A visionary creative leader with roots in California’s Imperial Valley, David Varela has spent his life using art to tell powerful stories, bridge cultural divides, and create platforms for youth empowerment. Now serving as Director of Creative Services at YWCA USA, David brings over two decades of experience in branding, visual storytelling, and community-focused design to one of the nation’s most impactful nonprofit organizations.
Born and raised in El Centro, CA, David’s early academic journey was marked by challenges. But through the unwavering encouragement of educators and the local migrant education program, he discovered a life-changing passion for art. After graduating from Southwest High School in 2000, he pursued a degree in graphic design in Long Beach; overcoming financial hardships with the support of his close-knit family and deep determination.
In 2012, after selling his first painting, David sought to give back to the school and teachers who had inspired him. When he reached out to his former mentor to donate, he learned that all funding for the school’s art programs had been cut. That moment sparked a mission. David founded Starts with Arts Foundation to fill that gap and decrease barriers to arts education in the Imperial Valley. What began as a personal act of gratitude quickly grew into a larger movement to ensure young people—especially those from under-resourced communities—have access to creative tools, mentorship, and inspiration.
David went on to build an impressive creative career, working with respected institutions including the Los Angeles Times, Viejas Casino, Imperial Valley Press, Sixteenfifty Creative Group, and the national public health powerhouse Rescue Agency. His creative leadership has also supported civic engagement efforts through Neta Collab, an organization amplifying Latinx, Chicano, and Indigenous voices in social and political justice work. David’s contributions to Neta Collab have helped push forward powerful narratives for cultural preservation, immigrant rights, and creative resistance.
In 2022, David relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and teenage son, drawn by the city’s emerging creative energy and collaborative spirit. There, he expanded the work of Starts with Arts to meet the needs of his new home. Through initiatives like ArtVanGo, a mobile art studio program, David is re-imagining what community-centered art access can look like for all. His work is a living testament to the idea that creativity can heal, uplift, and transform.

As Deputy Director of Starts with Arts Foundation, Anitra leads with the belief that art is not a privilege, it’s a power. A way of seeing, building, and transforming the world through creativity. She helps shape programs that open doors for youth through arts education, mentorship, and creative workforce development. From expanding ArtVanGo, a mobile art studio that brings hands-on experiences directly into neighborhoods that decreases mobility barriers, to securing the Foundation’s future brick-and-mortar creative space (opening Spring 2026), Anitra is committed to transforming access into opportunity. Her leadership connects teaching artists, schools, and families, building ecosystems where creativity fuels confidence and talent becomes career.

Anitra often says she sees art in everything, because creativity is innovation. In a city like Tulsa where a growing tech hub meets a dynamic artist community, she sees endless potential to merge imagination with impact. Her work embodies that vision: using art as a catalyst for healing, learning, and transformation, and empowering the next generation to see themselves not just as artists, but as architects of the future.

Today, Anitra continues to build creative infrastructure that expands access, equity, and opportunity across the arts and beyond. She is known for leading with an equitable infrastructure design mindset: building systems that remove barriers, strengthen community capacity, and turn resources into real-world outcomes. Grounded in the principles of effective altruism, she focuses on what works: practical strategies, measurable impact, and investments that meaningfully improve lives at scale. Her work spans educating communities on cooperative economics, collaborative co-designs, mobile programming, and cultural partnerships; while also extending into the film and media industry, where she is focused on creating safer, more inclusive pathways for creators, particularly women and historically underrepresented voices.

Through Starts with Arts and her broader ecosystem of work, Anitra is helping shape a future where creative expression is not a privilege, but a public good. Her vision bridges arts education, mental wellness, workforce development, and storytelling: using film, media, and the arts as tools to strengthen communities, grow local creative economies, and ensure the next generation has both access and agency in shaping the stories that define them.

A proud first-generation American and lifelong advocate for educational equity, Aide Alquijay brings both lived experience and deep professional expertise to every space she leads. A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in English and a teaching credential, Aide returned home to California’s Imperial Valley with a clear mission: to empower the next generation through culturally rooted, community-driven education.
Her career has spanned impactful roles within the youth migrant education program and the CUHS Law Enforcement Academy, where she championed student voice and designed pathways for leadership and growth. Her dynamic leadership and commitment were formally recognized when she was named Director of the English Department at Central Union High School—a testament to her influence as both an educator and mentor.
Aide is a master of building responsive, student-centered curriculum and an unwavering advocate for youth and their families. Her ability to bridge classroom learning with real-world impact makes her an invaluable asset to our foundation. As an advisor to our youth empowerment initiatives, she ensures our programming stays grounded in educational excellence, trauma-informed care, and authentic community connection.
Aide’s work reflects what we believe at our core:when educators lead with passion and purpose, entire communities rise.