Mitch Menchaca

Mitch Menchaca is the vice president and chief operating officer at Chorus America. He works in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to advance the association’s strategic plan, programs and services, membership, communications, and internal operations. He came to Chorus America from Americans for the Arts as the director of local arts advancement, where he designed and executed programs that provided support and resources to the 5,000 local arts agencies across the United States. Prior to Americans for Arts, Mitch was the senior director of programs at the Arizona Commission on the Arts, where he administered a portfolio of more than 300 grantees from all artistic disciplines, with budgets ranging from $1,000 to more than $10 million. He studied theater at Central Arizona College, earned a B.L.S. with concentrations in the arts and public administration at Arizona State University, and he completed a festival and event management certificate at the University of Minnesota Tourism Center. Mitch is the chairman of The Association of American Cultures (TAAC); a trustee for the Robert E. Gard Foundation; served as the past board director for education for Meeting Professionals International, Potomac Chapter; and has served as a grants review panelist for several state and local arts agencies, regional foundations, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a past fellow and faculty coach for the Center for Progressive Leadership, a national political training institute that develops diverse leaders who can effectively advance progressive political and policy change.