Staff

Meet the Team

Executive Administration

Taylor Jackson serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), a dynamic nonprofit dedicated to implementing the City of Houston’s vision for arts grant making and civic art investments. In her role, Taylor oversees the organization’s core operations, which are conducted through contracts with the City of Houston and monitored by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Under her leadership, HAA distributes millions annually to support local artists, arts organizations, and community groups.

In addition to the grant and civic art programs, Taylor guides HAA’s execution of privately funded projects and programs that address critical needs within the arts community. These initiatives include disaster preparation and research on the state of the arts in Houston. Through her strategic vision and commitment, Taylor Jackson ensures that HAA remains a vital force in sustaining and enhancing Houston’s cultural landscape.

Previously, Taylor served as HAA’s Director of Grants, overseeing the implementation of city-funded grant programs for art organizations and creative individuals. Before joining HAA, she was the Executive Director at Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth in Providence, Rhode Island, where she served as the liaison between governance, financial planning, and strategic alignment of mission, vision, and values. Taylor holds an M.A. in Public Humanities from Brown University and a B.A. in History from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

Grace Zuñiga serves as the organization’s first-ever Chief Programming Officer (CPO)—a new executive role that reflects its ongoing growth and dedication to serving Houston’s diverse arts community. In her role, she will oversee the daily development and implementation of HAA’s public programs, collaborating with staff, artists, partners, and civic leaders to ensure programs run efficiently, connect with the community, and align with HAA’s mission. This role enhances the organization’s leadership capacity, reinforcing community-focused program strategy, cross-divisional coordination, and alignment between vision and execution. Grace will guide teams, shape program ideas, manage resources, analyze data, and foster partnerships that strengthen Houston’s creative ecosystem.

Grace has been with the organization since 2021, formerly serving as the Director of Civic Art, where she led the successful implementation of Houston’s percent-for-art ordinance and managed a variety of public art projects that showcase the city’s communities and civic values.

A Corpus Christi native, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2007 and, in 2012, her Master of Fine Arts from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. For more than a decade, she has contributed to Houston’s creative sector through leadership and teaching roles with Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA), Sawyer Yards, and Houston City College (HCC).