our staff

Managing Director

Luis (he/him) is a transplant from the garlic capitol of the world, Gilroy, California. He has experience on stage and behind the curtain, helping artists and professionals become prepared for what they do best. He was the Director of Guest Relations for several seasonal events across California for six years. His many roles consisted of resource allocation for artists, managing venue space for thousands of visitors, event and finance planning. He is currently going to school and working part-time at one of our local hospitals. Luis enjoys creative writing and spending time with his two cats.

Community and Program Development Director

Abrecia is a community-focused leader and cultural strategist with a B.S. in Sociology-Ethnic Studies and extensive experience in nonprofit governance, artistic direction, and cross-cultural collaboration. As Vice President of the Board at the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis, she supports inclusive, artist-centered programming through strategic leadership and community engagement. She continues to build spaces where identity, storytelling, and community intersect, bringing people together through movement, shared heritage, and intentional collaboration.

Founder, Co-Manager

Jackie (she/her) founded the Center for Performing Arts in 1995 and is part of the team that manages the CFPA community.  An artist, educator, and administrator, she works in a variety of capacities including artistic development, outreach, and strategic planning. A practicing artist of Armenian descent, her most recent work explores ceremony, movement and text. Jackie has a PhD in Performance Studies from NYU and  has led and taught in higher education and non-profit educational organizations for many years.