Welcome

Speakers:

Desiree Aranda, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Dr. Sarah Zenaida Gould, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

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.