SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The Mexican Museum announced the addition of three new members to the Board of Trustees to assist in the expansion and construction of its new facility in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens Arts District. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the new museum will be a space that is accessible, transparent, and focused on providing diverse communities with educational events and enjoyable experiences through art and culture of Mexican and Latin American origin.

“We have exceptional leaders in the arenas of international business strategy and development, international law, and education joining our very committed board of trustees,” said Andy Kluger, Chairman of The Mexican Museum Board of Trustees. “It’s a great moment in time as we will soon realize our founder, late celebrated San Francisco artist, Peter Rodriquez’, 1975 vision of a permanent home of close to 17,000 artworks and artifacts.”

Gemi José González, Senior Vice President at Inteligencia Estratégica, a distinguished scholar with a PhD in International Law and International Relations, has an extensive background in Policy and Law; Government Relations; Public Affairs; Media Relations; and Community Engagement. Mr. Gonzalez founded the law firm of González Fernández Abogados and the consulting firm of Gobernanza Consultores and Global Policy Strategies. The broadcast business analyst and author of "El Sistema Político Mexicano," Mr. González has served as Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco; Press attaché at the Mexican Mission to the U.N. in NYC; and other high profile positions in Mexico and the United States. His reach has been global as his extensive business and public policy career includes studies at Escuela Libre de Derecho (ELD) in Mexico City, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), the Carlos III University (Madrid) and Harvard; Stanford; UC Berkeley; and Georgetown Universities.

Nora Wagner, a Bay Area resident for over fifty years, who was originally from Mexico, has a wealth of museum expertise that spans over four decades in three countries. Ms. Wagner served with The Mexican Museum as Director of Education for sixteen years before joining the Blackhawk Museum where she served in the same role for twenty-seven years. She developed arts, cultural and historical programs and docent trainings for children and adults. An instructor of museum education, Ms. Wagner’s work has included teaching in the countries of Ecuador and Peru. Her gifts as a bilingual, Spanish/English, instructor and museum education expert have assisted other highly-respected Bay Area institutions such as JFK University leading to an Honorary Doctorate; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Ms. Wagner’s Board leadership has included membership in the American Alliance of Museums; the Western Museums Association; and a previous term with The Mexican Museum.

Blanca Zarazúa’s passion for social justice and the law was sown in the fields of California as a result of her father, Aquilino’s work beginning in 1945 in Chualar as a “Bracero” (guest worker). Ms. Zarazúa, an attorney and Honorary Consul of Mexico (a lifetime position appointed in 2003 by former President Vicente Fox), began practicing law in 1987 as an Associate Tax Counsel at Bank of America in San Francisco. She was a Certified Tax Specialist for two decades. In recent years, Ms. Zarazúa founded a law firm in Monterey County with a humanitarian focus on immigration law, representing individuals and families. Amid recent news headlines, Ms. Zarazúa won the release of a DACA recipient who had been unlawfully detained by ICE. She served as co-counsel in a class action lawsuit against the City of King, California for civil rights violations.

In October 2018 The Monterey County Chapter of the ACLU presented her with The Ralph B. Atkinson Civil Liberties Award for defending immigrants. In April 2019, Ms. Zarazúa received the prestigious Doctor Honoris Causa from the Claustro Doctoral Iberoamericano. The cornerstone of her award-winning life’s work began with a worldview, working and studying beyond U.S. borders. Her leadership has assisted numerous professional and civic organizations such as The Monterey County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Legal Counsel, President & CEO); The Monterey County La Raza Lawyers Association (President); The California Bar Association and many other impactive institutions.