President
Celeste Cavazos
Celeste returned to the Conjunto Heritage Taller’s Board of Director’s in December of 2022. With extensive experience in grant management, project development, coordination, and event planning, as well as a background in business and economic development, Celeste has a diverse skill set. She is the founder and owner of Lala’s Bootleg Salsa. A line of salsas that is award winning, and “Go Texan” products. In addition, she also founded Celeste Cavazos Consulting (CCC), providing services in small business development, grant management and event planning. She moved to San Antonio in 1986 to attend St. Mary’s University, where she obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Political Science and where she currently works as Activity Coordinator for the Title V – CURE Grant Program. Celeste was working for the City of San Antonio’s Office of Cultural affairs in 2022 when she was first introduced to the Conjunto Heritage Taller and instantly fell in love with the organization and its mission. Since then, Celeste’s love and support for the Taller have led her to serve as a volunteer, as Director, and has now returned to serve on the Board of Directors. She is dedicated to assisting in leading the continued growth of the Taller and its mission of the
“preservation and perpetuation of traditional Conjunto music.”
Vice-President
Cuauhtli Reyna
Cuauhtli is a musician & nonprofit worker focused on building community and the preservation of our culture through art. Born and raised on the border in Del Rio, TX he found himself living and working in community with deep family ties in San Antonio. He spent most of his life at cultural arts nonprofits like the Casa de la Cultura, where he went from student to teacher in various forms of art, dance, and music. He continued nonprofit work in SA while attending university at multiple youth and cultural art centers including San Antonio Youth Centers & San Anto Cultural Arts. After living and working as a Son Jarocho musician and laudero in artist communities in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, and D.F. Cuauhtli helped co-found El Tallercito de Son here in San Antonio. He later returned to San Anto Cultural Arts finding a new familiar home in the Westside where he is the senior member of San Anto’s staff.
Treasurer
Jennifer Negrete
Jen was born in Alice, Texas, and raised (primarily) in San Antonio. Her military family background influenced her love of travel, culture, and service. At the same time, her childhood days at her grandparents’ Westside home nurtured her adoration of Mexican/Tex-Mex music, food, and tradition. She graduated with a BSBA from the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio) with a focus in Social Marketing. She obtained her Master of Science in Digital Marketing and Analytics from St. Edward’s University (Austin). Jen worked in music retail for 14 years and the financial industry for 17 years before establishing her company, Imagina Consulting, and Solutions. Jen’s passion for service is evident in her community work. She has volunteered her time and talent to organizations such as Girl Scouts of America, the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Family Service Association of San Antonio, Project Amigo, the Ronald McDonald House, United Way, and St. Edward’s University GBSA and Academic Council. Furthermore, she served as San Anto Cultural Arts’ Interim Director for six months, their Board President for four years, and presently, sits on their Advisory Committee. Currently, she serves as a member of the University of the Incarnate Word Alumni and the Conjunto Heritage Taller boards and has a community ukulele group called River City Strummers.
Secretary
Adriana Flores
Adriana was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University at College Station with a Bachelors Degree in English, with minors in History and Marketing. She obtained her Master of Science in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She worked for the San Antonio Public Library for 10 years and left as a Branch Manager of the Johnston Library to raise her two young children. Her love of literature, music and education returned her to work with her family music business, Alamo Music Center. She runs Alamo Music Center with her two nephews, continuing its history into its fourth generation. She shares her love of music and the arts with her two sons, as they spend many weekends listening, learning and exploring all forms of arts in San Antonio.
Rita Duque
Elena Foulis, Ph.D.
Elena Foulis is an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M, San Antonio and has been directing the oral history project, Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio (ONLO) since 2014. The project is an ongoing collection of over 130 video narratives, some can be found in her iBook titled, Latin@ Stories Across Ohio. Foulis’s research explores Latina/o/x voices through oral history and performance, identity and place, ethnography, and family history. She is also host and producer for the Latin@ Stories podcast, an extension of her oral history project. This podcast invites audiences to connect and learn more about the Latina/o/x experiences locally, while amplifying the voices of the community everywhere. She co-hosted the Art and Sciences podcast, Woke Pedagogies. Foulis is an engaged scholar and is committed to reaching non-academic and academic audiences through her writing, presentations, and public humanities projects. Elena was born in El Salvador, grew up in northern Mexico, lived in Ohio for 30 years, and moved to San Antonio in 2022. She loves to cook, dance, perform, and spend time with her family and friends.