Alfredo Nieves-Moreno serves as Deputy Director of Arts + Public Life (APL), an initiative of UChicago Arts. Alfredo joined the Arts + Public Life team in September, 2020, where he is responsible for providing day-to-day senior leadership of APL. As Deputy Director, Alfredo oversees development and implementation of APL’s strategic plan, and leads the APL team in managing capital development projects, serving as a liaison to academic departments and administrative units of the University, and acting as a key driver of APL partnerships with colleagues and community stakeholders in order to promote the success of APL and ensure the continued, equitable growth of the Arts Block in Washington Park.
Alfredo brings a wealth of leadership experience in the arts, academia, creative entrepreneurship, and university/community collaborations. He joins APL from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, where he served as Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor, and also worked as Director of the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Humanistic and Social Studies and project manager of Nuestro Barrio: Distrito Cultural de Santurce (Our Neighborhood: Santurce Cultural District), a pioneer creative placemaking project in Puerto Rico. Before these positions, he was an Assistant Professor of the Department of Communications at Universidad Metropolitana (now Universidad Ana G. Méndez). Alfredo also previously held positions at the Autonomous Municipality of Caguas (Press Officer of the Mayor) and the Museo de Arte de Ponce (Marketing and Public Relations Officer).
He completed his bachelor’s degree in Arts with a major in Comparative Literature from Universidad de Puerto Rico, a master’s degree in Communications with a major in Contemporary Media and Culture from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, and a postgraduate degree in Cultural Policies and Cultural Management from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, Mexico. He holds a doctorate in Business Studies with a major in International Business Administration from the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija in Madrid, Spain. Alfredo has also worked as a cultural journalist and editor, among other related areas, and complements his professional practice with film production as co-founder of Canica, LLC. He is the author of Las mecánicas del pájaro: ver y audiover el cine de Alfred Hitchcock (The Mechanics of the Bird: Vision and Audio-vision in Alfred Hitchcock’s Cinema), and frequently writes on contemporary culture.
Professor De Jesús Martínez is an architecture graduate and an academic leader with over 25 years of experience in creating and directing academic programs, curriculum design, and the coordination of interdisciplinary projects. Between 2015 and 2020, he was part of the institutional leadership of Sagrado As a manager and leader of high-impact projects, such as the Collaborative Innovation Center-Neeuko and Nuestro Barrio, which are now pillars of our institution, he was also part of the team that conceptualized the RBK project and led the 2020 Strategic Plan committee. He was a founding member and dean of the School of Architecture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico and president of the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Advisory Council. His work has been distinguished by designing and consolidating institutional platforms that link the arts, design, industry, culture, and territorial development, positioning the university as an anchor for cultural, social, and economic transformation. With extensive experience in governance and multisectoral leadership, his management integrates the creation of university-industry-community partnerships, the development of externally funded initiatives, and the mobilization of resources for academic and innovation projects.
James Ramos is currently the Deputy City Treasurer for the Office of the Treasurer of Chicago. Prior to that, he was the Chief-of-Staff for the 21 st Ward. He was previously the Associate Director of Community and Government Relations for the City Colleges of Chicago. He served as a Spokesperson for Cook County – the second largest county in the U.S. He also served as a Training Officer for Chicago Police Department where he developed and directed interactive community and police training programs, implemented neighborhood training projects and helped create nationally recognized crime reduction training programs that focused on diversity and community policing.
He is also founder of the American Training Institute of Diversity. He is on the Board of Directors for BUILD, Inc., an at-risk youth agency and is on the Board of Trustees for IDeaL Education Foundation. He is a member of the Black Perspectives Committee of the Chicago International Film Festival and serves as a board of directors for the Frankie Knuckles Foundation. In addition, James is on the Board of Directors for the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center and is currently the President of the Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity Inc. Iota Delta Lambda Chapter.
James has a true love for the Arts playing the violin as a child and later percussion for a variety of genres such as Salsa, Latin Jazz, R&B, Neo-Soul, House, Rock, and other African and Afro-Latino music. James grew up in the northwest side community of Humboldt Park. He lived in Puerto Rico where he finished high school. He returned to Chicago and became the first member of his family to graduate from college. He went on to Northwestern University and received a Master’s in Communications and as a full scholarship recipient; he received a MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
