Board of Directors
Teresa Lozano Long, board president
Dr. Long is one of Austin’s most prominent arts supporters. The Long Foundation, which she established with her husband, Joe, has donated generously to organizations that promote the arts, with an emphasis on Latino arts and culture. The Longs were the name donors to the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin and have been honored as recipients of the Texas Medal of the Arts.
Mónica Peraza, vice president
Monica Peraza was born and raised in Mexico City. After studying Education at Universidad Panamericana, she decided to pursue a career in business and founded and managed two companies in Mexico City. In 2007, Monica moved to the New York Metropolitan Area where she founded Dalma Imports, a business dedicated to the commercialization of Mexican products in wholesale markets in the United States and Canada.
She now serves as CEO of Alegreea Imports. Inspired by Amazon.com, Alegreea.com was created as an online platform that opens up opportunities to Mexican manufacturers who are not able to embark in a huge export effort but that have high-quality, unique products that can compete with the best standards in the world.
In the past few years, Monica has also been an active participant in the non-profit sector of Austin, Texas. In 2009, she became founding President of MexNet Alliance, an organization of entrepreneurs and business executives, mostly of Mexican origin, that seeks to bring about a positive change in the community through mentorship and outreach. MexNet Alliance has focused its efforts on sponsoring and managing a business school for low-income, Spanish-speaking individuals looking to establish or grow their business.
Monica also serves as Co-Chair of the Authentic Mexico Gala, MexNet’s annual fundraising event, which celebrates the Independence of Mexico and strong relationship between Texas and Mexico. The Gala has grown to become one of the top culinary events of authentic Mexican cuisine in the country, gathering and hosting recognized chefs from all over Mexico and the United States.
Monica joined the Board of Trustees of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts in September of 2011and serves as Vice-chair of the Governance and Trustee Committee.
She was named in June of 2012 as one of Austin’s New Philanthropists by Giving City Austin magazine: http://www.givingcityaustin.com/newphilanthropists/
And by Austin Business Journal as one of the Finalist of Profiles in Power, Women of Influence in July of 2012: http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2012/08/02/austins-most-influential-women-2012.html
Monica is a proud mother of four and loves to spend time with her children and her dog Kody.
Elisabetta Horvath, secretary
Elisabetta Horvath is a native of Italy who moved from California to Austin with her family earlier this year. Her diverse background includes an education in foreign languages and literature and a career in the natural stone industry. She is an aficionado of the performing arts and also serves on the board of Ballet Austin.
Teresa Villaseñor-Harris, treasurer
Ms. Villasenor-Harris is an Austin attorney at the Fowler Law Firm. She has been honored by the Texas Bar Association and the government of Mexico for her work offering free legal services to Mexican immigrants and their children.
Boone Almanza
Mr. Almanza is an Austin attorney and a founding partner of Almanza, Blackburn & Dickie LLP. He has been a board member and supporter of several Austin nonprofits and is a past president of the West Austin Youth Association. He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Kate Lowery
Ms. Lowery is global director of public relations for Whole Foods Market Inc. She earlier was with Burson-Marsteller in Mexico, Chile and Argentina, and later worked for Fleishman-Hillard in Austin. She is a former board member of the Texas River School and a current board member of The Trail Foundation.
Eduardo Margain
Mr. Margain is an active supporter of the arts in Austin, including Arthouse at the Jones and the Texas Cultural Trust.
Eduardo Repetto
Dr. Repetto is co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, an Austin-based investment firm. A native of Argentina, he runs the day-to-day operations of the firm, which also has offices in Santa Monica, Calif., London, Sydney and Vancouver.
Héctor Ruiz
Dr. Ruiz is the former CEO and chairman of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., a global semiconductor company, and former board chairman of GlobalFoundries Inc. Before his AMD career, he was president of Motorola’s semiconductor operations in Austin. He is a life trustee of Rice University, where he received his PhD. He is now a consultant to technology ventures.
Egda Ruelas
Ms. Ruelas is an advertising, marketing and public relations professional, with a degree in English literature from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She also has been a volunteer for several Austin nonprofits and is a passionate supporter of the arts.