My name is Moises (Moy-Ses) and I’m excited to join the DC Commission on Arts & Humanities as your new Community Development Specialist. I was born and raised in Ward 1, and over the last six years, I’ve served in Mayor Bowser’s second cabinet, most recently at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development, where my work focused on community engagement and interagency coordination across all eight wards.
Previously, I served as the Ward 1 Liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services during the COVID‑19 pandemic. That work combined connecting residents to government resources and services, and—more importantly—making sure people felt seen, heard, and reflected in the decisions being made around them.
That idea has stayed with me. I believe that government works best when people can recognize themselves in it, when communities feel spoken to instead of spoken for. At DMPED, I saw that the corridors which recovered the fastest after the pandemic were often the ones where people still had a reason to gather. Whether it was a mural people recognized, or a theater with its lights back on, or music coming from a restaurant again.
Small things, maybe, until you realize those are often the things that tell residents that their neighborhood has not been forgotten, and that their government still sees them. This is what makes this work meaningful to me. This space is not only an economic driver for the District, but also a reminder that growth should still leave room for the people and stories that gave our neighborhoods its identity in the first place.
Outside of work, I write civic and political commentary rooted in Washington DC, and the communities that shaped me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join CAH and excited to contribute to work that helps residents not only live in this city but continue to recognize themselves within it. I look forward to working with you all!