Paolo Dumancas

Co-Founder | Executive Director

Paolo Dumancas is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of ATX Artists for Social Impact. A Filipino immigrant raised in South Florida, he relocated to Austin, TX in 2022 and works at the intersection of arts and technology—as a computer engineer, freelance jazz musician, and strategic consultant for arts organizations.

As a hardware engineer in the semiconductor industry, Paolo specializes in analyzing and troubleshooting advanced computer systems for AI and high-performance computing, bringing a systems-based approach to problem-solving that also informs his work in the arts, nonprofit leadership, and community development.

This interdisciplinary approach shapes his work as a freelance musician and multicultural arts leader. He performs on trombone with various groups in the Greater Austin Area, at venues such as the Elephant Room, Parker Jazz Club, and Monks Jazz Club. He plays lead trombone for the Huston-Tillotson University Jazz Orchestra, which recently won the HBCU Jazz Competition hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and he serves on the boards and committees of the Austin Traditional Jazz Society, Austin Jazz Society, and Filipino Young Professionals of Austin.

Through his consulting firm, Op Amp Arts & Technology, he provides capacity-building services to individual artists and arts organizations—drawing on his multidisciplinary background in engineering, technology, the arts, and community engagement to help clients develop their strategic vision, amplify operations, and expand community impact. He brings expertise in strategic planning, performance coordination, program development, project management, system design, and technology solutions—all in service of ATX Artists for Social Impact and other mission-driven individuals and organizations.

Paolo holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. During college, he performed with the Blair School of Music jazz combos, founded the Vanderbilt Ballet Orchestra, interned at the Nashville Jazz Workshop, and participated in assistive technology make-a-thons, where he engineered devices for individuals with physical disabilities. Outside of engineering and the arts, Paolo was involved in mental health outreach organizations and participated in Alternative Spring Break. His time at Vanderbilt University laid the groundwork for a career dedicated to bridging technical expertise with creative expression and community service. He is an advocate for various social causes including equitable access to the arts, education, mental health, refugee resettlement, and the belief that basic needs—food, water, housing, and healthcare—are human rights.

Personal Note:

Among my many passions and interests, community building has always come first, even if it wasn’t always clear to me at the time. Everything else I care about—art, music, education, and technology—is what I pursue in service of that. Over the past ten years, I’ve come to understand that my true purpose is to uplift the incredible artists and communities around me. The founding of ATX Artists for Social Impact, the team we’ve brought together, the work we’re setting out to do, and the impact we hope to create all feel like the next step in living out that mission.