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Event Description

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) plays a crucial role at the intersection of arts and education, creating pathways to the creative economy for students from low-income and marginalized communities. LACCD serves more than 200,000 students across nine colleges annually, making it the largest community college district in the nation. The arts programs include visual and performing arts, and media, and reach tens of thousands of students annually through both open access and specialized programs.

Join the LA Arts Funders Group and the SCG Education Funders Group for an engaging and illuminating visit to LA Mission College. LA Mission College is now home to several state-of-the-art educational facilities, including the Arts, Media, and Performance (AMP) Art complex and the AMP Gallery. 

We will tour the AMP Gallery’s new exhibition of LA-based artists, meet with college leadership, and enjoy lunch together at the impressive Culinary Arts facility. Attendees will gain valuable insights into community college collaboration opportunities and new initiatives that may expand access to the arts and arts education in under-resourced areas while also exploring potential partnerships among funders to support these efforts.

About the Groups

LA Arts Funders is a peer learning group that provides opportunities for public and private sector grantmakers to deepen their knowledge of arts philanthropy, expand their professional networks, and explore topical issues affecting LA County's arts and culture ecosystem.

The Education Funders Group brings philanthropic funders together to learn about issues, trends, and needs in education (Pre-K through 12th grade) to inform individual and collective grantmaking. Members of the funder group propose ideas for topics and then work with the co-conveners to organize a learning session. Over the years, the group has explored various topics, including early childhood education, after-school programming, parent engagement, blended learning, linked learning, STEM, implementation of the common core, and college access/college success.

Speakers

Photo of Kelly King.

Kelly King SCG Member

Executive Director, Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges

As Executive Director of the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges, Kelly King leads programs and philanthropic partnerships that support the 200,000+ students and diverse communities served by the Los Angeles Community College District.

Most recently King served as Senior Program Officer for Education at the California Community Foundation where she managed large-scale efforts to advance a more equitable education system in Los Angeles County, with a special focus on postsecondary access and attainment.

Before joining CCF in 2015, King was Executive Vice President at Focusing Philanthropy where she developed and managed a national portfolio of philanthropic investments that included education, health access, and workforce development. King began her career in the education and nonprofit sector at the Scripps College Academy, leading the college access program to national recognition.

King received a bachelor’s degree in politics and public policy analysis from Scripps College, and a master’s degree in education policy, evaluation, and reform from Claremont Graduate University.
Headshot of Dr. Ornelas with brown hair and wearing a white jacket and gold earrings

Armida Ornelas

President, Los Angeles Mission College

Dr. Ornelas has dedicated her career to advocating for immigrant rights, educational equity, and ensuring access to higher education. For over 25 years she has been dedicated to quality instructional programs that would lead to transfer, credential attainment, and career opportunities for community college students. In her tenure at the Los Angeles Community College District, Dr. Ornelas served as a faculty member in political science and served as the vice president of instruction at East Los Angeles College before becoming president of Los Angeles Mission College in 2021. Dr. Ornelas was raised in East Los Angeles and is a proud graduate of Garfield High School. She went on to pursue her undergraduate studies at UCLA and graduated with a double major in Chicana/o Studies and Sociology. Later, she earned her master’s degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago and her doctorate from the UCLA School of Education. She is on the boards of Valley Economic Alliance and the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, among others.
Photo of Stephania Ramirez.

Stephania Ramirez SCG Member

CEO, Perenchio Foundation

Stephania Ramirez is the Chief Executive Officer of the Perenchio Foundation, a major philanthropic organization in Los Angeles. Through strategic grantmaking, the Perenchio Foundation is dedicated to fortifying Los Angeles arts and cultural organizations, a pillar of the creative sector and the regional economy. As a Mexican immigrant, Stephania brings a deep commitment to the Foundation’s mission of increasing access to the arts for historically undercapitalized communities.

Stephania’s extensive experience in philanthropy includes nearly a decade in a variety of strategic roles at California Community Foundation. There, she led the Foundations’ centennial initiative and spearheaded the 2020 US Census “We Count LA” campaign, the largest community outreach effort in the nation, which included the development and fundraising of a $30+ million pooled fund. She also led the Fellowship for Visual Artists program to support artists who live, work, and create in LA County. In addition to initiating COVID-19 pandemic response efforts and partnerships with local and state governments, she launched the LA Arts Relief & Recovery Fund to deliver resources directly to hard-hit community organizations, promoting cultural and economic recovery and restoring community wellbeing. The $40+ million fund represents a collaboration of local and national philanthropy and is the largest-ever pooled private investment for arts in LA County.

Previously, Stephania oversaw a $50 million portfolio of healthcare, science education, research, and STEM-related programming grants in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the launch of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis - an investment of over $100 million - on behalf the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Stephania serves on the board of the Center for Nonprofit Management and various advisory committees.
Headshot of Curtis Stage wearing a black jean jacket and glasses

Curtis Stage

Chair of Arts, Media, and Performance, Los Angeles Mission College

For over 20 years, Curtis Stage has been teaching innovative Media Arts techniques and concepts in higher education while also maintaining an active professional career. As Chair of Arts, Media, and Performance at LA Mission College, Stage works to provide high quality learning opportunities for students while also expanding access to the arts for community members in the San Fernando Valley. In addition to LA Mission College, Stage has taught Media Arts at Claremont Graduate University, Cal State Long Beach, University of La Verne and Cerritos College.

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