Rachel Garcia is the new Mexican Cultural Center Executive Director and her new role will require her to oversee the implementation of programs, exhibits, and events that showcase Mexico’s traditions and contemporary contributions, according to a release from the Mexican Cultural Center. Since 1992, the Mexican Cultural Center has worked in partnership with cultural, educational and other entities to promote and maintain Mexican culture throughout Colorado.
“I am honored to join the Mexican Cultural Center and contribute to its efforts in celebrating the vibrancy and diversity of Mexican culture and beyond. I look forward to collaborating with the team and engaging the community in meaningful ways that deepen cultural connections and foster mutual understanding and continue the mission of this well-respected institution,” said Garcia in the release.
In the past, Garcia worked in leadership roles in the private sector and in cultural and arts organizations. One of those organizations was Colectiva, a nonprofit organization with a mission to reclaim Latinx culture from appropriation and to ensure Latino, Black, Indigenous and people of color identifying creatives are compensated fairly. Garcia has a passion for fostering understanding and appreciation of Mexican heritage and has expertise in cultural programing, organizational leadership, event planning, community connections/outreach, and more. In the past, she also served as a board member for the Mexican Cultural Center.
Garcia graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver and has a Certificate in Executive Leadership with an emphasis on issues and challenges impacting the Latino community and a Certificate in Inclusive Leadership/ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility.
“Anyone who has ever spent five seconds with Rachel knows that she would make an excellent Executive Director of the Mexican Cultural Center. The Mexican-American community – and Latino communities at large – will directly benefit from Rachel’s enormous talent promoting arts and culture,” said Andrés Carrera, Board Member of the Mexican Cultural Center in the release.
The Mexican Cultural Center offers a variety of programming including “Latin beats,” or cultural sounds of traditional music augmented by the Colorado Symphony’s orchestration, Día del Niño, the day when children are honored in Mexico, and Día de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition that honors loved ones who have passed on. For those celebrations, the Mexican Cultural Center partners with other organizations like the Denver Botanic Gardens, Poudre Library in Fort Collins, Colorado History Museum, the Denver Public Library, and others to bring Mexican culture to the community. All of the Mexican Cultural Center’s programming is offered year-round and at little or no cost to the community.
The Mexican Cultural Center is celebrating 30 years of services this year. To learn more about the Mexican Cultural Center, visit mccdenver.org. To donate to the organization, visit https://coloradogives.org/organization/MexicanCulturalCenter-co.
