José Cruz González (he/him) - José is a playwright whose work includes The Extraordinary Ms. ZLuna Captures the World, If by Chance, The Throwaways, Under a Baseball Sky, American Mariachi, The Wondrous Adventures of Pia Sandía, and Forever Poppy. He has written for PAZ, the Emmy Award-nominated television series produced by Discovery Kids for The Learning Channel. He was selected as one of the inaugural 2022 Kennedy Center’s Next 50, a new initiative celebrating cultural leadership with 50 trailblazing leaders and organizations. He is a Professor Emeritus at California State University at Los Angeles, a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, TYA/USA, and the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.