Dear La Peña Community,
La Peña Cultural Center’s Board of Directors is very pleased to announce the hiring of a new executive director, Aaron Lorenz. Aaron will replace our going director Kristen Sbrogna. Just as Kristen has done, Aaron will continue La Peña’s practice of arts education, artists collaborations and developing community through the arts and social justice programming.
Aaron is no stranger to La Peña. He grew up in Oakland not far from La Peña and frequented La Peña as a child. His mother was a La Peña staff-person during the 1980s. After high school, Aaron attended NYU and received his BA in Theater and MA in Performance Studies while working in after-school as a theater literacy teacher with several non-profits and arts organizations in New York City. He later received his PhD in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. Aaron is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and French and has taught Portuguese and Spanish at the collegiate level. He is the author of several articles about Post-Testimonio discourse, urban violence, and the drug trade in Colombia and Brazil. Aaron is also a practicing musician and a practitioner of Capoeira Angola.
Aaron has lived, studied, worked, and traveled in Latin America, Europe, and all over the US. He is honored to help preserve La Peña’s Latin American roots, expand its international and multicultural outlook, and promote inclusive and dynamic programming that works towards positive social change. He looks forward to meeting with members of the La Peña community in the coming months to synthesize La Peña’s ongoing role as a catalyst in the Bay Area and globally.
Please join us in welcoming Aaron Lorenz.
Aaron will be on board in time for our June anniversary events. La Peña will host a meet and greet during our anniversary kickoff weekend, Sunday June 7, from 4 – 6 pm. Come by and say hello!
Paul Chin
For the La Peña Board of Directors