Michael Centeno (he/him) began at Tia Chucha’s in 2001 as a consistent volunteer, organizing a weekly film series and then moving to the role of Centro coordinator when the non-profit was established in 2003. In 2006, Michael moved on to work for The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as other youth development organizations such as the Youth Policy Institute and Youth Speak Collective, eventually making his way back to become part of the board of directors for Tia Chucha’s. Under the umbrella of Youth Speak Collective, Michael co-founded Media Solutions, a social enterprise which pairs youth with mentors to produce video and photography services for other non-profit organizations and businesses. Michael has over 10 years experience in multi-media production with an emphasis in film production and is passionate about media literacy in underserved communities. In 2015 Michael was officially hired on as Development Director for Tia Chucha’s and in February of 2018 the Board of Directors voted him in as Executive Director.