Jamie Lee

Jamie began her career with Wells Fargo in 2000 as a customer sales and service representative. Prior to assuming her current role, she held various positions within the bank to include personal banker, assistant manager and branch manager.

Jamie specializes in customer experience, team member experience, managing risk, compliance and growth – key areas of focus that contribute the overall success of her region.

She is passionate about giving back to her community. This is demonstrated through her tireless commitment to providing financial education to youth and adults, volunteering alongside her team to support local non-profits and lending her voice as a public speaker and financial services subject-matter expert at community events within her region. Additionally she serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Redlands/Riverside.

In 2013, when her eldest daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Jamie and her family have been actively involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and American Diabetes Association. Her dream is to one day find a cure for diabetes. Jamie currently resides in Jurupa Valley with her husband, daughter, and son.

Six time Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter Lynette Romero brings extensive news experience to her role on the KTLA 5 Morning News.

Lynette came to KTLA in January 1998 as a general assignment reporter and in her first year at the station, received the prestigious Golden Mike Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California for producing and reporting the KTLA News series “Public Schools: Working the System.” From August 2000 to October 2004, Lynette was co-anchor for “KTLA Prime News,” where she — along with her news colleagues — received a second Golden Mike for best 60-minute evening newscast. She is a recipient of 6 local Emmy Awards including an Emmy for best feature news reporting. In 2006, Lynette received a local Emmy and Golden Mike Award for her work as anchor/reporter for the show “Access L.A. – The Latino Experience” and a local Emmy as reporter/producer for the five-part series “From Farm to Fork.” In 2015, Lynette was honored by the National Hispanic Media Coalition with the Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Award.

Lynette has travelled domestically and internationally in her role as a journalist covering stories from   Prague in the Czech Republic, to El Salvador, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Rome where she covered the Papal Conclave for KTLA and other Tribune television stations across the country.  

Prior to joining KTLA, Lynette anchored and reported for 10 years at KUSA-TV in Denver. She also spent nearly a year reporting for KUSA-TV’s sister station in Austin, Texas, KVUE-TV. While in Denver, Lynette’s assignments included the 1993 papal visit, the standoff in Waco and the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Lynette has been a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and an advisory board member for the University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has taught anchor and reporting classes for UCLA Extension. She spends much of her personal time in the community speaking at schools and community events.

Lynette has a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism, broadcast news from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. She was born and raised in Denver. Lynette moved her elderly mother who has Dementia to her home in California so she could take care of her. Lynette lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter and their two rescue dogs Benny and LuLu.

Sandra Campos is a CEO, entrepreneur, and operating partner within the retail and consumer products sector. She has been building global fashion lifestyle brands for more than twenty years. She is the founder of Fashion Launchpad, the only digital masterclass edtech platform specifically for the fashion-retail-beauty industries.

Sandra advises startup businesses in tech, fashion/beauty, and consumer products such as Katie Kime-home and sleepwear brand, Bubble-beauty startup for GenZ, Saavitude-startup helping to design through AI, Project Verte-a comprehensive dashboard for ecommerce,Purple Dot-software that helps brands sell their inventory more profitably. In addition, she’s an investor, mentor, and board member.

As the former CEO of Diane Von Furstenberg, Sandra is known as an innovator and evolved a traditional business into one focused on global digital acceleration and the implementation of Omni-channel strategies to enhance the consumer experience. Under her leadership, the business turnaround was under way with profitable KPI improvements within each channel, created a Weekly Wrap newsletter with The Newsette, established collaborations with female founded brands such as Lingua Franca and Ashley Longshore, and promoted the “In Charge” mission throughout every consumer touchpoint. The company substantially reduced its losses through improvements in operational efficiencies, product margins, inventory management, and store rationalization.

Prior to DVF, Sandra was instrumental in restructuring Iconic brands such as Juicy Couture, Bebe, and BCBG. An executive with broad skills and experience, Sandra focuses on driving digital innovation, fueling international expansion, and leading youth culture marketing. Her international experience has included brand building in many regions with hundreds of stores in China and SE Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Her entrepreneurial ventures include Mobi and Cynosure Holdings-ACH, a celebrity brand management co responsible for launching Selena Gomez’s lifestyle collection.

