Yuri Cunza

Yuri Cunza (born 1971 Lima, Peru) is the president of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and co-founder of the Spanish language newspaper “La Noticia”.

Cunza trained in Theatre at the International Theater Institute (ITI-UNESCO) and Peruvian Theater Center (CPT) in Lima, Peru. He later earned a scholarship to continue his studies under the guidance of Director Eduardo Navarro. His acting skills got him involved in film and theater as an actor in several plays in his native Peru and later as an independent Producer/Director in the U.S.

After he graduated from Saint Norbert high-school a private Catholic school in Lima Peru, he spent almost a year in Paraguay while awaiting a student exchange program visa to study Medicine at Universidad del Nor Este Argentino (UNEA) in the city of Corrientes, Argentina from 1989 to 1992.

Cunza moved to Nashville to reside permanently in 1996. He continued his education at Watkins College of Art & Design earning a Bachellor of Fine Arts Degree and Film Directing in 2001. His professional experience includes films such as “Conflicto Emocional” (Emotional Conflict) and the series “Mujeres Sin Fronteras” (Women without Frontiers) for CVC- Argentina. In 2000 Cunza became producer of “Hispanos de Hoy”, a weekly bilingual television segment with him as primary host thanks to veteran television personality Teresa Hannah for the local NBC affiliate WSMV-Channel 4 Nashville.

Yuri Cunza’s perspective on diversity issues has been influenced by living in different Latin-American countries and is reflected in his work: ‘rich in powerful messages of strong social content’. “Under the Skin” a documentary he wrote, directed and produced in 2001 takes a profound look into the dynamics of racial diversity in human relations, representing accurately America's multicultural dimension. The official selection of the Nashville Independent Film Festival in 2002 and the 2003 International Film Forum, “Under the Skin” aired on Channel 4 Nashville on July 8th 2001.

Yuri Cunza is co-founder of the Spanish language newspaper “La Noticia” and served on the advisory board for Scarritt-Bennett Center’s “Celebration of Cultures”, the National Academy of Television Arts & Science’s board of Governors and the board of directors for the Belcourt Theatre, The Nashville Film Festival, and the American Red Cross (until Dec.2006) and more than a dozen more other organizations; ranging from business, health, non-profit, arts and culture. Cunza is a member of many national organization including the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and The National Council LA RAZA. Locally he is a new member of the Downtown Nashville Rotary Club among civic groups and served on the boards of the HIV/AIDS research based Comprehensive Care Center and Street Works, the Metro General Hospital’s “Friends in General Board”. Yuri served as Chairman of the Board of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to 2006. He is currently the organization's President and CEO.

Cunza has been an active advocate of Latino, immigrant and civil rights causes, becoming a powerful voice for Nashville’s growing Latino community. His comments and perspectives about some of the most controversial issues involving culture, diversity and immigrant populations have been featured in several English language publications and media outlets including TN Business, The Tennessean, The City Paper, The Nashville Business Journal, American Renaissance, the SCENE, The Associated Press, Reuters, Channels, 2, 4, 5 and 17, National Public Radio (NPR), WPLN and Radio Free Nashville. In 2006-07 Cunza co-produced “Pulso Mundial” (Worlds’ Pulse) Nashville’s first bilingual hour long radio program which aired Friday morning on 98.9 FM.

Cunza’s visual arts credits include exhibits at the Nashville Airport, Metropolitan Public Library, The Brownlee O. Currey, JR. Gallery, and the Madison Arts Center among others. In 2007 Yuri Cunza served as a guest curator for Cheekwood's Music City Picks. Later in 2007 Cunza was invited to serve on the board of the prestigious Tennessee Art League (TAL).

An accomplished public speaker Cunza has appeared before thousands of corporate, institutional, educational and government audiences including, the U.S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Police Academy, FBI, Nashville Fire Department, Nashville Mayor's office and Nashville Metro Public Schools (NMPS), Meeting Planners International, Walmart, McNeelly Piggot and Fox, Association of Public Accountants, Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, The Urban League, IMF's MLK Annual Celebration, NAACP, Boy Scouts Club, Tennessee State University (TSU), Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Vanderbilt University and more.

A Nashville resident for 12 years, Yuri Cunza became a U.S Citizen on September 22nd, 2006. Cunza started his MBA studies on the Fall of 2008.

Our (Hispanic) community is often portrayed as a community in need,...It is in need of many things, but it is not in need of your pity. It is in need of respect. It is in need of appreciation — cultural appreciation, political appreciation. - Yuri Cunza (Source -The Tennessean Newspaper 12/23/03)