Carlos Ayala (he/him/el) is the Director of Professional Services at MindTouch, a San Diego-based software company. His professional career has been primarily focused on business development and has spanned multiple industries. Carlos brings a unique perspective to Uprise Theater’s board through his experience in the corporate and business world. His roots, firmly placed in the communities that birthed him, have shaped his life and given him a perspective in his professional career drawing him to leadership and professional development.
Carlos is a San Diego native raised in the faultline that split Barrio Logan and Sherman Heights. These neighborhoods and their residents have seen great change in his lifetime and have been part of art, violence, community, poverty, generosity, racism, family, and as of late, gentrification. His education began in some of the most vibrant and “rough” schools in San Diego in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. His education continued at San Diego State University, making him the first in his family to attend, and later graduate from a university. Carlos earned a B.A. in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. Unbeknownst to him, art would lead him to the business sector and his love for developing people.
Carlos is keenly aware of the injustices that people of underrepresented neighborhoods are faced with day in and day out, as these injustices have been ever present and are carried with those individuals for a lifetime. He is proud to be part of the Uprise Theatre family and knows that Uprise Theater’s approach of marrying art, activism, and the community has the power to educate and empower community members and ultimately fight these injustices.