MONICA GOMEZ
PERFORMING SONGWRITER & TEACHING ARTIST
908 De Leon · El Paso, Texas 79912-4949
915-584-9298 · monica@monicagomez.com · www.monicagomez.com

RÉSUMÉ

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1977 to present (Full-time since 1999) Self-Employed Artist - See Activity History for
   details.
   Writer: Articles, essays, poetry, scripts, copy. Currently writing book based on my
   workshops.
   Performing Songwriter, Recording Artist: Concerts, special
   performances. Three solo albums in distribution.
   Arts Educator: Conduct workshops in regular classrooms, juvenile corrections,
   gifted/talented programs, teacher in-service, professional development sessions.
   Other: Motivational Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Panel Moderator, Mistress of
   Ceremonies. Radio and television voice and on-camera talent. Media and special
   events host, producer, consultant.   (Bilingual - English/Spanish)

El Paso Independent School District - (Contract)
   1999 to 2006 - Arts Educator: Delta Academy campus at El Paso County Juvenile
   Justice Center:Conduct eight workshops a week with incarcerated juveniles. Publish
   anthology of juveniles' written work.
   2002 to 2005 - EPISD Live Host: Monthly, half-hour, live call-in television program with
   EPISD Superintendent and guests.

Chamizal National Memorial, National Park Service El Paso, TX - (Contract)
   2006 - Perform for Elder Wednesday in conjunction with Smithsonian Institution
   traveling exhibition "Our Journeys, Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement"
   sponsored by Ford Foundation. Serve on Local Committee of Honor for exhibition.
   1994 to 2006 - Border Folk Festival / Chamizal Festival. Perform, lead songwriters'
   circles and workshops, M.C. stages. Festival planning committee member.
   2005 - Compiled and composed text for "Costumes of the Mexican States," an
   exhibition of 32 handmade dolls sponsored by Texas Council for the Humanities,
   Mexican Consulate, El Paso Centennial Museum, and Mascareñas Foundation.

2000 to 2002 - Border Book Festival, Emerging Voices Program, Director - (Contract)
   Administered annual series of community writing workshops led by local writers for
   Border Book Festival in Las Cruces, NM. Also presented workshops and produced
   final readings by participants and visiting writers.

1998 to 1999 - Columbia Lifecare Center, T'ai Chi Instructor - (Contract) Taught First
   Section of the Yang Long Form at hospital rehabilitation facility.

1996 to 1999 - City of El Paso Arts Resources Department - (Part-time)
   Arts Grants Coordinator: Administered sub-granting of city and state funds to more
   than 30 local arts organizations. Wrote applications to state, regional, national and
   international funding sources.
   1995 to 1996 - Arts in Education Coordinator: Coordinated Arts After-hours Program
   (funded by city of El Paso and National Endowment for the Arts) with three local school
   districts and professional area artists.

1989 to 1995 - KVIA TV, Channel 7, ABC, Television News Reporter - (Full-time)
   Researched, interviewed, appeared on-camera, wrote scripts, voiced and edited video
   for assignments in El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Juarez, Mexico; and
   outlying areas. Covered general assignments, specializing in good news, special
   education, health and medical, arts, culture and human-interest features.

1993 to 1996 - KELP Radio, Medtalk Host - (Contract)
   Interviewed local physicians on medical topics for top-rated, live, weekly, one-hour
   call-in program.

1977 to 1988 - KCOS TV PBS, Writer, Producer, On-Air Talent - (Contract)
   Inside El Paso Host: Weekly 30-minute recorded in-studio community affairs talk
   show.
   Spectrum Writer, Producer, Interviewer, Talent: Bi-weekly, 30-minute arts feature.

1988 and Prior - General experience
   Credit Office, Southern Union Gas (Full time)
   Public Relations, Community Research and Development Systems, Inc. (Full time)
   Production Manager, Sanders Advertising (Full time)
   Karate Instructor, YMCA (Contract)
   Musical Instrument Sales, White House Department Store (Part time)

HONORS, AWARDS, RECOGNITION

June 2004 and August 2005 - Texas Commission on the Arts - Performed for Governor
   Rick Perry in Mexico City as TCA's cultural emissary to the Texas Trade Delegation.
   2004 - Texas Arts Exchange conference panelist.
   2001, 2002 - Destination Texas Coordinator.
   2002 - Touring Conference Jam Facilitator.
   2003 - State Musician Selection Panelist.
   2000, 2001 - Touring Roster Panelist.
   1997, 1998 ('98 Chair) - Community Awards Panelist.
   1997 - Texas Touring Roster Performing Artist since.

1999 to Present - Heartland Arts Touring Roster artist.
2003 to Present - Arkansas Arts Council Arts In Education Roster artist.

2003 - National Issues Convention - One of 20 moderators in the U.S. selected to
   participate in the national 16-month special project "By the People" broadcast from
   Philadelphia -- a collaboration by PBS, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, the Kettering
   Foundation, and the National Issues Forums.
   1993 to Present - Locally, moderate live PBS broadcasts of National Issues Forums.

2003, 2004 - Kettering Foundation - Research consultant on Developing Forum Teams.

2002 - Published in Red Boots and Attitude: The Spirit of Texas Women Writers.

2005 - Published in Quotable Texas Women.

2003 - National Public Radio - Featured on "Theme and Variations."

2001 - Meet in Beijing Arts Festival - Only solo U.S. artist to participate in 3-week 7-city
   tour of China by invitation of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China.

2000, 2003 - Austin Writers' League - Grants in Literature Peer Advisory Panelist.
   January 2005 - Profiled in Scribe, Quarterly Journal of the Writers' League of Texas.

March 1995 - Inducted into El Paso Women's Hall of Fame, Professional Category.
   1997-2004 - Mistress of Ceremonies for annual award banquet.

1995-2006 - ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers) Annual
   Special Awards.

FY 2007 - Kentucky Arts Council, Frankfort, KY - General Operating Support II Program
   panelist.

EDUCATION

University of Texas at El Paso: Creative Writing Major, Honors Program, 1981-'88 Part-time, 76 credit hours, G.P.A. 4.0. Music Major, 1971 Full-time, 17 credit hours,

G.P.A. 3.6.

Burges High School - Honor Graduate May, 1969. National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Quill & Scroll. Class standing - 32 of 515. G.P.A. 92.

updated 10/06