NHCC names three finalists for top job
2 candidates work for cultural center
The National Hispanic Cultural Center is one step closer to getting a permanent executive director.
At the NHCC board of directors meeting Wednesday, three finalists were announced:
■ Alberto Cuessy, who has been the acting executive director at the NHCC since Jan. 1.
■ Tey Marianna Nunn, who is the director of the NHCC Art Museum and Visual Arts Program.
■ Frank Mirabal, who is the community outreach director for the City of Albuquerque. Mirabal was appointed to the position in January 2018 by Mayor Tim Keller.
Christopher Saucedo, NHCC board president, said the three finalists will do a second round of interviews with the NHCC Foundation, NHCC staff and docents, as well as the search committee, in mid-July. The dates have not been set.
“We finished the first round of interviews,” he said at the meeting. “I appreciate the committee, and I want to give my thanks to the candidates. I thank all of them for putting (in) the time and effort.”
The interviews with each candidate will take at least a half day.
Once the second round is complete, a recommendation will be given to ,Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will then make an appointment.
“Our recommendation will likely be two people,” Saucedo said. “That’s the expectation so the governor and cabinet secretary have a choice.”
The NHCC has been searching for an executive director since Jan. 1, when then-director Rebecca Avitia decided not to reapply for her position during the transition to Lujan Grisham’s administration. Avitia’s salary was $85,000. According to the position summary, the executive director is an exempt position. The executive director reports to the secretary of Cultural Affairs and to the center’s board of directors. The position requires a seasoned administrator and talented personnel manager who has successfully led a multidisciplinary organization, a professional staff and a large facility.
The executive director supervises a staff of up to 30.
The NHCC was built in 2000 on 16 acres on the corner of Fourth Street and Avenida Cesar Chavez SW.