California State University, Fresno

Lilia Gonzáles Chávez has served Fresno and the Central Valley for decades, promoting and furthering art and culture in Fresno and throughout the region. For the past 12 years, Ms. Gonzáles Chávez has served as the executive director of the Fresno Arts Council. Through this role, and in her service as chair of the California Arts Council, she has been a champion of young artists and has promoted and supported a more diverse and vibrant culture in Fresno, the Central Valley and across the state.

Ms. Gonzáles Chávez earned her bachelor’s degree in human development at California State University, Fresno. As a student, she danced folklorico as part of the first folklorico group recognized within the CSU. Eventually, she partnered with a Fresno State professor to start a folklorico group for young children in Fresno called Los Niños de Aztlan. She later earned a master’s degree in public administration from Fresno Pacific University.

Her love for arts and culture began in childhood, and Ms. Gonzáles Chávez has found ways to brighten lives and communities through her focus on sharing art and empowering others to do the same. The work she has done in and around Fresno has been an important part of the community’s cultural tapestry. She was integral to growing Art Hop into what it is today, which inspires thousands to gather in downtown Fresno to celebrate art together. She is a founder and founding executive director of the Central Valley’s largest Latino arts center—Arte Am​ericas. She helped to shape a cultural arts plan for the City of Fresno that will help raise and distribute millions of dollars per year to local artists and cultural organizations.

In recognition of her service to the arts in Fresno and the Central Valley, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Fresno are proud to confer upon Lilia Gonzáles Chávez the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.