"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

Staff

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Marika Garcia, Director of Development

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. 415.391.1474 ext. 315

Shonda Moore, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications

SHONDA MOORE, INTERIM 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. 415.391.1474 ext. 303

mariana Aq’ab’al moscoso, Senior Program Officer

mariana 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.

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Rick Noguchi, President and CEO

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. 415.391.1474 ext. 302

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Nancy Olivares, Government Relations and Community Outreach Manager

NANCY OLIVARES, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH MANAGER

Nancy is based in Los Angeles, California, where she assists with advocacy efforts on the state and national level and with outreach to communities throughout California. Previously, she served as a public policy fellow at UCLA Pritzker Center for Children & Families, and as a consultant for the ACLU of Southern California’s Education Equity Project. Nancy’s work with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis’s office and with The Children’s Partnership nonprofit have also contributed to her deep experience with advocacy and community outreach work. She received her master’s in Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and grew up in East Los Angeles. 415.391.1474 ext. 305

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Zuriel Ortiz, Board and Executive Coordinator

ZURIEL ORTIZ, BOARD AND EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR

Zuriel is based in Riverside, where he assists the President and CEO with the coordination of 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, and 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. 415.391.1474 

Elisa Kutza, Database & Grants Manager

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. 415.391.1474 ext. 308

Beth Segura stands in a garden area.
Beth Segura, Operations Coordinator

BETH SEGURA, OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Beth joined California Humanities in 2021, after working several years in public education administration and operations. She has lived across the state of California her entire life: in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, along the coast in Santa Barbara, in the desert of San Diego county, and in the urban San Francisco Bay Area. She has a background in visual and performing arts and is thrilled to support the valuable work of humanities-based programs across the state. In her spare time, Beth enjoys sitting in coffee shops (ideally with a cat in her lap), dancing, and getting lost in a variety of art, literature, and music. 415.391.1474 ext. 312

✦ Board of Directors

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