Adrienne Arsht Center Trust Appoints New Board Members

Miami, FL – January 2024 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) announces the appointment of new board members to the Adrienne Arsht Center Trust (AACT) Board of Directors: Jeffrey W. Davis, appointed by Miami City Ballet; Rep. Dotie Joseph, appointed by the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation; Lauren Pardo, appointed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rene Garcia; Fatima Perez, appointed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera; Oscar Puig-Corve, appointed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez; Rick Rodriguez Piña, appointed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez; and Zaba St. George Castro, appointed by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez.

“These extraordinary new board members bring to the Arsht Center a deep commitment to service in the South Florida community and a wide breadth of professional and personal experiences. Their input and support will undoubtedly enhance the Arsht Center’s ability to deliver on its mission to connect people through inspiring artistic experiences,” said AACT Board Chairman Richard Milstein.

Jeffrey W. Davis serves as the chair of the Miami City Ballet Board of Trustees, a position he has held since 2020. Jeffrey also serves as treasurer of Jacob’s Pillow, the longest-running dance festival in North America. In addition to these two positions, he has been actively involved in supporting numerous arts, educational and social change organizations. He enjoyed a thirty-year career as an executive leader for global financial institutions, serving as chief risk officer/chief actuary of Sirius International Insurance Group in Bermuda and the lead actuary for Munich Reinsurance Group in Germany. Jeff received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Representative Dotie Joseph is an attorney and serves in the Florida Legislature as the State Representative of District 108, which includes the Villages of Miami Shores, El Portal and Biscayne Park; and parts of the City of Miami, the City of North Miami and northern unincorporated Dade County. As the Leader Pro Tempore, Representative Joseph is the first Haitian-American to serve in an executive-legislative leadership role at the state or federal level in the United States. Representative Joseph served as a partner at a firm representing local governments, a federal judicial law clerk, a civil rights litigation consultant, an employment discrimination class action litigator and a volunteer advocate for refugees around the world. Committed to serving her community, Rep. Joseph has served as a past president of the Haitian Lawyers Association, First Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, a member of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board, and as a volunteer attorney with the Miami-Dade Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP). Rep. Joseph was born in Haiti and was raised in Miami, where she studied fine arts at Charles R. Drew Elementary and Miami Norland Middle and fashion design at Design & Architecture Senior High. In addition to studying fine arts at Parsons in Paris, France, Representative Joseph also earned degrees from Yale University and Georgetown University Law Center.

Lauren Pardo is the Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of Senator Rene Garcia, Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 13. She began her career working for Senator Marco Rubio in 2009 and then transitioned to campaign consulting and fundraising for political candidates and committees in 2014 before joining the District 13 team in 2021. Born and raised in Miami, she has a passion for public service and her community. 

Fatima Perez is Director, State Government Affairs for Koch Industries, where she oversees the coastal region in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and New England. She represents the Koch Companies at the state legislative level in the southeastern region of the United States. In addition, she manages tax, environmental, energy and regulatory issues and coordinates and shares knowledge with other Koch companies on many issues and priorities. Ms. Perez previously worked as the chief of staff to the Office of the City of Miami Beach Mayor and the Commission in Miami Beach, Florida. She has been involved in Florida’s state and local levels of government for the past 24 years. Ms. Perez earned her M. A. in public administration at Florida International University and her B.A. from Florida State University. She is a graduate of the National Hispanic Leadership Institute Fellows Program at Harvard University and of the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC.

Oscar Puig-Corve is an experienced realtor and currently serves as a Vice Mayor of the City of Doral. With nearly a decade of real estate expertise, Oscar specializes in residential and investment properties in Doral, West Miami, Coral Gables and South Miami. A resident of Miami for more than 40 years, Oscar was inspired by his mother's extensive experience in property transactions in Mexico and Florida. Oscar is a community activist, having served as president or a board member of One Doral, the Doral Community Council, the Doral Community Foundation, the Doral City Attorney Selection Committee, the Doral Economic Development Advisory Board and the Doral Charter Review Commission. He founded "Let's Explore Your Possibilities," a program designed to provide high school students with invaluable opportunities to visit local businesses, learn from accomplished owners and CEOs and gain insight into various career paths and effective planning for their futures.

Rick Rodriguez Piña is founder and principal of RPAK12, with offices in Miami, Orlando, Georgia and California. Over his 40-year career, Rick’s primary focus has been to serve as the chief architect, strategist and thought partner for many national corporations seeking to leverage his longstanding relationships and knowledge within school districts around the country. Rick manages RPA’s corporate and community engagements with national education leaders and the firm’s relationships with state, local and municipal governments, as well as the firm’s involvement in national and state education associations, professional trade organizations and labor unions. Rick is an active participant on the boards of Breakthrough Miami and the Florida SBDC Network State Office. He also previously served as treasurer of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, co-founder and chairman of the Latin American Business Association (LABA), and chairman of Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center, among leadership roles at many other organizations. Rick holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University.

Zaba St. George Castro is a licensed attorney who focuses her practice on real estate and government relations with an emphasis on developmental approvals, legislative affairs and land use and zoning matters. Her clients include developers all over Miami-Dade County, as well as worldwide contractors. Prior to opening her firm in 2019, Zaba was an associate on the land use team at Greenberg Traurig, P.A., working throughout Miami-Dade County, Miami and Miami Beach. While at Greenberg Traurig, Zaba assisted with multiple major development approvals, platting and rezoning of several projects in Miami’s Edgewater, Downtown and Brickell neighborhoods. In addition to assisting with all aspects of development approvals, Zaba worked with local leaders and staff at all government levels with legislation related to affordable housing, emergency generators and the update to the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department (“WASD”) rules and regulations. Before working with Greenberg Traurig, Zaba was the Assistant Director of Legislative and Municipal Affairs at WASD where she oversaw all municipal, interdepartmental and intergovernmental interactions and contracts.

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and national foundations.

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About Us

Set in the heart of downtown Miami, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is committed to welcoming and connecting ALL people to the arts, to the Arsht Center and to each other. Our stages are alive year-round with artists from around the world, innovative programming from our resident companies and local arts partners, free community events that reflect Miami’s unique identity and arts education experiences for thousands of Miami children each year.

Since opening in 2006, the Arsht Center, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has been recognized as a catalyst for billions of dollars in new development in the downtown area, a leader in programming that mirrors South Florida’s diversity, a host venue for historic events and Miami’s hub for arts education.

Each year, we serve more than 60,000 young learners and offer more than 100 culturally diverse and inclusive education programs — many enhanced by the Arsht Center’s relationship with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, local teaching artists and Miami-based arts organizations.

The Arsht Center is also a home stage for three resident companies — Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony — and a launch pad for local artists to make their mark on the international stage. Our 300+ events each year include the Center’s Signature Series of classical, jazz, Broadway, local theater and much more. We present a robust series of touring Broadway musicals direct from New York, the largest jazz series in South Florida, a major annual Flamenco Festival and an award-winning Miami-based theater program. In addition, our Family Fest, Free Gospel Sundays, CommuniTea LGBTQ+ celebration and Heritage Fest are among dozens of free events that bring together people from all corners of our community. For more information, visit arshtcenter.org.