Mexican Heritage Plaza

About Us

Staff Roster

Marcela Davison Avilés - President and CEO

A first generation Mexican-American, Marcela is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School. She has served as counsel in the areas of banking, motion pictures, television and stage production, with specific experience in the areas of corporate, copyrights, contracts, and bank regulatory law. Prior to her position with the Mexican Heritage Plaza, she served as Executive Director of the Latino Community Foundation in San Francisco. Formerly, she served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Blackboard Entertainment. Her background also includes consulting and corporate legal experience in the bank regulatory area with both Federal and state agencies, law firm practice, non-profit Board membership in arts and education and extensive press and public speaking experience.

Ben Tan - Consulting Director of Finance

Benjamin Tan, our CFO, holds an MBA in finance and organizational development, from Loyola Marymount. His experience as a senior executive in financial management spans 29 years and covers both the non-profit sector and the corporate world. Ben’s previous CFO assignments include positions with United Way of Silicon Valley (where he was instrumental in assisting that agency’s recovery) Ketzal Community Development Corporation, and Asian American Recovery Services. Ben’s experience also includes work in data systems petroleum engineering in the oil industry, as well as a university teaching and research. He has published in the areas of budgeting and planning and also written on the topic of interpretation financials for non-finance professionals. He is also the author of scientific publications in the areas of oil exploration. He served as a volunteer at the Board level as treasurer of the Northern California Community Loan Fund and is currently serving as Treasurer of Ketzal Community Development Corporation.

Sofia Fojas - Director of Mariachi Arts Education  

Sofia Fojas, a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is in her twelfth year of teaching. She started as a strings specialist for the Lincoln Unified in Stockton. For the last seven years, she has been the orchestra and mariachi director at Hoover Middle School, Lincoln High School and San Jose High Academy as Director of Orchestras and Mariachi for San Jose Unified. Ms. Fojas has been an ardent music advocate at the local level in CMEA Bay Section and the California Orchestra Directors' Association, and nationally, on the State Board for the American Teachers' Association. In her spare time, Ms. Fojas has begun the process of acquiring a Master's in Music Education from San Jose State University. With regard to mariachi education, her work with mariachi youth education has extended to this position as the director of mariachi arts education with the Mexican Heritage Corporation.

Leigh Henderson - Managing Director

Leigh joined the MHC staff in the summer of 2007 after earning her MBA from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her work experience spans most areas of theatre production and administration, as well as much of the United States. She spent eight years as the Production and Company Manager at the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre in Colorado, two years working in the Development department at Madison Repertory Theatre in Wisconsin, and recently completed a financial consulting project for Theatreworks here in the bay area. Holding a BFA in theatrical design and production from Carnegie Mellon University, she has also designed scenery and lighting for hundreds of productions in New York City, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, and throughout the bay area. She has particularly enjoyed working in this capacity with MHC’s Resident Arts Partner, Teatro Vision, for whom she has designed numerous shows including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Conjunto, Drive my Coche, and Visitor’s Guide to Arivaca.

Tony Ferrigno - Artistic Director of Grupo Folklórico, Los Lupeños de San José

Ferrigno has been involved in many aspects of Mexican folklórico dance since 1978 as a performer, instructor, choreographer, and director. He has enriched his knowledge of the genre by attending domestic conferences and workshops, as well as traveling to México to collect source information. Ferrigno served on the Board of Directors of the Asociación Nacional de Grupos Folklóricos (ANGF) for one year and presided over the statewide Danzantes Unidos Festival (DUF) Committee for two years. He has also been active in the dissemination of his art, having directed two DU Festivals in San José and taught at seven others. A dancer with Los Lupeños de San José from 1979-1994 and Artistic Director from 1996-2000 and 2003-present, Ferrigno produced their 30th and 35th Anniversary performances and more recently four distinct dance concerts: Muertos y Máscaras, Aventura Tropical, Sones y Jarabes, and Amor de Madre.

Monica Ramos - Program Coordinator, Mariachi and Folklorico Festival

Monica Ramos has been associated with the Mexican Heritage Corporation and the San Jose Mariachi Festival since the festival's inception. She presently coordinates the Pee Wee mariachi program and the festival workshops and volunteer corp. Her years of experience and dedication to mariachi music and education have established her as a leader in the San Francisco Bay Area mariachi community.

