions. Throughout the week, fellows will also meet with local arts leaders and visit cultural sites around the city.
The 2026 Institute will be hosted onsite at the UT San Antonio Downtown Campus in San Antonio, Texas, from July 18 -25, 2026.
Meet the 2026 NALAC Leadership Institute Fellows
Airdremaliz Ortiz Alers (Toa Alta, PR)
Victor Alexander (Schaumberg, IL)
Vanessa Andrea Urbina Bermúdez (Miami, FL)
Imelda Carrasco (San Francisco, CA)
Daniel Egusquiza (Reading, PA)
Alonso Indacochea (Corrales, NM)
Casie Lomeli (San Antonio, TX)
Jesús López-Jensen (Bronx, NY)
Giselle Manzano Ramirez (Saugerties, NY)
Mariana Gabriela Gongora Reyes (Centennial, CO)
Mónica S. Sánchez (Olive Branch, MS)
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About NALAC
The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is the nation’s premier nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development, and cultivation of the Latino arts field. For more information about NALAC and its programs, please visit www.nalac.org.