Miguel Santana
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Miguel Santana President and CEO |
Miguel Santana is the president and CEO of Fairplex, a private nonprofit that manages the nearly 500-acre Fairplex campus in Pomona and the annual Los Angeles County Fair. With a mission to build community and strengthen the economy, Santana’s vision for the Fairplex campus is to create an experiential environment for the community to live, learn, work, and play. By forging collaborative relationships with the region’s educational institutions, government officials and community residents, Santana is focused on the transformation of Fairplex into a 21st-century sustainable, globally-recognized venue and economic engine grounded in its agricultural roots. Santana is one of only five presidents since the Los Angeles County Fair’s inception in 1922 and looks forward to leading the organization to its 100-year celebration in 2022 – an event that will celebrate the annual fair’s rich traditions in a manner that is relevant to Southern Californians today.
Prior to his employment at Fairplex, Santana was the city administrative officer for the City of Los Angeles since 2009. Santana reported directly to the mayor and the city council. As the CAO, his office directed oversight over the city’s $9 billion budget, labor negotiations, debt management and major policy issues as directed by the mayor and/or city council, including the proprietary departments of Water and Power, Airport and Harbor.
Santana has more than 25 years of experience managing numerous fiscal, legislative, political and community issues. Previously, Santana served as one of five deputy chief executive officers for Los Angeles County.
Santana has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Latin American studies from Whitter College and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. He serves on the boards of the Weingart Foundation; the California Community Foundation; the United Way Greater LA Area; La Plaza de Cultura y Artes; the Discovery Cube; and Whittier College.