Adviser to the Executive Council and former Corporate Marketing Officer, TechStyle Fashion Group

Shawn Gold is Adviser to the Executive Council and former Corporate Marketing Officer at TechStyle Fashion Group, an industry leading platform that builds and distributes global fashion brands, including Fabletics, Savage X Fenty, ShoeDazzle, JustFab and FabKids. Before TechStyle he was head of entertainment brand partnerships at Wattpad.com, the world’s largest storytelling platform and one of the fastest growing mobile content sites in the world. Previously he oversaw sales, marketing and content development as CMO of Inside Studios, a video and mobile app company creating shows with more than one billion views on YouTube and MSN. Until 2007, he was CMO, head of marketing & content for MySpace. At MySpace, Gold spearheaded the development and implementation of marketing initiatives and campaigns for MySpace during its growth from 25 to 110 million users worldwide.

Director, Office Of The Small Business Advocate, Office Of Governor Gavin Newsom

Isabel Casillas Guzman is California’s Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate and serves as the lead on the Entrepreneurship Task Force for the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Prior to her appointment, Guzman was a consultant in technology commercialization and an entrepreneur who co-founded an advisory firm focused on helping small business contractors leverage the federal marketplace. Guzman previously served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Small Business Administration, where she oversaw policy across all program areas including capital access, counseling, disaster assistance, contracting, international trade and innovation. Before joining the Obama Administration, Guzman co-founded small businesses and advised founders, growth companies and Fortune 1000s across multiple sectors.

Meteorologist, NBC4

Anthony Yanez is the meteorologist for NBC4's weekday newscasts at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Yanez holds seals of approval with prominent weather organizations including the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the National Weather Association (NWA).

With more than 20 years of broadcast news experience, Yanez found his passion in weather. Prior to L.A., he was the morning meteorologist for the NBC station in Houston, covering a wide spectrum of weather in the region. He helped viewers navigate through extreme heat, humidity, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.

Partner, DLA Piper, LLP



President & CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Maria S. Salinas is the President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the largest business association in Los Angeles County representing more than 1,600-­member companies and serving the interests of more than 235,000 businesses across the Los Angeles region. Salinas took the helm of the organization in August of 2018 and became the first woman and Latina to lead the L.A. Area Chamber in its 130 year history. An accomplished business woman, entrepreneur and a stalwart community leader, Ms. Salinas’ business acumen and financial expertise provides her with the right experience to lead the Chamber.

Salinas represents the Los Angeles business community in state-­wide policy initiatives with the Coalition of Regional Economic Association Leaders (R.E.A.L.), she is a member of the Board of Directors of Mobility 21, a regional transportation effort, and was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to the MEXLA Commission, a foreign policy initiative between Mexico and Los Angeles. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Pacific Council, Southern California Leadership Network, Unite-­LA, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, Los Angeles County Business Federation and the Los Angeles Sports Council. 

Principal, Street Food Cinema

Street Food Cinema is produced by TIL Lifestyle Marketing and Events, a creative marketing and event production company based in L.A. since 2001. TIL specializes in creating authentic experiences that build a community of like-minded individuals, from intimate invitation-only media events to large scale public events. TIL principals Heather Hope-Allison and Steve Allison bring significant entertainment industry experience to every project based on their expansive careers in film and television production as well as event production and entertainment marketing.

Senior Manager, Advanced Advertising, Spectrum Reach

Lea Benavidez is currently the Senior Manager of Advanced Advertising at Spectrum Reach, managing the local advertising digital business. Before that, she spent close to nine years working with Comcast Spotlight, managing the digital line of business for all of their Northern California markets. At both Spectrum Reach and Comcast Spotlight, she works with Account Executive across many geographies, helping them drive their business forward, meeting with clients and serving as a subject matter expert for all things digital. Before that, Benavidez was a Media Buyer/Planner for a mid-sized agency in Sacramento where she worked directly with a variety of auto, retail, QSR and state wide clients, among others.

