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Matthew Himes

Director of Programming & Production

As Director of Programming & Production with over 15 years of experience in Southern California’s music and art scenes, booking international and local talent across jazz, rock, hip-hop, funk, Latin music and many more, Matthew curates a unique blend of 50 free concerts as the Levitt Los Angeles’ booking over 150 performances each summer. Before joining Levitt, he was the Festival Director at Eagle Rock Music Festival, Talent Buyer for Perch and Mrs. Fish, Production Manager at Spaceland Presents, and has consulted in the production of concerts and festivals like the L.A. Philharmonic 100 year Anniversary Celebration, Anderson Paak in the Park, Desert Daze, Cloak & Dagger, Echo Park Rising, KCRW’s Masquerade Ball, FOLAR, Mad Ave to name a few. He has also served as Tour Manager and FOH Audio Engineer for artists like Vince Staples, The Lemonheads, Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, The Expanders, and many more. Matthew was a co-founder of L.A. Fort, a cooperative DIY artistic space that encourages collaboration between diverse artists and an active member of the arts collective FMLY. He loves listening to gospel, shoegaze, Afrobeat, global bass, Motown, and chicha music, among other genres.

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Allegra Padilla

Director of Community Relations & Partnerships

As Director of Community Relations & Partnerships, Allegra develops equitable and sustainable community engagement strategies to connect the Levitt LA-Westlake community and beyond. A lifelong Angeleno, Allegra brings 15 years of experience in the non-profit field with a laser focus on community organizing, youth development, arts and culture. She received her education in the communities where she has worked—Pasadena City College and UC Santa Cruz—earning a BA in Community Studies and Art History. Her community work includes working with: Occidental College, Heidi Duckler Dance Company, Jewish Vocational Service, 24th Street Theatre, Homies Unidos and Inner City Law Center. She was an ACTIVATE fellow with Arts for LA focused on Cultural Policy in 2016-17 and a mentee of the Women of Color in the Arts Leadership Through Mentorship Program in 2018. Allegra has also served as a grants panelist with the LA City Department of Cultural Affairs, Long Beach Arts Council, LA County Arts Commission, the MAP Fund and the CA Arts Council. All of her work demonstrates her commitment to be a strategic community builder who is passionate about social justice and creating equitable access to the arts. When not activating the Levitt LA lawn she can be found hiking, traveling, attending cultural events, and enjoying many musical genres such as global bass, hip-hop, reggae/dancehall, cumbia, and more.

Carla Contreras Cabrera

Communications & Outreach Coordinator

As the Community Outreach Coordinator for Levitt LA, Carla acts as a liaison with key community partners, local Neighborhood Councils and other community engagement groups. Carla was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. After graduating from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Sustainable Business, she immediately moved back to Los Angeles, to continue her work uplifting underrepresented communities through community outreach and advocacy. While in college, Carla was a student mentor at the Latinx Center for Academic Excellence at Humboldt State University. She also organized events with Latino Outdoors to empower underserved communities to strengthen their cultural connection to outdoor spaces. Most recently, Carla was an Outreach and Education Coordinator at the Housing Rights Center, the nation’s largest civil rights organization focused on promoting and securing Fair Housing. You can find her hiking the hills of Los Angeles while listening to hip hop, reggae, cumbia and all genres of house music.

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