Staff

ACTA was founded and led by cultural workers and traditional artists who shared a belief that traditional artists make resilient communities, and cultural heritage practices are profoundly intertwined with community wellbeing. Get to know the dozens of staff who’ve helped to shape and grow ACTA, bringing deep expertise in cultural organizing, curation, ethnographic fieldwork, leadership development, and more.

Current ACTA Staff Members

  • Amy Kitchener

    Co-founder + Executive Director
    Since 1997

  • Suzanne Hildebrand

    Executive Assistant
    Since 2005

  • Kenya Curry

    Arts in Corrections Program Manager
    Since 2010

  • Jennifer Joy Jameson Merchant

    Associate Program Director + Media Director
    Since 2017

  • Betty Marín

    Associate Program Director
    Since 2018

  • Leticia Soto Flores

    Deputy Director
    Since 2022

  • Nathan Thammavong

    IT/Administrative Specialist
    Since 2023

  • Juhi Gupta

    Digital Media Specialist
    Since 2023

  • Aliah Najmabadi

    Program Manager
    Since 2023

  • Federico Zuniga, Jr.

    Program Manager
    Since 2024

Former Staff Members

Aileen R. Imperatrice
Administrative Assistant

Amy Lawrence
Director of Administration

Antonio Delfino
Arts in Corrections Program Manager

Beto González
Program Specialist

Carlene Chase
Administrative Assistant

Citlalli Chávez
Project Coordinator

Crystal Murillo
Executive Assistant

Cydney E. Moore
Administrative Assistant

Dan Faltz
Program Coordinator

Donna Middleton
Accounting Assistant

Helen Rael Giddens
Communications Assistant

Jasmin Temblador
Arts in Corrections Program Manager + Reentry Through the Arts Program Coordinator

Judy Iltis
Administrative Assistant

Julián Antonio Carrillo, PhD
Program Manager

Kim Nguyen
Administrative Assistant

Lily Kharrazi
Senior Advisor

Marcella Lopez Schmidt
Arts in Corrections Program Coordinator

Mari Isaacs Pongkhamsing
Archivist/Special Projects Coordinator

Marisa Martinez
Arts in Corrections Project Coordinator

Mark Hernandez
Director of Development

Mary MacGregor-Villarreal, PhD
Consulting Traditional Arts Specialist + Website Manager

Melody Takata
Program Manager

Missy Jessen
Administrative Assistant

Nayamín Martínez Cossío
Program Manager

Patricia Miye Wakida
Development + Donor Engagement Manager

Quetzal Flores
Program Manager

Sherwood Chen
Associate Director + Apprenticeship Program Manager

Shweta Saraswat-Sullivan, PhD
Media + Development Manager

Sonia Narang
Digital Media Specialist

Russell Rodríguez, PhD
Program Manager

Vicki Taylor, EdD
Operations and Finance Manager

PROJECT CREDITS

Project Consultant: Devon Smith, Measure Creative
Web Designer: Azusa Oda
Project Director: Jennifer Joy Jameson Merchant, ACTA

ACTA 25th Anniversary Project Staff:
Amy Kitchener, Executive Director
Leticia Soto Flores, Deputy Director
Jennifer Joy Jameson Merchant, Assoc. Program Director + Media Director
Juhi Gupta, Digital Media Specialist
Nathan Thammavong, IT/Admin. Specialist
Shweta Saraswat-Sullivan, Digital Media Specialist
Lily Kharrazi, Senior Advisor

  • “The ACTA staff is a treasure – they are skilled, passionate, and deeply committed to the work. And the authentic relationships that they establish with artists and culture bearers are key to our success.”

    Amy Kitchener, Co-Founder and Executive Director

  • “ACTA understands that our cultural values, traditional ceremonies, and memory sharing are the backbone of this state. ACTA has reawakened my own desire to always be in dialogue with my ancestors.”

    Patricia Wakida, ACTA’s first Development Manager

  • “The ACTA staff are so knowledgeable in their field, and so supportive of everything you do. It is heart-warming and mind-expanding how they communicate and guide you.”

    Jenny Bawer Young, Apprenticeship Program master artist