Leticia Rhi Buckley has been appointed as the newest member of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture)

The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture has announced Leticia Rhi Buckley has joined its Arts Commission, the county’s advisory body for the arts.

The commission has 15 members who are diverse arts community leaders chosen by the board of supervisors to represent each of the five districts in the county. Buckley was appointed by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, 1st District.

Buckley served as head of communications and interim executive director at the former Los Angeles County Arts Commission, which the board of supervisors transitioned into a county department in 2019. She is currently the senior civic strategist at the Music Center Performing Arts Center of L.A. County, where she’s responsible for the overall direction, management and strategic implementation of civic and community engagement, as well as building arts and culture-focused partnerships.

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Buckley is committed to shepherding diversity and making the arts accessible to all. She helped develop the county’s Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative, a report launched in 2017 with recommendations to strengthen diverse, equitable and inclusive access to arts and culture. During the report’s development, she facilitated dialogue and worked closely with stakeholders to plot out actionable strategies to support the arts in historically under-resourced communities.

Prior to her roles with L.A. County cultural organizations, Buckley managed publicity, outreach and engagement initiatives for Cirque du Soleil and Disney Theatrical Productions. She also created a marketing and public relations firm specializing in Latino outreach and engagement.

“Leticia Buckley’s career is steeped in community, equity, and arts. I am thrilled that she will bring that expertise to the Arts Commission, supporting it and the Department of Arts and Culture as they work to make arts and culture resources available to residents across Los Angeles County,” Solis said.

“It is deeply meaningful to me to join a commission whose members recognize the arts are a catalyst for social and civic change,” Buckley added. “I am grateful to chair Solis for the opportunity to serve the residents of Los Angeles County, working alongside leaders and colleagues I deeply admire and supporting a Department of Arts and Culture that I deeply respect.”

For information, visit lacountyarts.org.