Magdalena A. García G'94

Chancellor's Citation for Distinguished Achievement in Arts Administration

Magdalena A. García G'94 is the founder andexecutive director of El Museo Latino in Omaha, Nebraska, and a member of the Omaha Public Arts Commission. Garcia worked in the human resources office of the Enron Corporation for some 15 years, eventually reaching a management position before transitioning into a career in museum administration. She earned a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1988 and after working at Rice University's Sewall Gallery and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, took a position at the Erie Canal Museum in downtown Syracuse. She enrolled in SU's graduate museum studies program, earning a master's degree. After completing her course work, Garcia returned to Omaha, where she founded El Museo Latino, which is one of only 11 museums in the United States dedicated to Latino art, history, and culture. Since it opened its doors in 1993, more than 200 exhibits have been mounted at El Museo Latino and its year-round educational programs in the visual and performing arts are a vital part of the city's cultural scene. Sparked in part by Garcia's personal expertise as a dancer, instructor, and choreographer in the Mexican folkloric tradition, El Museo Latino's folk dance program was recognized as one of the top 50 youth arts and humanities programs in the United States by the President's Committee on the Arts.

García has been recognized for her achievement in a variety of ways. She has been to more than a dozen governing boards of arts and civic organizations, including the Omaha Arts Commission, Omaha Public Library, Nebraska Museum Association, and Nebraska Methodist College. She is a recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award and has been named a “Woman of Distinction in the Arts and the Humanities” by the YWCA. Having already received the Daniel Gross High School Hall of Fame Award in 1995 and the University of Nebraska at Omaha 2006 Citation for Alumnus Achievement, Garcia will have completed a trifecta of alumni honors when she receives the SU Chancellor’s Citation at CBT X.