VP, Strategic Partnerships, Pledgeling

Grace Chung is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Pledgeling, responsible for working with companies of all sizes to integrate purpose and impact.

Prior to joining the Pledgeling team, Chung spent the past decade at the intersection of tech and social impact to support corporations, government and nonprofit organizations around the world. She led global corporate responsibility for AECOM’s 90,000 employees, launching the first-ever employee travel grant program in the architecture, construction and engineering industry. She also launched the Tech for Good program at Yahoo, leveraging products and technical expertise for social good initiatives with nonprofit partners.

Partner and Managing Director, BCG Digital Ventures

Walter Delph is a seasoned digital business executive with more than 20 years of experience leading, innovating, growing and advising some of the world’s largest companies. His unique talent lies in the seamless integration of innovation and rapid development of new growth businesses in social media, e-commerce, advertising, video and financial technology.

Currently, Delph serves as Partner and Managing Director with Boston Consulting Group’s Digital Ventures, BCG’s Venture Capital and Incubator entity. Delph works with management teams and boards to develop and implement successful strategies, new business units and new companies for Fortune 500 companies. At Digital Ventures, he co-leads its North American business, oversees marketing, digital growth and manages more than 250 innovators and entrepreneurs. Since joining the Firm, Delph has launched or invested in 20 different products or businesses. Additionally, Delph is Global Head of the Firm’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice and leads its Ethnic Diversity Initiative.

Vice President, Marketing, L.A. Area Chamber

Mandy Denaux develops and oversees the marketing and communications strategies for the Chamber, including those related to public policy, education and workforce development, leadership development, international trade and events. Before joining the Chamber, Denaux led the strategic, new business and client relations initiatives of two South Carolina-based marketing firms. Prior to that, she was VP of Marketing & Communications for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. A native of South Carolina, Denaux received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston.

Western Regional Manager, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Vartan Djihanian is manager of the Western region in the Congressional and Public Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He helps develop pro-business legislative and political activities in five western states: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. Djihanian also assists with the U.S. Chamber’s efforts to strengthen its relationships with members of Congress and with state and local chambers of commerce throughout the western region.

Before the Chamber, Djihanian served as an adviser and communications director for various members of congress, including U.S. Reps. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and John Campbell (R-CA). In addition, he held senior roles for high-profile political campaigns including Tommy Thompson for U.S. Senate (R-WI), Joe DioGuardi for U.S. Senate (R-NY) and Jim Rogan for Congress (R-CA). He also served as a congressional page on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

President, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment

In his 41 years as President and CEO of Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), Kerry Doi has honed and demonstrated his experience and expertise in all forms of community economic development. PACE successfully implements a variety of economic development, social service environmental programs for low-income, ethnic minority residents in the L.A. area. PACE programs serve more than 60,000 low-income residents annually with an operating budget in excess of $26 million and 400 staff.
 
Doi’s outstanding abilities in the field of community development are evidenced not only by his accomplishments at PACE, but by his extensive involvement and leadership in numerous local, state and national community development organizations. Locally, he is a board member of the Los Angeles Housing Partnership and the CA Community Economic Development Association. On the national level, Doi was appointed by former President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Additionally, Doi is a founding member and the former national chair of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, a national association of Asian and Pacific Islanders engaged in community development.

Principal Manager, Indirect Procurement, Southern California Edison

Brian P. Gatus leads the Indirect Procurement group for Southern California Edison (SCE). He is responsible for managing more than $1.2 billion in annual spend and leading a team of professionals in delivering effective procurement (sourcing, contracts and negotiations) and category spend management solutions for SCE's indirect procurement and business enterprise supply chain.
 
He has a proven track record of success in leveraging spend, optimizing procurement controls, minimizing risk and improving product quality. With more than 20 years of public and private sector experience, his areas of expertise include sourcing of various IT/OT hardware and software, complex contract negotiations, logistics and execution of business process improvements.
 
Gatus is recognized by the National Contract Management Association as a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and by the Institute of Supply Management as a Certified Professional in Supply Management.

President, Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce

A public affairs veteran with more than 35 years of experience, Angela Gibson-Shaw has a vast array of experience with small business outreach, community outreach and public relations. She is committed to the empowerment of small, minority, women and veteran-owned businesses leading to job creation in communities of color.

She is the current president of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce Education Fund & Foundation, as well as serving on the board of directors to the Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce. Gibson-Shaw also serves as an L.A. County Small Business Commissioner, appointed by L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. She was recently appointed by Senator Bradford to his 35th State Senate Advisory Council, and previously served as his principal telecom consultant during his Assembly terms. Prior to her retirement at AT&T, Gibson-Shaw served on the boards of the Compton, Culver City, Carson, Huntington Park and Lynwood chambers of commerce. L.A. County Workforce Investment and South Bay Workforce Investment Boards.

Deputy Director, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

Isaac Gindi is a Deputy Director at County of Los Angeles Public Works, one of the largest public works agencies in the nation with a workforce of 4,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $2 billion.
 
Gindi oversees the Business Outreach and Technical Services Branch, which provides business-friendly contracting opportunities, as well as a broad range of engineering design, facility and information technology services.
        
Gindi has nearly 35 years of experience with L.A. County. Prior to becoming Deputy Director of the Business Outreach and Technical Services Branch, he served as Administrative Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer.

Founder/CEO, Gluck Marketing Group

Jon Gluck is a lifelong entrepreneur, passionate marketer and enthusiastic connector. He founded his first business at the age of 14 and has been building companies and brands ever since. His ventures have spanned a wide-range of industries, including e-commerce, live events, consumer marketing, technology, sports and beverage. Gluck currently runs Gluck Marketing Group, a Beverly Hills-based advisory firm that makes available his unique strategic and branding methods to a variety of select clients including promising startups, innovative businesses and nonprofits and purpose-driven political campaigns.

HCM Consultant, CBIZ Human Capital Management

Christie Havens is a HCM Consultant of CBIZ. With more than 40 years of accounting and finance experience, Havens takes a consultative role when working with prospects and clients. Havens has held positions from Accounting Clerk to CFO. Her goal is to understand the vision of the business owner and equip them with valuable information to assist in the planning to take their business to the next level.

She specializes in working with clients with one employee to thousands of employees to determine where businesses need compliance assistance, product solutions available to them to streamline business processes. Her passion is to be a valued advisor, and she has an incredible network of professionals.

CEO, Good Amplified

Award-winning digital media maven Amber J. Lawson is on a mission to do good at scale and impact #abillionlives as the founder/CEO of Good Amplified. Good Amplified ampifies the #dogooding stories of nonprofits across all social media channels to drive donations and awareness to these causes including XPRIZE, Boys and GIrls Club and Make A Wish America. Lawson recently Launched GODDESS PROCESS a 30 day inspirational program for powerful women to manifest their hearts desires. Lawson inspires audiences around the world with her interactive talks on connection and vulnerability. Lawson’s leadership and vision have resulted in accolades including the Cynopsis Women in Digital Entrepreneur of the Year, Top 50 Women in Digital, PGA Top 25 in Digital, and the NATPE Luminary Award. She sits on several boards and is the chairman of the Membership Working Group of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Interactive Media Peer Group, and an active member of the New Media Council at the Producers Guild of America. Lawson is a stand for transformation on the planet and her favorite color is hot pink... Obviously.

Voice Over Artist

After getting up at the crack of dawn, walking through 10 feet of snow each winter to be the traffic reporter on CBS' WBBM in Chicago, Dave Linden moved West to the Desert for stints on the radio. Later, he discovered through his public relations firm in L.A., that he had a niche for bringing organizations together to network and gain new business. In 1999, Linden created the Largest Mixer, a yearly event with the combined attendance of nearly 10,000 business people in Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and Las Vegas, where professionals have the opportunity to exchange cards, brand their companies and attract and grow business. In 2017, Linden sold his event company to continue his voice-over career where he has been featured on countless commercials for prominent international brands such as QVC, Eddie Bauer, Kellogg‘s, Pizza Hut, Lexus and infomercial giants Guthy-Renker and Beachboy.

