Meet the Staff

Mr. Carlos Fernandez, Ph.D

Director

Carlos A. Fernandez joined the Center for Latino Arts and Culture in 2005. He holds a doctorate in folklore from Indiana University, where he specialized in ethnomusicology. Originally from Costa Rica, he is a musician performing vocal and instrumental music from the Latin American renaissance and contemporary folk and popular music. His scholarly research has focused on popular religious practice and traditional music of Central America and the Caribbean and includes several articles and a book, Romancero y Cancionero Tradicional de Costa Rica (1999). Dr. Fernandez serves as adjunct faculty with the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies, where he teaches an introductory seminar for the Latin Images Living Learning Community (LLC) and courses in Latino festival, identity and performance.

Ms. Carla Ortiz

Administrative Assistant

Carla went to Penn State part-time from 1994 till 1998 and holds an associate degree in Liberal Arts. She was involved in Minority Student Union at Penn State. She began working at the Rutgers University – Mathematics Department in 1999 in the Undergraduate Office, then was promoted to the Graduate Office in 2003. She began as the secretary for the Center for Latino Arts and Culture on December 2005.