Delia de la Vara

Based in Los Angeles, California, Delia de la Vara is responsible for NCLR’s California Regional Office Pilot. The California Pilot enacts NCLR’s regional strategy to further strengthen NCLR-Affiliate relationships. The Pilot will identify and broker opportunities for Affiliate participation in NCLR programs, bridge relationships between NCLR’s external partners and Affiliates, and support fundraising efforts for the regional office and NCLR.

In addition to leading the California Pilot, Ms. de la Vara is a Producer of the NCLR ALMA Awards®. In this capacity, she oversees the presentation of the program along with NCLR CEO and ALMA Awards Executive Producer, Janet Murguía. Ms. de la Vara is responsible for budget oversight, production, event logistics, marketing and promotions, development, management of industry partnerships, and managing NCLR message and brand through the program and related activities.

Prior to relocating to California, Ms. de la Vara was Vice President of NCLR’s Strategic Communications Group (2004–2008) in Washington, DC where she was responsible for all aspects of oversight and presentation of NCLR signature events—the NCLR Capital Awards, the NCLR Annual Conference, and the NCLR ALMA Awards. She also managed the NCLR Corporate Board of Advisors, an advisory board of approximately 30 of NCLR’s highest-level corporate partners. In addition, she played an instrumental role in NCLR’s Integrated Marketing and Communications Initiative, spearheading efforts that led to a new institution-wide brand standardization effort. These efforts have been invaluable to increasing the visibility of NCLR’s brand and core messages and to developing an infrastructure that will carry cohesive visibility efforts into the future.

Before joining NCLR in 1998. Ms. de la Vara, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, was with the City of Phoenix Mayor’s Office. She also worked in human resources and community relations at a wastewater treatment facility, and she worked in property management in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Ms. de la Vara earned her bachelor’s degree in Regional Development and Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona.