Josefa González Mariscal, a 2018 graduate of the Bush School’s online Executive Master of Public Service and Administration program (EMPSA), has been named Executive Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The center showcases Latinx and Hispanic art and culture from across the world and is home to three performing arts theaters, a dynamic art museum, research library, genealogy center, restaurant, and one of the largest concave murals in North America.
At the NHCC, González Mariscal will work with staff directors to create, develop, and implement programs; manage a staff that works in the areas of administration, history and literary arts, performing arts, and visual arts; advocate for funding of the center’s programs and assist the NHCC Foundation with fundraising initiatives; and raise the profile of the NHCC locally, nationally, and internationally.
“The National Hispanic Cultural Center has a great opportunity to become a leader in the culture sector as it pertains to the Hispanic/Latinx/Latin American culture,” González Mariscal said. “I’m passionate about promoting and preserving Latinx and Latin American cultural heritage and, even more so, educating the community about it.”
González Mariscal has developed her expertise in arts and culture through a career that’s included work for national and international museums and corporate collections. She previously worked for the Mexican Consulate in Houston, promoting Hispanic culture by organizing concerts, events, lecture series, and more. Most recently, she owned her own fine arts appraisal and consulting firm in Houston, where she did work for or counted among her clients the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
She takes the helm of the NHCC during a time in which many museums and cultural institutions are facing uncertainty due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. As centers across the country, including the NHCC, remain closed to the public, among her first tasks will be to safely reopen the facility and ensure it’s short- and long-term financial well-being.
González Mariscal credits the Executive Master’s program at the Bush School for helping to prepare her to face these challenges head-on.
“The EMPSA degree from the Bush School gave me the tools to professionally tackle these issues,” Mariscal Gonzalez said. “The financial situation created by the lockdown is a main concern in all cultural institutions worldwide, and the NHCC is no exception. But the EMPSA is a rigorous program, and I’m grateful for that.
“As budget adjustments are made, the financial management training I received at the Bush School prepared me to approach this with the idea that, in addition to addressing these issues, we can also find opportunities to reevaluate our various programs and come up with new ways to fulfill the organization’s strategic plan. The challenges are real, but it’s an exciting time.”
