Most Influential 2020: Oscar De las salas

This Fall season, we honor the local luminaries leading the charge in our community. From arts and education advocates to innovators finding solutions to current challenges, these formidable forces drive change, pushing Scottsdale forward for the greater good. Here, we give project manager of business development and client relationships at renowned architecture firm Gensler, Oscar De las salas (whatwouldoscardo.‌com), the spotlight.

As the project manager of business development and client relationships at renowned architecture firm Gensler, Oscar De las salas is lauded for his work as an interior designer and the keen eye he brings to every project he tackles. But it’s the additional hats he wears—as a fashion producer, style critic, writer, creative director and philanthropist—that have this man about town constantly turning heads. “My main passion lies with my beloved world of arts,” says the advocate, who chaired the annual Scottsdale Arts Gala and SmoCA 20th anniversary celebration last December, for which he’s served as an advisory board member for more than a decade. Board positions with the Friends of Phoenix Public Art, where he’s leading a forthcoming citywide awareness campaign, and with the Southwest Shakespeare Company are also part of his very busy schedule. “My mission is simple but broad,” he says. “I try to use my given talents to make this place in the desert one of which we can all be proud.”