our staff

Managing Director

Luis (he/him) is a transplant from the garlic capitol of the world, Gilroy, California. He has experience on stage and behind the curtain, helping artists and professionals become prepared for what they do best. He was the Director of Guest Relations for several seasonal events across California for six years. His many roles consisted of resource allocation for artists, managing venue space for thousands of visitors, event and finance planning. He is currently going to school and working part-time at one of our local hospitals. Luis enjoys creative writing and spending time with his two cats.

Education and Community Development

Abrecia is a community-focused leader and cultural strategist with a B.S. in Sociology-Ethnic Studies and extensive experience in nonprofit governance, artistic direction, and cross-cultural collaboration. As Vice President of the Board at the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis, she supports inclusive, artist-centered programming through strategic leadership and community engagement. She continues to build spaces where identity, storytelling, and community intersect, bringing people together through movement, shared heritage, and intentional collaboration.

Founder, Advisor

Jackie (she/her) founded CFPA in 1995 and continues to work with neighbors, community members, and tenants looking to access space to build a practice, or deepen a business idea. She is a mentor, colleague, and collaborator with members of the artistic community in Minneapolis and across the country. A practicing artist of Armenian descent, her most recent work has focused on questions of site, context, commerce, and the public. Jackie has a PhD in Performance Studies from NYU. She has created or co-created dozens of workshops on art practice for Master’s students and four major conferences on performance on both West and East coasts.