Cathy Hernandez has over 25 years of arts management experience. Career highlights include her current job as Executive Director of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, her previous job as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Division of the Arts, and serving as a Fulbright Specialist in development for the United Arab Emirates.
She has served on numerous grant panels for groups including five state arts councils, three Texas cities, and the national juries for both the Heinz Award and the Coming Up Taller Award. Her awards include the Outstanding Women of Ft. Worth Award from The Women’s Center, Rudy Eastman Diversity Award from Live Theatre League of Tarrant County, and Great Women of Texas Award from the Ft. Worth Business Press. Recognitions include the White House through the Coming Up Taller Award, the U.S. State Department through a cultural exchange with Amman, Jordan, the NEA’s American Masterpieces program, and the Kennedy Center’s capacity-building program for culturally-specific organizations.
She has served on several boards for organizations including South Arts, International Performing Arts for Youths (IPAY), Texas Nonprofit Theaters, as well as the State Advisory Board for VSA Arts of Texas, and the Latino Advisory Committee for U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger.