Sep. 21—It's a full-circle moment for Zack Quintero.
As a child, Quintero took part as a dancer in the opening festivities at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in 2000.
Flash forward 23 years, and Quintero was named the permanent executive director of the NHCC at its Board of Directors meeting on Thursday.
The board went into closed session to discuss Quintero's performance as interim executive director, emerging five minutes later to announce unanimous support.
Quintero could be seen making the sign of the cross after the overwhelming approval.
"I am excited to be a part of this important work and I look forward to continuing the local, statewide and national collaborations we have started here in the last few months," Quintero said. "I invite our gente to continue to visit the center to view and participate in the special work we are doing."
Quintero, 32, was appointed to the interim position in March and has since worked with the staff to create statewide initiatives.
The first is "The Legacy Project," which aims to preserve the centuries-old Spanish dialect in northern New Mexico.
During the meeting, Quintero spoke of the community support behind this project that has taken NHCC members to Cuba and Mora to preserve the dialect orally.
The second is the cultural ambassador program, which will take the NHCC programming to all points of the state.
The NHCC Board of Directors' recommendation was sent to Department of Cultural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego, who immediately appointed him following approval by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
"Over the past six months, Mr. Quintero has demonstrated a willingness to think outside the box and a strong commitment to the center," said Morris "Mo" Chavez, president of the NHCC board.
Quintero grew up in the southern New Mexico town of Mesilla.
During his work prior to the NHCC position, he developed meaningful ties to the state's Hispanic communities.
"I am incredibly honored and grateful to continue to serve the people of New Mexico as director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center," Quintero said. "The Department of Cultural Affairs and NHCC have an amazing team working hard to preserve, advance, and protect the culture of our state."
Visitation and revenue at the NHCC has seen an increase during Quintero's leadership.
A community concert with Ozomatli and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup watch parties helped bring a bigger part of the community together.
At the meeting, Quintero told the board that the NHCC saw 3,741 visitors in July and 2,671 visitors in August. The NHCC staff has also put on 41 programs, workshops, community outreach and partnerships during July and August.