Ms. Campos is a frequent keynote speaker, panelist, and invited guest on MSNBC, Telemundo and Bloomberg on topics ranging from innovation at retail, leadership, and diversity in the workplace. She has been named one of the top 100 Latina Leaders by Latino Leaders Magazine, was one of 2019 Top Líderes in Business by Hispanic Executive Magazine, named a 2020 Top Woman in Retail and was honored by Girls Inc.

Sandra lives in NYC and spends her time with her three kids and partner in the Hudson Valley on her rescue horse farm.

Lisa Brandl is the Chief Operating Officer for the County of Riverside. Lisa has over 27 years of experience in local government, working on key public policy issues throughout her career, such as Court Facility Transfers, implementation of the County’s Development Impact Fee and Capital Improvement Programs and the dissolution of Redevelopment.

Lisa has worked in various departments in the county, such as Information Services, Auditor-Controller, Executive Office, Regional Park and Open-Space District, and the Economic Development Agency.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Operating Officer, Lisa was the Director of the Purchasing and Fleet Services Department, and functioned as the Board of Supervisor’s Agent. She served as Chair for the Riverside County Employee Campaign, and started the first charitable 5k walk/run to benefit the campaign in Indio. She is the current Chair for the Riverside County Oversight Board of the Successor Agency.

Lisa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, San Bernardino, a Master of Public Administration from California Baptist University, and is a Certified Public Procurement Officer.

Joanne A. Landa, CFP® Senior Vice President, Senior Investment Specialist Pasadena Region
Joanne Landa is a Senior Investment Strategist- Senior Vice President located in the Pasadena, CA Wells Fargo Private Bank office. As part of investment management, Ms. Landa works with clients to help develop, implement and manage portfolios that help them meet their investment objectives while managing risk. She manages assets for affluent individuals and families, non-profit organizations, and retirement plans.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Joanne was VP/Portfolio Manager at Bank of America Private Bank in Los Angeles, California for 12 years, where she specialized in managing investment portfolios for affluent individuals and families. She began her career as a licensed securities broker, and has been in the financial industry for more than 25 years.
Mrs. Landa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine. She has been awarded the Certified Financial Planner designation, is a member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute, and the CFA Society of Los Angeles.

Joanne is a current member of the National Charity League, Alumni Association of UC Irvine, and a past board member of the Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts. She lives in La Crescenta with her husband and three children, and is involved in several local youth organizations as a volunteer and coach.

Dr. Sumanta Chaudhuri as Chief Medical Officer for Hemet Valley Medical Center and Menifee Valley Medical Center. Hemet Valley Medical Center and Menifee Valley Medical Center are two of seven hospitals affiliated with KPC’s southern California-based health system.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Sumanta Chaudhuri most recently served as Program Director of the Transitional Year Internship for graduate medical residents at Hemet Valley Medical Center.

In addition, Dr. Chaudhuri served as the Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and Director of the Peri-Operative Clinic of the Eye Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Was selected as the Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Riverside Community Hospital, and served as Medical Director for local Independent Physician Associations and Hospitalist groups.

Van Ton-Quinlivan is a nationally recognized thought leader in workforce development. She has a proven record for guiding and implementing large system change while fostering a culture of experimentation, innovation and collaboration. Her distinguished career spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

She is CEO of Futuro Health, whose mission is to improve the health and wealth of communities by growing the largest network of credentialed allied healthcare workers in the nation. Futuro Health was established through a $130 million commitment by Kaiser Permanente and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers to address the shortage of healthcare workers in the nation starting with California.

Ton-Quinlivan previously served as executive vice chancellor for the California Community Colleges, the nation’s largest system of higher education, and grew public investment in workforce programs from $100 million to over $1 billion during her tenure.

In 2013, Ton-Quinlivan was named a White House Champion of Change under the Obama Administration in recognition of her notable career in industry, education and service as a community leader. She received the California Steward Leader Award in 2017 for her dedication to collaboration and work to align public, private, and civic sector leaders in support of economic and social mobility for state residents. In 2019, Ton-Quinlivan was named a mediaX distinguished visiting scholar by Stanford University.