Carlos Perez - Festival Art Director

This year the Mexican Heritage Plaza has commissioned Carlos Pérez to head-up the design team as the art director for the 17th Annual San José International Mariachi Festival.

For the past 33 years, Carlos has been a working artist and designer in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an artist he has exhibited locally, nationally and abroad in such places as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, Ill. and in 2006 Carlos exhibited in a group exhibition, titled Beyond the Likeness, at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. As an art director, Carlos has worked for Regis McKenna Advertising Agency, IBM Corporation and currently he and his wife Analisa co-own ArtOrigin, a visual marketing design agency in San José.

Carlos has received various honors and commissions including: a National Endowment, California Arts Council and Arts Council Silicon Valley art grant; a commission to create the Mexican Heritage Plaza logo; a commission to create The Maverick, a recipient award sculpture for the San José Cinequest Film Festival; a commission to create the Castro Middle School educational murals for the Moreland School District; a commission to create three large scale public art pieces for Evergreen Valley High School and a commission to create The Mocte, a recipient award glass sculpture for the International Latino Film Festival. This past year Carlos was commissioned by the Mexican Heritage Plaza to create a large scale mural that would depict the Hispanic visual art history, the result is now part of the Plaza's permanent collection.

Carlos is currently working on a commission that will honor the legacy of James P. McEntee, Sr., a life-long peacemaker in Santa Clara County. Scheduled to be completed in 2008.

Carlos lives and works in San José, California and can be reached for project considerations at: ArtOrigin@comcast.net

Maria Luisa Colmenarez - Program Director - Pee Wee Mariachi

Maria Luisa Colmenarez has served as Artistic Director for Danzantes del Alma de UC Davis, Latino de Woodland, Los Lupeños de San José, Alegria de San José, and many other folklórico companies. She has appeared as a performer in six seasons of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, is a National Endowment for the Arts Folk Arts grant recipient, a former California Arts Council Artist-in-Residence, and has served as a CAC Dance Grant Panelist. She is the current President of the federal nonprofit organization, Danzantes Unidos, and has served as the Statewide Coordinator for Danzantes Unidos' Folkórico-On-Wheels Project. She is a faculty member of the Las Cruces International Mariachi Festival in New Mexico and currently serves as a consultant for folklórico companies throughout California.

17th Annual Mariachi Festival Staff

Jose Ronstadt - Master of Ceremonies

Described as "a man who uses wit, enthusiasm and knowledge to make things happen," José A. Ronstadt is well known in the Latino community not only for his television background, but also for his long activism on behalf of Hispanic causes.
His extensive career in international, national and local television has provided him with experience both as a top-level executive, public speaker and as a television personality. Most recently he was inducted into the International Mariachi Hall of Fame.

Mr. Ronstadt currently serves as news anchor for "Conteo Informativo" and "Noticias 22" on KWHY-TV 22/ NBC/Telemundo, Monday thru Friday at 7p.m. and 10 p.m. There he was recently awarded three Golden Mikes for "Best Hard News Reporting - Chavez Ravine," "Best Light News Reporting - The Million Dollar Theatre" and "Best Live Reporting - The Chalino Sanchez Riots." Mr. Ronstadt has also acted as host and producer of a number of television shows and network specials, among them: "Hola America," (Univision) a live international show which combined fun and games with the most serious content, reflecting Mr. Ronstadt's personality, "Voces Del Pueblo" (Univision) which united for the first time the communities of San Antonio, Texas, New York, Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California in a national town hall dedicated to the most critical Hispanic issues. Other Television shows hosted by Mr. Ronstadt include "Temas & Debates," (Univision) "Tiempo de Accion," (Independent Television) "Primera Plana," (Univision Texas) "Contrapunto," (Univision Arizona) and "The Tucson International Mariachi Conference." (Univision)

Mr. Ronstadt served as Host and Executive producer of Telemundo KVEA-TV, Channel 52's morning news and entertainment program titled "Hola Los Angeles." This program covered a variety of topics ranging from the latest news and Latino issues to sports, entertainment and much more. Mr. Ronstadt also served as the senior anchor of KVEA-TV, Channel 52's newscast "Noticiero Telemundo 52." There Mr. Ronstadt was awarded the Golden Mike for "Best Half Hour Newscast in California" and the Golden Mike for "Best Commentary" in Television in California.

