Sonia Montoya

Sonia Montoya is the Arts and Culture Senior Program Officer at the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, where she works with the Arts and Culture team to shape grantmaking strategies that strengthen Detroit’s jazz culture and mentorship traditions while helping arts organizations across the tri-county area build lasting resilience. She is passionate about the role of the arts in sustaining and connecting communities and values the creativity and commitment of the leaders she partners with.

Prior to joining the Erb Family Foundation, Sonia served as Assistant Professor of Instruction and Director of the Center for Creative Economies at The University of Texas at Austin. In that role, she led initiatives to support artists and scholars in building sustainable careers, co-founded the Arts Administration Fellowship for emerging arts leaders, and taught “Building a Sustainable Nonprofit,” a course on leadership, strategy, and philanthropic practice.

Sonia holds a degree in literature and theater from the University of Colorado and a graduate degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Outside of work, Sonia enjoys exploring local parks with her dog, Cookie, and attending arts and culture events across Metro Detroit. She also loves diving into history through architecture, books, and documentaries, seeking out the stories behind the places and people around her.