Announcing the 2023 Board Slate
Voting is Open!
WAA’s Board of Directors plays a vital role in our capacity to serve you — our members. Our board supports us in fulfilling our mission to advance excellence in the performing arts, through innovative thinking and ground-breaking initiatives, by anticipating the future needs of the field, and through sound governance and stewardship. Board rotations take place each year, and our members play an essential part in the process — from nominating candidates, to approving the slate.
All current WAA member organizations are eligible to vote in the election. The person designated to vote on behalf of your member organization will receive an email with their individual voting link and voting credentials when voting opens on Thursday, August 3. Voting closes on Saturday, September 2 at 11:59pm PT.
The results of the election will be presented at the 2023 Annual Membership Meeting which will be held in Seattle at the 2023 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference.
If you need to update your organization's designated voter or have other questions about the elections, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Need help renewing your membership? Get in touch with Lucy Taylor, our Membership & Communications Manager — she will be happy to assist you.
Learn more about the nominees below.
*Note: Your voting credentials are separate from your member portal credentials.
Meet the 2023 WAA Board Nominees
Rob Tocalino (he/him) | Mondavi Center, UC Davis
Secretary/Treasurer — (two-year term expiring 2025)
I am honored to serve the Western Arts Alliance community through my role on the Board of Directors. My tenure on the Board has coincided with both incredible growth in WAA’s offerings, and the long midnight of the COVID-19 pandemic. With new leadership in place, a brilliant and engaged staff and a return to one of our favorite conference cities, Seattle, WAA stands ready to meet challenges and embrace opportunities. As Secretary/Treasurer I look forward to working closely with leadership and the executive committee to ensure a solid financial foundation from which we will write the next chapter of WAA’s story.
Rob Tocalino is the Director of Marketing at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis. In his current role, he is responsible for all external organizational communications and strategy, including advertising, public relations, and ticket office operations. As part of his work overseeing the ticket office, Tocalino has built successful revenue management and patron loyalty initiatives. He previously served as the Associate Director of Marketing for SFJAZZ, during which time he led a Wallace Foundation-funded effort to attract a younger audience for jazz. The resulting program, SFJAZZ Hotplate, is still in place at the new SFJAZZ Center. Prior to SFJAZZ, Tocalino served as the Managing Director of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.
Courtney Ozaki (she/her) | Japanese Arts Network
Director — incumbent (three-year term expiring 2026)
It’s an honor to be nominated to renew my term on the Board of Directors for the Western Arts Alliance. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the evolving needs and goals of WAA as a primary connector for performing arts professionals, and to continue the Board's work, as well as my work with my colleague Nadhi Thekkek as co-chairs of Hyphen+Asian, to build inclusive and equitable arts platforms, spaces, and practices. WAA's vision and values align with and exemplify ideals which encourage a more productive and empathetic society. As an independent creative immersive/experiential producer, I am interested in adding value to conversations at the table from my unique perspective. Being a third and fourth generation Japanese American Coloradan and woman of color, I look forward to continuing to instigate conversations with the field at large about the potential for new models to shape the way that we work together, and I am committed to lifting up and supporting marginalized voices within the arts; helping to build and develop a strong ecosystem for sustainable collaboration between artists, professionals, and cultural communities across generations.
Courtney Ozaki is a cultural connector and creative producer based in Denver, Colorado. After studying at Brooklyn College and receiving an MFA in Performing Arts Management, she worked as a project manager and dance producer for Joyce Theater Productions with whom she developed and toured new works for artists including Wendy Whelan (NY City Ballet), Daniil Simkin (American Ballet Theater), and Malpaso Dance Company from Cuba. A professional taiko musician with over 25 years of experience, she has performed across the globe in Dubai, as well as in major cities throughout the United States. Courtney is the founder of the Japanese Arts Network (JA-NE) - a national resource for artistic collaboration and connection which provides access to resources and develops programs and platforms that support, advance, and strengthen visibility for Japanese Artists in America. She also serves as the Business Director for the Taiko Community Alliance, a national non-profit organization that empowers and advances the art of taiko in North America. Courtney is passionate about the melding of ideas and exploration of the intersection and interdependence of arts sectors. She looks forward to continuing her professional journey in multiple capacities with the Western Arts Alliance.