CEO, Axis PR & Entertainment

Sarah Miller, CEO of Axis PR & Entertainment, has more than 16 years of strategic experience in public relations and marketing within the Mobile & Digital Entertainment, high-tech and consumer industries. Her expertise and success in leading Axis PR & Entertainment combined with in-depth media relations, strategic marketing, new business development, public relations and relationship marketing has helped launch numerous startup companies. As CEO of Axis PR, Miller lead extremely successful nationwide PR & Marketing campaigns for public companies as well as early stage startups and have successfully taken many early stage tech companies from launch to M&A stage while under her leadership.

Miller is also the Founder & Chair of the Mobile Excellence Awards, one of the most prestigious and influential mobile awards in the mobile technology, entertainment and media industry.

External Affairs – Greater Los Angeles Region, AT&T

VP, Senior Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank of The West

Corneil Montgomery is a corporate social responsibility professional and a lifelong advocate for social change. He brings that passion to his role with Bank of the West, where he is a VP, Sr. Regional Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. He manages the Bank’s regional CSR program including social impact strategies, philanthropic investments, community engagement and volunteerism for the Southern California Division—Southern California and Southern Nevada. Montgomery earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration with a specialization in Local Government Management for Sustainable Communities, and a member of the 2019 Leadership L.A. class.

Director, Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, County of Los Angeles

Joseph M. Nicchitta is Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Nicchitta oversees an expansive portfolio of programs and leads work on numerous countywide initiatives, including immigration, minimum wage enforcement and the County’s small business initiative. Nicchitta also leads efforts to implement Board-approved rent stabilization programs for tenant-occupied units and mobile homes. Nicchitta’s priorities include reducing barriers small businesses face when trying to do business with government agencies, and forging regional partnerships with cities and business organizations to better the daily economic lives of all L.A. County residents.

Regional Bank President, Los Angeles Community Bank, Wells Fargo & Company

Michael Ormonde is region bank president for Wells Fargo’s Los Angeles Bank division. In this role, Ormonde oversees more 1,300 Wells Fargo banking professionals at approximately 87 branches across the cities of Los Angeles, South Bay, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.

General Manager, Purchasing & Contract Services, Internal Services Department, County of Los Angeles

In February 2019, Michael Owh was appointed as the General Manager of Los Angeles County’s Purchasing & Contract Services within the Internal Services Department. Owh leads an office of more than 260 procurement and contracting professionals with billions in spend annually. Owh is tasked with transforming the procurement process as well as improving the Department’s engagement with small and diverse businesses throughout the region.

Prior to joining the County of Los Angeles, Owh served as the City of Los Angeles' first Chief Procurement Officer, where he led the launch of the City’s online certification tool, which replaced a wholly paper-based process, and provided unprecedented transparency into the City’s spend by creating procurement dashboards and analytics. Owh also created the first Citywide professional development curriculum for the City’s procurement staff as well as a library of tools and resources, incorporating best practices in the field.

Executive Vice President, Center for Education Excellence & Talent Development, L.A. Area Chamber

David Rattray oversees the Center for Education Excellence & Talent Development at the Chamber and UNITE-LA, the School-to-Career Partnership of Los Angeles. Rattray officially joined the Chamber in 2003 after being a strategic partner for several years. Since 1998, he has led UNITE-LA in building business and educational partnerships toward a goal of improving the academic achievement and enthusiasm for learning for all Los Angeles students. Previously Rattray spent more than 20 years in the foodservice distribution industry. Rattray served on the L.A. City Workforce Investment Board and Youth Council and was vice chair of the State Workforce Investment Board's Lifelong Learning Committee. Rattray earned his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. When Rattray really wants to shine, he plays his tuba.

