Dalouge Smith is in his 10th season leading San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory as its president and CEO. He has overseen development of SDYS’ vision to “make music education accessible and affordable for all students.” Dalouge has also served as a national leader in the U.S. El Sistema movement since co-founding the National El Sistema Network in December 2010 and convening the first summit of El Sistema inspired programs in 2011. Additionally, Dalouge is highly regarded as an arts advocacy leader. Dalouge serves on the board of California Arts Advocates and was founding president of Californians for the Arts. He was chairman of the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition for eight years until the end of 2010. Dalouge speaks regularly on the community impact of the arts and importance of arts education at local events as well as state and national conferences. Dalouge earned a B.A. degree in world arts and cultures from UCLA.