Michelle Skiljan serves as executive director of the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley Women Business Centers.

The WBCs are small business assistance programs partially funded by the US Small Business Administration. The WBCs, programs of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at California State University San Bernardino, have offices in Riverside, Colton, Palm Desert and a part-time office in Corona. During Michelle’s tenure, the Women’s Business Center Programs have raised over 7 million dollars in federal and match funding, trained nearly 70,000 workshop participants, provided business counseling for over 4,200 business owners and generated regional economic impact of over 22 million dollars.

Ms. Skiljan has also served as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at CSUSB since 2007. She came to the IEWBC with an extensive business background of consulting and management and has over twenty years working closely with a small business owner. She has three years of experience at the University of California Riverside overseeing grant funded entrepreneurial programs and three years of delivering consulting and training services to small businesses as a consultant at the Inland Empire SBDC. Michelle was recognized by the National Association of Women’s Business Owners Inland Empire Chapter as the 2014 Corporate Entrepreneur and in 2007 she was recognized as a Community Bridge Builder. She has also been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration District IX as Women’s Business Center Director of the year.

Michelle has a BS in information management and a MBA in entrepreneurship from California State University San Bernardino.

Elizabeth Yang (楊安立) has been practicing law since 2007 and specializes in Intellectual Property Law, including Patent, Copyright and Trademark Prosecution and Litigation; Business Law, including corporate entity formation, contract drafting, contract disputes, litigation; Family Law, including divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, and asset division; and Estate Planning, including establishing wills and trusts. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Elizabeth was admitted to the United States Patent & Trademark office in 2007. At the age of 19, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley in two and a half years. Her IP practice is primarily focused on Intellectual Property litigation at the Federal District and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Elizabeth’s practice also includes complex business litigation, patent prosecution and trademark prosecution.

In 2011, Elizabeth founded Yang & Wang, P.C., a boutique law firm that ultimately gave life to the Law & Mediation Offices of Elizabeth Yang. Prior to starting her own practice, Elizabeth gained extensive experience at various international intellectual property law firms where her practice primarily focused on a variety of technologies, including electronics, hardware, software, variable data printers, fingerprinting sensors, data packet processing, network security systems, microprocessors, and automated telephonic systems along with IP Litigation. She is also experienced in drafting patent validity opinion letters, requests for reexamination, intellectual property licensing agreements and trademark consent agreements.

Elizabeth further has extensive experience dealing with family law issues involving child custody, child support, alimony, asset division, pre-nuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements. Being a mother of two young children , she understands and can relate to clients who are also undergoing emotional divorces. She has represented family law clients both efficiently and compassionately at various stages of litigation and trial. Elizabeth earned her mediation certification in 2015 from the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and has assisted many combative litigants in resolving their issues through mediation and alternate dispute resolution.

Prior to practicing law, Elizabeth worked for Raytheon Company as an electrical engineer designing radar systems for the B2 Bomber. She has also interned at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, working as a team member on the main control unit of the Mars Exploration Rover.

In 2016-2020, Elizabeth was awarded the “Top 100 Civil Lawyers” award and the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” award by the National Trial Lawyers Association. In 2017-2020, Elizabeth was recognized by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” ranking her in the top 2.5% of lawyers in California and also presented with the Lawyers of Distinction award, recognizing her as the top 10% of lawyers in the United States.

In 2017, Elizabeth published her first best-selling book, “The Big Secret” alongside Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In 2018, Elizabeth published her second book, “Stress-Free Divorce” to assist parties going through this very difficult time of their lives.

Lea Petersen Public Affairs Manager Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas)
Lea’s primary responsibility is to advance SoCalGas’s business and legislative interests before local, state and federal government officials, taking leadership roles in community & charitable organizations to promote economic development, job growth, higher education, supporting the over 22 million customers SoCalGas serves in 500 communities. Working with business organizations & community groups Lea educates the public on energy efficiency, natural gas & renewable energy opportunities. Lea works closely with SoCalGas Field Operations on construction permits, regulatory fees & negotiating franchise contracts. During emergencies such as wildfires, earthquakes, mass evacuations, civil unrest, natural gas or other disasters Lea responds as Public Information Officer with SoCalGas field crews, Media, Fire, Police and Emergency First Responders as Incident Command.

