NICA DENNIS, OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Nica is based in Oakland, where she supports the California Humanities mission through her background in operations and marketing for mission-driven organizations and tech firms. A performing artist and educator, she holds a Bachelor in Music from San Francisco State University. Nica has collaborated with premier Bay Area groups such as the San Francisco Symphony and Volti, and maintains a long-standing relationship producing events with celebrated Bay Area organization Living Jazz. A lifelong Californian, she is endlessly fascinated by the richness and diversity of the state’s history and culture. Nica is an amateur photographer and avid hiker who can often be found enjoying the Bay Area’s world-class parks and trails.
MARIKA GARCIA, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Marika is based in Marysville, California. Previously, she served as a Development Officer for Sutter County, where she supported fundraising goals for Sutter County Library and the Sutter County Museum. During this time, Marika was selected to participate as part of California Humanities’ 2022 Library Innovation Lab cohort, where she designed and implemented “New Neighbors,” a series of Farsi and English podcasts to engage and share resources for Afghan immigrant women throughout the Yuba-Sutter region. Previous positions also include as a Development Manager with Young Audiences of Northern California, based in San Francisco, and serving as the Executive Director for the Marysville-based arts agency Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture.
JESSICA JARMILLO, LIBRARY INNOVATION LAB PROJECT MANAGER
Jessica Jaramillo is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her career in libraries in 2007 at the County of Los Angeles Public Library and has served adults, teens, and children; yes, even getting her wiggles out with storytime audiences in Los Angeles County and in San Francisco at the San Francisco Public Library, where she worked both as a children’s librarian and as a branch manager. Jessica currently divides her time between serving as the Library Innovation Lab Project Manager at California Humanities and as a librarian at the Mechanics’ Institute. She is passionate about serving library users and the power of libraries to positively impact their local communities. She is excited to work with the upcoming cohort in the Library Innovation Lab.
ELISA KUTZA, DATABASE AND GRANTS MANAGER
Elisa joined California Humanities in 2025. Based in the Bay Area, Elisa is a certified Salesforce Administrator passionate about empowering nonprofits through technology. Drawing on her MA in Public Service Administration from DePaul University, she enjoys bridging the gap at mission-driven organizations by implementing functional technical solutions. Her nonprofit experience includes working at an arts organization, a federal health clinic, and a community center, where Elisa specialized in streamlining operations and improving data management systems. She enjoys traveling, visiting museums and Broadway shows, and going to K-Pop concerts with her kids in her free time.
SHONDA MOORE, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Based in Elk Grove, CA, Shonda Moore brings over 16 years of experience in communications, marketing, and strategic brand development. She has a proven track record of elevating visibility and engagement for mission-driven organizations, including building the marketing department at a charter school management organization and founding We Brand U Social to modernize branding and digital outreach for nonprofits and schools. Shonda holds a Master of Management in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications. She is passionate about storytelling and creating impactful strategies to connect audiences, and she is excited to bring her expertise to California Humanities.
mariana Aq’ab’al moscoso, SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER
mariana moscoso (ja’/elle/they) is a nonbinary reconnecting Indigenous queer of Achi (Maya), Nicānāhuac, and Afro-Indigenous roots living on the traditional lands of the Nisenan, Maidu, Miwok, and Pawtin peoples. They are a cultural practitioner, storyteller, digital artist, zine maker, and emerging weaver whose work centers Maya Cosmology. A poet and published writer, their work appears in Mujeres de Maiz en Movimiento and Weaving Our Stories: Return to Belonging. Mariana’s experience spans arts administration, research, and evaluation, with a commitment to justice in the arts and culture sector. They co-created Toj + Tijax: The Ritual of Myth Making, an Indigenous queer healing space. Their practice weaves storytelling, ancestral wisdom, and community connections.
RICK NOGUCHI, PRESIDENT AND CEO
Rick joined California Humanities as its President and CEO in 2023. Previously, Rick served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, where he led the strategic direction of the museum and oversaw programs and external relations. Positions at the James Irvine Foundation and California Community Foundation have contributed to his extensive experience in programming, planning, fundraising, management, and strategic grantmaking, while an early professional experience at Arizona Humanities kickstarted a career-long dedication to the public humanities. Rick earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and serves on the board of the California Association of Museums. He is also a published poet, children’s book author, and avid surfer.
ZURIEL ORTIZ, BOARD AND EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR
Zuriel is based in Riverside, where he assists the President and CEO with coordinating Board of Directors affairs and executive administration. Previously, he served as the Marketing and Communications Assistant at Californians for the Arts, and as an Archival Intern at Claremont Graduate University. He has an MA in Arts Management and an MA in Archival Studies from Claremont Graduate University, as well as a BA in Art History from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2022, Zuriel worked with Dr. Romeo Guzmán, an Assistant Professor of History at Claremont Graduate University, on the California Humanities-supported public history and archive project, East of East: Mapping Community Narratives in South El Monte and El Monte. Zuriel enjoys reading, watching horror films, weight training, and visiting museums.
AKIB RAHMAN, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH MANAGER
Akib is based in Los Angeles, where he supports California Humanities’ government relations and community outreach efforts. Previously, he served as Policy Coordinator at Arts for LA, advancing arts and culture policy initiatives across Los Angeles County. He has also worked with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Liberty Hill Foundation, UCLA’s Center for Middle East Development, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Akib holds a Master of Public Policy from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. He is passionate about civic engagement, community advocacy, and connecting people through storytelling and public service.
VANESSA WHANG, PROGRAMS STRATEGY ADVISOR
Vanessa is a consultant serving as Programs Strategy Advisor, based in Oakland, CA. She previously served as Director of Programs at California Humanities, where she stewarded the program department and led statewide initiatives such as Searching for Democracy and War Comes Home. Vanessa played a lead role in program design and strategy for the Bay Area Creative Corps, Just City Cultural Fund, and Oakland’s Cultural Strategists-in-Government Program. She has consulted for many philanthropies including the Ford Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, and served as a director at the National Endowment for the Arts. Currently, she chairs the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission.