Congreso 2022 Welcome

Facilitator: Laura Dominguez, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Speakers:

Desiree Aranda, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Dr. Sarah Zenaida Gould, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Annie Levinsky, Historic Denver

Dawn DiPrince, History Colorado

Joshua Emerson, Denver American Indian Commission

Laura Dominguez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at USC, where she studies race, heritage, and place-making in the American West. Her research examines the making and unmaking of settler histories, memory sites, and ancestral practices among Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Los Angeles. Born and raised in Southern California, Laura holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s degree in historic preservation from USC. She previously served as Communications and Programs Manager for San Francisco Heritage and Preservation Manager for the Los Angeles Conservancy. An advocate for preservation justice and equity, she is also a founding board member of Latinos in Heritage Conservation and chairs its Education & Programs Committee. From 2019-2021, she was a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office Civic Memory Working Group. Her writing has appeared in the Western Historical Quarterly, Journal of American History, California History, and Lost L.A. She is a new mother to Diego.

Desiree Aranda is an urban planner and heritage specialist based in Phoenix, Arizona where her family has lived for over five generations.. She is a founder and the current co-chair of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. With nearly a decade in the historic preservation and planning fields, Desiree specializes in identifying, documenting, evaluating, and designating historic properties, as well as developing community-based cultural heritage programs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Women’s Studies from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Arizona.

Sarah Zenaida Gould, Ph.D. is Interim Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, a national project to collect and disseminate Mexican American civil rights history. A longtime museum worker and public historian, she has curated over a dozen exhibits on history, art, and culture, she was formerly founding director of the Museo del Westside and lead curatorial researcher at the Institute of Texan Cultures. Gould is co-founder and currently serves as co-chair of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. Additionally, she serves on the boards of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association and the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, on the council of the American Association of State and Local History, and is an active member of the Westside Preservation Alliance, a coalition dedicated to promoting and preserving the working-class architecture of San Antonio's Westside. She received a BA in American Studies from Smith College and an MA and PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan. She is a former fellow at the National Museum of American History, the Winterthur Museum, and the American Antiquarian Society, and is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute.

Annie Robb Levinsky is the Executive Director of Historic Denver, Inc., a position she has held since 2009. Through her work at Historic Denver Annie seeks to inspire ideas and actions that support Denver’s historic fabric and contribute to a vibrant and dynamic community with a unique identity. During her time with Historic Denver Annie created the award-winning Denver Story Trek program, launched Historic Denver’s Action Fund, and expanded the organization’s capacity to work with underrepresented communities. She is responsible for the organization’s advocacy agenda and has worked extensively on issues such as Loretto Heights and La Alma Lincoln Park. After attending three Denver Public Schools, Annie graduated summa cum laude from Colorado College with a degree in history and has subsequently studied urban planning.

Dawn DiPrince became History Colorado’s Executive Director on September 1, 2021, and was named Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Officer by Governor Jared Polis the following month. DiPrince has served in several leadership roles since joining History Colorado in 2012. She is a fourth-generation Coloradan and a champion for work that helps share the history of all communities and people in our state. Some of the largest initiatives she has led at History Colorado include Borderlands of Southern Colorado, which is a series of programs, experiences, and exhibits that center Chicano, Indigenous, and Mestizo perspectives; Bridging Borders, a teen program that empowers participants to reconnect to the stories, knowledge, and practices of their collective ancestry to form a strong sense of self and confidence; and Museum of Memory, a public history initiative that works together with Colorado residents to reanimate, center, and amplify histories that have long existed only in the margins. DiPrince served as co-chair of the Governor’s Ludlow Centennial Commemoration Commission and lead developer of the award-winning Children of Ludlow exhibit at El Pueblo History Museum.

Joshua Emerson is a Diné stand-up comedian and actor based in Denver. He also serves as co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission.