Ricky Abilez

Ricky Abilez (they/them) is a Queer, Mexican artist, educator, and advocate based in Los Angeles. They’ve worked in the nonprofit arts sector for more than a decade with notable organizations including South Coast Repertory, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Ford, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition. They developed and taught a culturally responsive curriculum in using art for social justice at high schools across the United States, and in 2022 received the Thomas Jefferson Award from the CU Denver Alumni Association and the Robert Earl McConnell Foundation for their dedication to equity and civic engagement in the arts and society.

Ricky previously served as Director of Policy & Advocacy at Arts for LA, the region’s leading arts advocacy organization, where they advanced local and statewide initiatives supporting creative jobs, freelance worker protections, and nonprofit arts funding. They currently serve as Program Director at Create CA, where they facilitate leadership development opportunities for local advocates and work to expand access to arts education for K-12 public school students across California.

They also serve on the Boards of Directors at 4C LAB and Celebration Theatre, one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ theatres in the nation. Ricky holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from California State University, Fullerton, and an MPA in Education Policy and Public Policy Analysis from the University of Colorado Denver.