CPMCC Board Members
Josephine Talamantez, Chair
Josephine S. Talamantez (Chicana/Yaqui) is an Organizational Management, Public Policy and Governmental Relations consultant with a specialization in Arts, History and Cultural Public Programming, Historic Preservation, Cultural Resource Management and Public History. Founder and Board Chair of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (CPMCC ) San Diego, CA; Former Chief of Programs/ Legislative Liaison, California Arts Council, a State agency; Executive Director, La Raza/Galeria Posada-Sac, CA and Centro Cultural de la Raza-San Diego—nonprofit arts organizations, CA; Past executive board member, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC); and Co-founder of Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) a national organization. She has served as an Advisor to the California Office of Historic Preservation for the development of the Ca. Latino American Theme Study and Multiple Property Registration Form (MPRF.) Co-founder—Chicano Park & Chicano Park Steering Committee (CPSC), and member of the Royal Chicano Air force (RCAF). She authored Chicano Park and the Chicano Park Monumental Mural’s successful National Register nomination and co-authored its successful National Landmark nomination. In addition, she serves on Barrio Logan Planning Group; Barrio Logan Association/Maintenance Assessment District; Air Pollution Control District Portside Communities Steering Committee; Latinx Advisory Committee for San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and was inducted to the California Women’s Museum, San Diego’s Women’s Hall of Fame-2022. She has a Master’s degree in History focusing on Chicano civil rights era and on public history programming.
Dr. Alberto López Pulido, Vice Chair
Dr. Alberto López Pulido is the founding chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies and has been on the faculty at the University of San Diego since 2003. He grew up in the South Bay and lived a life between borders and Fronteras that highly influenced his fronterizo ways of understanding the world. He received degrees in Sociology and Chicano Studies from the University of California, San Diego, and represents one of fifty-seven students who would graduate from the Mexican American Graduate Studies Program at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Pulido aligns himself with several community organizations, none more important than the Chicano Park Steering Committee who serve as the stewards of Chicano Park in San Diego, California. He learned a great deal about community organizing through collective struggle and self-determination, which inspired him to direct and co-produce an award-winning documentary on the history and value of lowriding as a cultural expression in the borderlands of San Diego and Tijuana. Dr. Pulido’s scholarly commitment to relevant education rooted in a community epistemology guides his work as Director of the Turning Wheel Mobile Classroom Project – a project that provides a mobile space for supporting the urgent needs and challenges of our local communities. The Turning Wheel Project represents a partnership between the University of San Diego and the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. Dr. Pulido also serves as Vice-Chair of the CPMCC’s Board of Directors.
Diane Armenta
Diane Armenta has been a community member all of her life and loves living in Logan Heights. Since 1970, Diane has been an activist and participated in the take over of Chicano Park in 1970. She is a member of the Chicano Park Steering Committee and worked at Non-Profit- Barrio Station beginning February 1980 and continued working as Administrative Assistant until she retired in 2014.Currently, she is a Board Member of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center as well as a member of the South East San DIego Planning Group.
Ted Martinez Jr., PhD
Helen Gonzales
Helen “Elena” Gonzales is a Chicana/Mexicana community member and educator who advocates for educational equity and access for all children, youth, and adults: ensuring the highest quality of learning within institutions of education and community-based organizations. As a retired educator, counselor, and administrator with over 35 years of experience in pre-K-12 education, university level and expanded learning opportunity programs she has worked within urban and rural school districts with diverse communities.
Ms. Gonzales professional career has included experiences as Outreach Coordinator, CSU Fresno/UCSF Medical School Health Career Opportunity Program, Volunteer Coordinator, Part Time Faculty, CSU Sacramento, Counseling Department. Principal/Vice Principal Administrator in Elementary /Middle Schools, Elk Grove Unified School District, Sacramento, CA. Most recently she served as the California Statewide Region 9 Coordinator for Expanded Learning Programs representing over six hundred schools in San Diego, Orange, and Imperial Counties for the San Diego County Office of Education.
Originally from Stockton, California as the daughter of Salvador and Carmen Gonzales, her parents instilled the values of family and community, love, respect, cultural traditions, and the importance of education. These values and beliefs have impacted her efforts in both personal and professional paths. Ms. Gonzales has presented classes on her personal interest in cultural art, history, literature and provided trainings on the topics of Educational Leadership/Cultural Diversity, Counseling Latinos and Families and Supporting English Language Learners.
She has served on local and statewide educational committees and community board memberships. She is currently a Board Member of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, San Diego, CA., and former board member of the La Raza Galleria Posada, Sacramento, CA, and Sacramento City College PUENTE Mentor Project.
Ms. Gonzales’ Education Degrees and Credentials include a Master’s Degree, Educational Counseling, Community College Counseling and Clear Administrative Credential K-12.
Staff
- Valerie Jaimes, Executive Director
- Roger Talamantez, Chief Financial Officer
- Ariana Arroyo, Executive Administrative Assistant/ Exhibition Manager
- Lulu Urdiales, Archivist
- Diego Jimenez, Archive Assistant
- Fernando Lucero, Community Programs Coordinator
- Marielle Tellez, Outreach and Engagement Associate
- Abdiel De La O, Museum Store Manager
- Renee Roldan, Museum Store Sales Associate
- TrèDesiderio Simmons, Guest Services Associate
- Alysia Tellez, Guest Services Associate
- Terri Steele, Via Verde Project Manager
- Tony Moreno, Maintenance Manager/ Via Verde Team
Consultants
- Jasmine Zavala, Marketing and Communications
- Luis Valdez, IT Specialist