Mr. Ronstadt served as host and MC for a number of events, including The Tucson International Mariachi Conference, Las Cruces Mariachi Festival, The Mexican Heritage Plaza Annual Mariachi Festival, National Council of La Raza Annual Banquet, The San Antonio Mexican-American Physicians' Annual fund raiser, Xicanindio's Celebrity Fund-raising Dinner, Hispanic Charity Ball, Madres De El Este de Los Angeles Santa Isabel Annual Scholarship Banquet, New Horizons Annual Fundraising Gala and Valentine's Annual Auction and Chicanos Por La Causa Annual Fund-raising Banquet. Arizona State University announced in 2006 the naming of the José Ronstadt Outstanding Undergraduate and Graduate Student Awards for his contributions to academics and Latinos at the university.

Paula Smuin - Concert Director

Paula Tracy-Smuin is proud to be returning to the 17th Annual Mariachi Festival.

Her credits also include: Director of Linda Ronstadt's touring shows, Fiesta Mexicana and Más Canciones; Concert Director for the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference; Director of Mariachi Concerts in Tucson, Washington, D.C. (Constitution Hall), San Gabriel and Oxnard; Director of the Hollywood Women's Political Committee Benefit starring Barbara Streisand and Bette Midler; consultant for the Primer Encuentro del Mariachi in Guadalajara, México, the California Arts Council and Ballet San José of Silicon Valley.

Choreography credits include the films Jack (Robin Williams and Jennifer Lopez), Twins (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito), Tucker (Jeff Bridges) and Class Action (Gene Hackman).

As a dancer, she has performed with the American Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Ballet, and on Broadway, television and in films. She has staged ballets for Ballet San José, Dance Theatre of Harlem, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Florida and Ballet West.

Her enthusiasm and professionalism have shaped our presentations and given San José a first-rate cultural experience.

Mariachi Cobre - Mariachi Workshop Faculty

At the end of the last century, while the representative music of Mexico was emerging in the State of Jalisco, in the United States the Mexican American residents continued to cultivate their traditions. Among them, music was one of the most valued aspect of their heritage. In 1964, in modern Tucson, a Catholic priest organized the first young mariachi group in the country. Later, in 1971, after having collaborated almost from the birth of the group, Randy Carrillo, a student, organized the Mariachi Cobre with the participation of his younger brother Steve, his friend Mack Ruiz, and musical arranger, Frank Grijalva. And this the beginning...in Tucson, Arizona of the spread of the music of Mexico throughout the world. This phase covers a quarter of a century, during which this extremely professional group of young Mexican American men (nearly all from Tucson) have sung the music of Mexico, not only in this country - they have become ambassadors in other countries as well through international television. Since 1982, Mariachi Cobre has delighted visitors to the internationally famous at EPCOT Center Disney World in Orlando, Fl. Before this, Mariachi Cobre was the creator in 1981, in its home town, of the International Mariachi Conference. This celebration is a concept that has spread to other cities in the United States where similar conferences are held. These have brought not only an exposure to the music of Mexico, but also the emergence of dozens of young groups of musicians and an increase in studies related to mariachi music. Mariachi Cobre has cultivated very special relations with the Mariachi Vargas and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, and have been accompanists for renowned artist such as: their compatriot Linda Ronstadt, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltran, Ana Gabriel, and Guadalupe Pineda, as well as Julio Iglesias, Jose Luis Rodriquez, Rocio Banquells, Vikki Carr, Beatriz Adriana, and other luminaries. The members of the Mariachi Cobre are distinguished representatives of their Mexican American families in Tucson and of the ancestral music of Mexico. The 25th anniversary celebration is a source of pride for the renowned Mariachi Cobre that, with the impulse of a strong tradition, promotes the music of Mexico from Tucson to the entire world.

José Tena - Adult Folklórico Workshop Instructor

Internationally acclaimed folklórico dancer and instructor José Tena, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, joins us again this year to teach the adult folklórico classes. José has been dancing for more than three decades on his forever young legs and has set thousands more in motion with his dance troupe of 27 years, the Ballet Folklórico Tierra del Encanto. José established the Ballet Folklórico to preserve the rich legacy of traditional regional Mexican dances through researching, recording, teaching and popularizing its diverse cultural heritage. He has been the recipient of several coveted supporting grants for his outstanding contribution to the arts, has been the subject of a bilingual children's book, "The Man Who Set the Town Dancing" by Candice Stanford and is on the Board of Directors for the International Mariachi Conference held in Las Cruces every November.