LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis appointed Marty Preciado to the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) Board of Governors.
“The work I do to advance investments in arts and culture is not done alone,” said Supervisor Solis. “It is only made possible through advocates such as Marty. For over a decade, she has championed cultural equity in LA County. From establishing creative placemaking initiatives to developing strategic community partnerships, her work to advance cultural policies has deepened representation and access between art institutions and Angelenos. I am honored to appoint Marty as a Governor to the NHMLAC Board of Governors and know that her position there will resoundingly advance and enrich engagement.”
Preciado is a creative programmer, cultural policy advocate, and community leader at the intersection of arts and policy. She currently works for an arts organization where she leads collaboration with culture-bearing organizations, stakeholders, and civic offices to serve Angelenos across LA County. She previously served as the Program Manager at Grand Park. In this role, she developed and executed more than 150 public programs annually, managed the county-allocated programming budget, and sustained more than 70 relationships with community stakeholders and government agencies to conceptualize programming that reflects the needs of constituents. Preciado is a graduate of the Implementing Public Policy Program 2020 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition, she is a graduate of the Executive Program in Arts & Culture at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice.
“I believe art, cultural organizations, and artists are the heartbeat of social, economic, and cultural equity to build community under the weight of exclusionary social systems. I am committed to LA County and will continue to work towards advancing cultural equity for Angelenos,” said Preciado. As a Governor of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, I will build upon the cultural policy efforts of Supervisor Solis to ensure Angelenos are impacted by the transformational power of the arts and culture. As the daughter of working-poor immigrants, it is a great honor to uplift and center communities including those that have been historically excluded and marginalized. My vision and values will usher in actions that seek the benefit for all Angelenos.”
The NHMLAC includes the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park, and the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall. The museums hold one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history—more than 35 million objects. Using these collections for groundbreaking scientific and historical research, the museums also incorporate them into on- and offsite nature and culture exploration in LA County neighborhoods, and a slate of community science programs—creating indoor-outdoor visitor experiences that explore the past, present, and future.
The NHMLAC is a public-private partnership between the non-profit Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation and the County of Los Angeles. The Foundation Board of Trustees appoints most of its members, with members of the County-appointed Board of Governors also serving as Trustees so that the Board can provide unified museum oversight, policy, and governance. The museums’ operational revenue base is derived from public funding, secured by a contractual agreement with the County, as well as private funding, in the form of gifts, grants, and museum enterprises.
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