The Arizona Commission on the Arts announced today that long-time board member Ruben E. Alvarez has been appointed to the board of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), a professional association of the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
“I look forward to working with the leadership of NASAA to help advance the organization’s goals and to also help grow support for arts in Arizona at the national level,” Alvarez said of the appointment.
Ruben E. Alvarez is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Molera Alvarez, LLC, a government relations and public affairs firm based in Phoenix, and a dedicated arts advocate who serves as President of the board of directors for CALA Alliance (CelebraciĂłn ArtĂstica de las AmĂ©ricas) and a member of the Phoenix Art Museum’s board of trustees.
As a member of NASAA’s board of directors, Alvarez will serve alongside an impressive and diverse cohort of arts leaders and advocates from across the country.
“Ruben is the best! We are so grateful for Ruben’s wisdom and leadership here in Arizona, and thrilled that he will now share his deep knowledge of arts and culture in our region with the rest of the country via service on NASAA’s national board,” said Jaime Dempsey, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
Prior to forming Molera Alvarez in 2003, Alvarez worked in the State of Arizona’s Executive branch for 12 years. Notable is his role as the Governor’s Policy Advisor for Mexico and Hispanic Affairs. In this role, Alvarez managed the state’s relationship with Mexican government officials and provided leadership direction on key bi-national issues, cross border trade activities and initiatives targeting the needs of the Hispanic community. Before becoming Policy Advisor, Alvarez served as the Governor’s Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity where he was responsible for developing greater communication links between state agencies and underrepresented communities to disseminate information on contracting and employment opportunities.
Alvarez was initially appointed to serve on the board of the Arizona Commission on the Arts in August 2012 by Governor Jan Brewer. Since then he has been reappointed for two additional three-year terms by Governor Doug Ducey.