Sr. Sales Executive, Kaiser Permanente

founder and Managing Director, M Collaborative & the Heart Series

Megan Sette is the founder and managing director of M Collaborative, a boutique strategy and marketing consultancy that works with companies and organizations to build community and make a greater social impact, both online and offline. Throughout her career she has worked with a range of businesses, from fortune 500 companies to NGOs, and has lent her consulting expertise to everything from apps, to political campaigns. Additionally, she is a co-creator of The Heart Series, a conference on business x bettering the world, which brings together brand innovators, nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs annually to discuss best practices for making an impact. She is also a co-founder and chair of the board of directors for GRID110, an economic and community development organization, in partnership with the L.A. Mayor's Office, dedicated to accelerating the startup ecosystem in L.A. by providing programs, mentorship and essential resources. She has been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, Inc, Huffington Post, Conscious Magazine, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls and more, and was recently honored as a 2019 visionary for L.A. by Arnold Schwarzenegger's nonprofit, After-School All Stars.

 President/Partner, Beacon Management Group

Brandon Shamim is an award-winning strategist, entrepreneur and leadership coach. For more than 25 years his career spans the globe, working with leading Fortune 500s, private businesses, public agencies, trade groups, universities, hospitals and nonprofits. Having honed his talents in both the private and public sectors, Shamim has managed a management consulting firm; conducted strategic communications for a market leading Fortune 100; and served as a U.S. Department of Commerce regional administrator where he was responsible for $50 million in capital assistance and procurement for 2,000 privately owned businesses. 
 
He has been cited in Inc Magazine, National Public Radio, MSNBC, L.A. Times and StartUp.com. As a graduate of the University of Southern California with degrees in Political Science and International Affairs and a Master’s in Leadership and Management, he currently lectures in the Masters for Social Entrepreneurship and Change program at Pepperdine University. As a servant leader, he serves on several boards of nonprofit organizations, including the L.A. Area Chamber, advancing entrepreneurship and educational opportunities.

SVP, Development & Strategy, Los Angeles Football Club

Benny Tran is SVP of Development and Strategy for the Los Angeles Football Club and Banc of California Stadium. He works on government relations, stadium development, innovation and business strategy. Before LAFC, Tran worked in international development over seven years at the Clinton Foundation as the Deputy Regional Director of Southeast Asia and Vietnam Country Director for the Clinton Health Access (CHAI) and Climate Initiatives (CCI). He started his career as a management consultant with Touchstone Consulting in Washington, D.C.

Director, Startup LAunch Tech SBDC, Bixel Exchange

Kat Yalung unleashes innovation in the Southern California region as the Director of Bixel Exchange’s Startup LAunch Incubator program, a nonprofit Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the second largest chamber of commerce in the United States, the L.A. Area Chamber. She leads the development and implementation of Bixel Exchange’s core business advisory services, helping empower more than 250 tech startups each year. She formerly launched the Los Angeles campus and led strategic partnership efforts for General Assembly’s Southern California community where she built educational, marketing and hiring partnerships with startups, venture firms, public sector agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Yalung believes in the power of diverse people centered solutions, equity and purpose driven passion. She devoted four years of volunteer service to the Peace Corps in Nicaragua as an entrepreneurship educator where she ran annual national business plan competitions and experienced the force of entrepreneurship across families and ecosystems. Yalung was named L.A. Biz 2018 Woman of Influence and a 2019 Techwomen headliner.

District HR Manager, Ralphs

Regional Director, TEAM Referral Network

Dawn Young-Cruz is a master networker, speaker, trainer and Certified Master NLP Coach. She is the founder of TEAM DYC Business Services a Boutique Accounting & Consulting company based in Las Vegas, NV, that provides accounting services, event planning and management and strategic coaching. Young-Cruz has also been with TEAM Referral Network for 10 years serving as a regional director in California for eight years and now Las Vegas for the past two years. Young-Cruz has a true personal passion and loves working with business professionals to help obtain the growth and success creating win-win situations while also reaching their annual goals.