Lea on behalf of SoCalGas has established a Scholarship program assisting homeless & financially challenged high school students take the next step reaching their education goals. She has organized SoCalGas volunteers to help serve our military and their families at the March Air Base Military Appreciation Days; working with Habitat for Humanity revitalize low-income neighborhoods and with the Red Cross raised thousands of dollars for families who have lost their homes in wildfires.

Lea has lived & studied in 3 countries & traveled extensively throughout the world; attended the University of Mexico, Mexico City; Carleton University, Ottawa Canada concluding her education at California State University Long Beach in Journalism, Business Admin. She speaks, reads and writes Spanish & French. She began her professional career as a television news reporter. Has represented the Ca State Assembly, Rockwell International Space Shuttle program, NASA, Verizon Wireless, Boeing Company and Long Beach Airport.

Business & Charitable Organization Positions

Greater Riverside Chamber – Board Director
Corona Chamber – Board Director
Riverside County NAACP – live time member
Riverside County Workforce Investment Board; Past Vice Chairwoman
Riverside Downtown Business Partnership
SMART Riverside – Board Director
Asian Business Association of Inland Empire
Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber
Chino Valley Chamber, Jurupa Valley Chamber, Eastvale Chamber
Congressman Ken Calvert’s Science Technology Education Partnership
Inland Empire March of Dimes
Association of Women in Water, Energy and the Environment

Awards, Recognitions

“Woman of Distinction” Award Ca Assemblyman Jose Medina for assisting homeless students gain higher education scholarships
• Riverside County Woman of the Year – awarded by Riverside County Board of Supervisors & Riverside County Commission for Women.
• Asian Business Association Inland Empire “Founder’s Award” for supporting diversity & “Minority Business Leader Advocate of the Year”
• Riverside County NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) “Corporate Leadership Award” for business leadership
• Riverside County YWCA “Women of Achievement” Award
• Ca Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger “We Connect” award for volunteerism providing opportunities for low-income students
• The Black Voice Newspaper “Community Builder” Award, African-American community
• Ca State Assemblyman Jeff Miller Certificate Appreciation for Leadership during Corona Freeway Wildfires
• President George W. Bush “Thousand Points of Lights” award for volunteerism benefiting low income children through Science, Math & Engineering education

Luanna Lindsey, an 18-year veteran of the company, is senior vice president and Business Segment Manager for Small Business for the Greater California – South region.

Within this region, Luanna is responsible for the small business strategy which supports team members and the overall customer experience for Small Business in nearly 400 branches.

Lindsey began her career with Wells Fargo in 2000 in a dual role of District Manager and Premier Banking Director. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as District Manager for the Beverly Hills, Downtown Los Angeles, and Valley Crossroads (Glendale/Burbank) districts, where she oversaw three teams across complex, diverse areas for the past 15 years.

Lindsey is involved with the communities in which she works, having spent time as a board member of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Foundation, White Memorial Hospital, and Public Broadcasting System.

Cecilia “CeCe” Alvarado Nationally Board & I-ACT Certified. Colon Hydro Therapist – Being of service since 2003 

Cece is very passionate about her profession; she has personally experienced through her own health the benefits of Colon Hydrotherapy. She is a very strong advocate that “Our Health is Our Responsibility”. She does her best daily to instill this to every one of her clients, family and friends. She also holds monthly live FB, IG & YouTube “Inner Health Care Moments” with the desire to educate all those that are looking for preventive ways to improve their Own Health. She is also a strong believer in Jesus and is not shy about sharing her faith with her clientele & staff.

Cece is continually expanding her knowledge, in an effort to bring the very best to her clients. She shares “The more I learn, the more I love my profession”. She absolutely loves helping others find the answer to their own health issues, but most of all she LOVES PAYING IT FORWARD. Her exact words “Helping each one of my clients is so rewarding, for I know my clients will feel better just as I did, and when they do, they too will go out and PAY IT FORWARD!.

