Growing up in Los Angeles as the son of immigrants from Mexico, Moctezuma went to UCLA where he graduated from the School of Theater, Film and Television. He then became a successful producer and went on to open cinemas in communities across California and earned many distinctions, including an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination.
As his successful career unfolded, Moctezuma sought a way to make a direct contribution to public education, which led him to found the Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise, where he has served on the board of directors since 2004.
Through his period of service, he has used his many contacts in the entertainment industry to provide an enriched educational alternative to a community of primarily low-income Latino students, many of whom have gone on to succeed in college and in the entertainment industry. Working in this capacity at the school level, Moctezuma came to recognize the importance of advocacy and agreed to serve on the board of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools during a period when charter school enrollment grew nationally by several hundred thousand students.
Moctezuma’s impacts extend beyond the film and television industry, and the Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise and include strengthening the charter strategy nationally as he advocates for millions of students across the nation.
Community leaders can and do play a direct role in public education and helping to unlock educational opportunities for every child, family and community. They help push our entire public education system forward and hold the system accountable for fulfilling its purpose of making quality education available to all. As leaders bring their wealth of career experience to the role of a board member, they not only support local charter school organizations, but they help grow the advocacy strength of the charter movement nationally and unleash educational opportunities for millions of students and families.
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