Staff
Bob Lehman
Bob Lehman is Executive Director of San Diego ART Matters, the region’s leading arts advocacy and service organization. As a nationally recognized nonprofit arts leader with more than two decades of experience, Lehman has advanced equity, collaboration, and sustainability across the binational region’s creative sector through a series of executive and director-level roles.
Before his appointment as Executive Director, Lehman served on the San Diego ART Matters board of directors, including as its elected Chair since January 2023. In this role, he helped guide the organization through its rebranding, relocation to UC San Diego Park & Market, and the hiring of its first Executive Director, Felicia Shaw. His leadership during this transition strengthened partnerships and positioned the organization for continued growth.
Lehman previously served as Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council, where he led the organization through a period of transformative expansion—tripling membership and amplifying advocacy for more than 120 museums and cultural institutions across San Diego County and Baja California. Under his leadership, the Council became one of the nation’s largest regional museum associations, expanding access through initiatives such as Museum Month and Kids Free San Diego.
Lehman currently serves as Vice Chair of the San Diego County Commission for Arts and Culture representing the Balboa Park and downtown arts-hubs of District 4. He also serves on the State boards of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he has been honored by the California State Legislature, three San Diego mayors and City Councils have named a day in his honor, and the City of San Diego Human Relations Commission named him Humanitarian of the Year. A longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, Lehman helped end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” founded American Veterans for Equal Rights – San Diego, and, with his husband, made history as the first two men to legally marry in California.
Felicia W. Shaw
Felicia W. Shaw is Deputy Director of San Diego ART Matters (SDAM), the region’s leading arts advocacy and service organization supporting artists and cultural nonprofits across San Diego’s binational region. A founding member of the organization, formerly known as the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition, Felicia has helped shape SDAM’s evolution for more than three decades.
Previously as Executive Director, she guided SDAM’s strategic direction, spearheaded a major rebranding effort, and championed policies that expanded support for the creative community. In her new and current role, she partners with the Executive Director to strengthen SDAM’s capacity, lead strategic initiatives, and build partnerships that advance the region’s vibrant arts ecosystem.
With over 35 years of experience in arts leadership, Felicia has held roles with the Women’s Museum of California, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, the San Diego Foundation, and the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. She also serves as Chair of California for the Arts and sits on the board of the Mingei International Museum.Previously, she served in multiple leadership roles within the arts and culture community – at state and national levels, including as board member for Grantmakers in the Arts and as Chair of the United States Arts Federation with Americans for the Arts.
A Northwestern University graduate with a degree in Communications, Felicia also studied art history and criticism at UC San Diego and earned a Museum Management Studies certificate from Palomar College. She is an active member of the Southeast San Diego Rotary Club and the Democratic Woman’s Club of San Diego.
Michael Angelo Camacho
Michael Angelo Camacho is the Director of Programs. Before joining San Diego ART Matters, he served as Board Treasurer and was Executive Director of the Visual and Performing Arts Foundation. He earned an M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences. He is a nonprofit professional with solid experience in finance, fundraising, and philanthropy. With top-tier relationships across various sectors in San Diego, Michael has been involved in evidence-based program design, financial analysis, resource development, and civic engagement. His portfolio of past client organizations includes Dreams for Change, the YMCA, and Kids Included Together. The arts have a special place in Michael’s heart. A dancer, he has done demonstrations at the San Diego Fair and has been invited to perform at the Spanish Village Art Center. Michael also contributes his talents as part of an up-and-coming theater company, where he helped produce a play, which he is proud to say shed light on immigrant issues in the community.
Ines Nefzi
Ines Nefzi is San Diego ART Matters Communications Coordinator. A Transfronteriza Chicana and Arab artist, Ines is rooted in the dynamic borderlands of San Diego and Tijuana. Immersed in the local art scene for over 15 years, she has actively contributed to art collectives, movements, and galleries throughout San Diego. In her journey as a self-taught artist, Ines primarily utilizes acrylic paint, and her artistic repertoire spans from traditional portraiture to vibrant floral expressions.
Beyond her artistic pursuits, Ines serves as a teaching artist, imparting creative techniques and expressive methods to youth at various non-profit organizations throughout the San Diego region, at community centers, and after-school programs. These experiences have provided her with real-life experience in the value, impact, and necessity of the arts on the individual, community, and society as a whole. Emerging into her role as an arts advocate, Ines dedicates her efforts at San Diego ART Matters to ensure that the people of San Diego benefit from a strong creative sector.
Milana Aernova
Milana Aernova (she/her) is a producing artist, creative technologist, and active member of San Diego’s dance community. A graduate of UC San Diego with a degree in Computer Science, she brings a unique blend of technical innovation, artistic vision, and community leadership to her work. As Program Coordinator at San Diego ART Matters, Milana is dedicated to supporting local artists, curating meaningful experiences, and fostering collaboration across disciplines to strengthen the city’s creative ecosystem.
An experienced producer and organizer, Milana has developed and presented dance shows, workshops, and multimedia performances that merge art, technology, and community engagement. Beyond her curatorial and coordination work, she is also a photographer, videographer, and interdisciplinary artist. Trained in jazz, contemporary, contact improvisation, Bollywood, ballet, and hip-hop, Milana’s movement practice deeply informs her creative approach using performance as a medium to explore humanity’s evolving relationship with technology, the body, and the act of being seen.