She has been involved with the Riverside Chamber of Commerce. The Holistic Chamber of Commerce. National Association of Female Executive. Her daily heart desire is to serve God to the best of her ability in all that she does.

 Janise Graham helps business owners and entrepreneurs develop a succession plan to protect the future of their business, employees and their families.  

When her mother’s friend died in a plane crash in 2001 and Janise learned he had no plan for his family or his business upon his death, she knew business insurance and succession planning was her calling. Janise later rebranded her business as Entrepreneur’s Insurance Services as a testament to her commitment not to see another business or family suffer due to poor planning. 

With more than 23 years of experience in the financial services industry, Janise is well versed in her specialty area serving business owners. She leverages past experiences as a retirement specialist who has provided solutions to the employees at HP, Verizon, and Avery Dennison, to name a few. Today, she uses her extensive knowledge to help entrepreneurs plan for unexpected situations impacting businesses such as the disability or death of a CEO.

Janise has served as President of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), Inland Empire Chapter, President of the Business Resource Connection and as a board member of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Janise has been recognized as a finalist for Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards.

Janise enjoys speaking at industry associations, meetings, and conferences and often presents topics such as: “Leaving In Style” and “Recognizing The Franchise Difference.”  She is the author of “Leaving In Style; From Business Success to Succession.” Which is due to be released in 2018.

Janise is viewed by many as a protector and connector.  She loves making introductions to connect like-minded people, and protecting her clients from unforeseen risks.  Janise also enjoys counseling fledgling entrepreneurs at the Inland Empire Women’s Business Center.

Janise currently holds a Life & Health License in California, Minnesota, and Texas, the designations of Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) and Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC). For more information, visit www.businessownerprotection.com        

Maritza Gomez

Maritza Gomez believes in putting your own personal stamp on things and being as original as you want to be. With that in mind, along with her mother, founded MG Custom Printing, a promotional products and printing company specializing in digital decoration of marketing products and personalized gifts in 2014.
Maritza has not always felt bold and brave or championed being an original because she was a “DREAMer,” an undocumented immigrant brought to the United States as a child. Although she’s faced many obstacles along the way, Maritza has been resilient and undaunted in her mission of being college educated and owning a business.Not only is she CEO of MG Custom Printing, but also she is a proud graduate of California State University, San Bernardino with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration on Entreprenuership. Maritza is one of 47 women featured in the new book,
“Next Bold Move” by number-one bestselling author Tarra Flores Sloan in 2016
A sought after motivational speaker, Maritza is frequently asked to speak on immigration and entrepreneurial topics. She has volunteered her time and spoken at University of California Los Angeles during the Youth Empowerment Conference and several California State Universities, San Bernardino, Long Beach and Fullerton and several local elementary and middle schools on the importance of higher education, getting involved in their communities and networking regardless of their current circumstances.

Maritza has been a Mentor and business plan judge for the Inland Empire Women’s Business Center (IEWBC) for the past three years, with three of her mentees winning one of the top three spots.

On April 2018, Maritza was recognized as a one of the Trailblazer Latina Entrepreneurs of the Inland Empire by the National Latina Business Women Association of the Inland Empire and is one of the directors for NAWBO-IE.

LaVonne Shields

LaVonne Shields is the CEO of Management Consultants of America. As a Business ACCOUNTability Coach and Accounting Strategist, LaVonne specializes in training and consulting business owners to help them gain peace of mind and relieve stress associated with running a company, all while improving the bottom line, LaVonne uses her expertise to help engage business owners in all facets of their company, including financial management.

She serves as a Business Consultant and Trainer for the Inland Empire Women’s Business Center and the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center.

Marklem Valdovinos

Prior to the America Heart Association, Marklem worked in the communications and customer service arena that included creating e-newsletters, news releases and press conferences, surveys for marketing, and reports. During her career at the AHA she has received multiple recognition awards including the prestigious National Rome Betts Award, National Multicultural Initiatives Achievement Award, Health Equity National Achievement Award, Health Strategies Trailblazer Award, Simple Seven Champion, and Support Star Award.

Recently, she received the Executive of Influence award from Hispanic Lifestyle. Marklem has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from California State University, Fullerton.