After having the same fearless leader over 22 years, Taller Puertorriqueño has finally announced who will fill the shoes of icon Carmen Febo San Miguel.

On Oct. 13, 2021, seven months after San Miguel announced her intentions to retire, Nasheli Juliana Ortiz-Gonzalez was announced as the new executive director of Pennsylvania’s largest Puerto Rican and Latinx arts organization.

Ortiz-González, born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, comes to Taller from the Moore College of Art and Design, where she was the chair of the fashion department.

Fashion is her avenue into the art world, and her approach blends techniques she’s learned from fellow designers in the Dominican Republic, Italy, New York City and Puerto Rico.

In her time at Moore, Ortiz-González revolutionized its fashion department that married both the human side of the industry with its global impact. Students enjoyed a 98% graduation rate, and she also played a major role in getting the curriculum virtual during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic,

Outside of her work in academia, Ortiz-González is the founder of the apparel company, Nasheli Juliana, which is rooted in social justice. Her designs have also been featured on some of the biggest stages in fashion, such as Paris, London and New York Fashion Weeks. 

She is also a co-founder and principal at the women-led 22-studio, which operates between the mainland United States and Puerto Rico.

In 2020, Ortiz-González was also selected to appear on the Netflix show, Next in Fashion, and was honored as part of AL DÍA’s inaugural 40 Under 40 class.

When speaking on Taller’s impact throughout its storied history, she tied it back to the organization’s strong roots planted in the community in North Philadelphia.

“Taller is justice… it is a powerful incubator… it is home,” Ortiz-González said in a press release.

She will officially take the helm of the organization on Dec. 27, 2021, at the end of Moore’s Fall semester.