Anna Cross (she/her) | Grand Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, City of Tracy
Director — (three-year term expiring 2026)
I am honored to have been nominated for service on the WAA Board of Directors. WAA has been a great resource throughout my 20+ year career in the cultural arts field and I have been so very fortunate to have created lasting relationships with a wide variety of people across our industry including artists, managers, agents, presenters, and more. I am passionate about the impact and opportunities we have in addressing the challenges that face our communities. I am driven to create space for those who have been marginalized, and to craft policy that impacts financial commitments to support this work. I thrive as an inclusive leader, generating a culture of excellence, understanding, and equity. As a vibrant and creative thinker with a passion for the arts I serve with extensive experience in cultural affairs, strategic and financial planning, organizational development and capacity building, programming, fundraising, marketing, policy development and analysis, constituency building, community engagement, arts advocacy, and public speaking. I am experienced in both arts administration as well as local government administration and would be grateful for the chance to share my knowledge and skills, as well as to learn and continue to grow, with the WAA board. I look forward to having the chance to give back and support the WAA membership.
Anna Cross began her career as an Event Manager at the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts before going on to lead municipal performing arts centers. She is currently the Cultural Arts Manager for the City of Tracy in Northern California where she oversees the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts which is made up of a historic 547 seat theatre, a black box studio, 8 arts education studios and 3 exhibition galleries. She oversees all Cultural Arts programs and initiatives for the City Manager’s Cultural Arts Division which includes oversight of the Tracy Arts Commission, the Grand Foundation (a 501c3 fundraising partner), and the Civic Art/Public Art program. Her annual programmatic work includes presenting over 60 performances, over 5 professional visual art exhibitions, and nearly 600 arts education classes in a variety of disciplines. Her work focuses on listening to and engaging both existing and new communities by creating space for arts programs that provide resources and serve the community’s interests. Working in a municipal setting has allowed her to affect policy that achieves measurable results and demonstrates how the arts are a catalyst for social change and economic development. Anna has served as a grant review panelist for the California Arts Council and the LA County Arts Commission. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for California Presenters, Leela Dance Collective, Nevenka Folk Ensemble, and is an Advisory Council Member for Clazzical Notes – creating programs that foster community understanding across cultures, genres, and generations.
Rafael Gonzalez (he/him) | Grand Performances
Director — (partial term expiring 2025)
Image credit: Mark Manhauer
I am honored for your consideration to serve on the Western Arts Alliance's Board of Directors. I currently serve as President & CEO of Grand Performances in Los Angeles. In this capacity, l acknowledge and integrate the people’s social, political, cultural and economic context through Grand Performances’ mission and artistic presentations. This framework serves as the narrative that weaves together expression, struggle and aspirations in the form of music, theatre, poetry and dance. I am prepared to work and contribute to the goals of the Western Arts Alliance. I believe in its mission and share the same values that recognizes and celebrates culture, community and the performing arts. As a person of color with a multisector background in philanthropy, nonprofit, corporate and government spheres I bring a wide and diverse lens to the Western Arts Alliance Board of Directors. I bring context, cultural and social affinity and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face arts organizations serving marginalized communities. I also bring to the board many of the challenges and opportunities that comes with administrating and programming a performing arts venue.
Rafael Gonazalez is a proven and inclusive leader, manager and advocate driven by his core values of justice, collaboration, accountability, balance, respect, trust and innovation. Over the years, he has worked and organized in the nonprofit, government, service and philanthropic fields. This multisector experience has gifted him the skill to develop and maintain relationships with individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds for purposes of realizing common objectives, social impact, equity and community/systems change.
In August 2022, Rafael became President and CEO of Grand Performances whose mission is to inspire community, celebrate diversity, and unite Los Angeles through free access to global performing arts. He previously served as Director of Community Outreach and Engagement with the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission; Director of Community Relations for First 5 LA; Director of Community Relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers; Chief Service Officer and Director of Neighborhood; Community Services for City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Executive Director of Collective SPACE; Founder and Executive Director of Public Allies – Los Angeles; Director of Civic Education; U.S. Citizenship Project Director at the National Association of Latino Elected; Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund; Affirmative Action Campaign Coordinator at the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF); Campaign Field Director at Coalition LA; Senior Field Deputy for LA Councilmember Mike Hernandez.
Rafael serves on the boards of the Community Coalition, Center for Nonprofit Management and ActiveSGV. He also serves on the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Advisory Council and the City of El Monte’s Planning Commission.
Rafael is a musician and previously served as a producer/writer for independent film and documentary features.
Rafael was born and raised in the downtown area of Los Angeles and resides in the City of El Monte. He graduated from Cal State University at Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicano Studies and received his Master’s Degree from the USC Price School of Public Policy. He is married and has three sons.