Meet Our Board

Betty Lewis-Gomez, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

• Role: Guides the overall strategic vision of the foundation, oversees program development, and ensures Victor’s legacy of music, kindness, and education drives every organizational decision.

Armando Gomez Jr., Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

• Role: Oversees the foundation’s financial health, manages budgeting and accounting, ensures fiscal responsibility, and handles transparent financial reporting for donors and tax compliance.

Jennifer Richards, Board Secretary

• Role: Manages the foundation’s official records, records meeting minutes, ensures compliance with corporate bylaws, and helps coordinate communications between the board and the community.

Carina Vazquez, Board Member / Director

• Role: Contributes to organizational oversight, shapes community outreach strategies, and helps align music programs with compassionate, personalized teaching styles.

Eula Gomez, Board Member / Director

• Role: Assists with strategic planning, ensures financial stewardship, and helps build trustworthy relationships with the families and schools you serve.

VMG Music Foundation, Board of Directors commitment for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Official Board Statement of the VMG Music Foundation

Our Origins & Inspiration:

The Victor Manuel Gomez (VMG) Music Foundation was born out of a profound love for a young man who lived his life as a testament to kindness, self-directed learning, and radical generosity. Victor discovered his lifelong passion for music at just four years old at The Los Angeles Urban League Head Start State Preschool, and graduated from The LAUSD Foshay Learning Center. As a brilliant self-learner, he joyfully mastered the saxophone, electric bass guitar, piano, and singing. Victor’s heart was entirely selfless; he frequently disrupted his own plans, sharing his time and money to support anyone in need. Guided by this deeply loving spirit, he attended Humboldt State University with the goal of becoming a teacher.

Though his dream of leading his own classroom was cut short, this Board of Directors is strictly dedicated to ensuring his educational and musical legacy lives on. We do not just teach notes; we teach the individual child, fulfilling the classroom legacy Victor was meant to leave behind.

Our Mission & Action:

We believe that every child with musical potential deserves the opportunity to nurture their talent to its fullest extent. Recognizing that systemic and financial barriers unfairly restrict access to arts education, the VMG Music Foundation provides free music classes and quality instruments to economically disadvantaged preschool and elementary school students. By granting early access to the transformative benefits of music, we serve as a catalyst to enhance academic achievement, school motivation, and lifelong self-confidence.

Our Educational Philosophy:

As a board, we approach music through the lens of intentional, compassionate pedagogy. We believe music education is essential to a child’s total well-beingbuilding discipline, character, perseverance, memory capacity, and time management. Embracing Victor’s nature as an intuitive learner, we reject one-size-fits-all teaching. We honor the unique styles of every student, cultivating trustworthy relationships with parents and delivering personalized instruction in a friendly, comfortable, and safe environment.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

The Board of Directors for the VMG Music Foundation is unyielding in its commitment to the principles and values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

• Diversity: We actively strive for a diverse board, ensuring our leadership features authentic representation of the vibrant communities VMG serves.
• Equity: We maintain an equitable environment that intentionally embraces all viewpoints and diverse lived experiences when making organizational decisions.
• Inclusion: We foster a welcoming, inclusive culture where students, parents, instructors, and partners feel safe, valued, and a true sense of belonging.

The Board of VMG is fully committed to ensuring these core values are thoroughly carried out, protected in our bylaws, and fully embraced within our staff, our volunteers, and the daily execution of our mission.