Ricky Abilez

Ricky Abilez (they/them) is a Queer, Latine artist, educator, and advocate currently serving as Director of Policy & Advocacy at Arts for LA, the region’s leading arts advocacy organization. 

For nearly a decade, Ricky has worked as a performing artist, freelance producer, and nonprofit administrator with esteemed arts organizations, including South Coast Repertory, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Ford, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition. They have developed and taught a culturally responsive curriculum on using art for social justice at high schools across the U.S. and were honored with the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award by the CU Denver Alumni Association and the Robert Earl McConnell Foundation in 2022 for their dedication to education, equity, and civic engagement in the arts and society.

Ricky currently serves on the Board of Directors at 4C LAB and Celebration Theatre, one of the longest-running Queer theatres in the nation. They hold a BFA in Theatre Arts from Cal State Fullerton and an MPA in Education Policy and Public Policy Analysis from the University of Colorado Denver. They are an avid singer and spend most of their downtime being the family clown.