We are thrilled to introduce our team of dedicated advisors. They bring wisdom, guidance, and expertise! They come from different backgrounds and industries to elevate our youth board members and members. Thank you advisors!
John Amador has been part of the dynamic financial industry for over 20 years. He is currently the Senior Risk Manager for U.S. Bank. He provides risk related oversight activities for Consumer Banking which entails ensuring appropriate compliance for Compensation Incentives, Model Governance and Monetary Transactions. His team supports business objectives while maintaining acceptable risk tolerances that are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Prior to his current role, he held several senior level management positions in the Mortgage Servicing space.
Despite his professional growth, he has considered his commitment to developing the goals of peers and those in his community as his greatest achievement. He has had a longtime involvement with at risk youth as a Board Member of CASA Youth Shelter which has proven that administering and investing in people who have needs can improve lives, create extraordinary results, and that this responsibility lies in the hands of its community.
He currently serves on the U.S. Bank Orange County Leadership Team and Grant Committee. He launched the Hispanic Business Resource Group of Southern California for U.S. Bank with the intent to broaden the overall awareness and exposure for Hispanics in the industry.
Jorge Flores is a public speaker and Career Pathways Manager at LA Promise Fund. He has collaborated with various communications and advocacy organizations, supporting emerging professionals in Southern California. His work focuses on higher education access and career success. Jorge holds a bachelor's degree in political science from California State University Fullerton and Harvard University’s Extension School certificate program on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Leadership.
Judit Castellanos earned her B.S. in Public Health Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. With over five years of experience in clinical research, she has specialized in pediatrics, urology, hepatology, and hematology-oncology. Her expertise includes protocol development, and the implementation and execution of Phase I-IV clinical trials, as well as Emergency Access and Compassionate Use INDs. Currently, she serves as a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at the UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, focusing on the Malignant Hematology team and acting as the Primary CRC for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and CAR-T cell therapy trials, in addition to supporting Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation trials. Before this role, Judit was an Undergraduate Student Research Associate at the UCI/CHOC Center on Stress and Health, where she received two research fellowships to advance pediatric research aimed at reducing healthcare barriers and disparities in the Hispanic/Latino community. At UCI, she also contributed to the OCHYCC, serving as Secretary (2019-2020) and President (2020-2021), and continues to support students as an Advisor for the organization.
Michael Cooper is the Director of Strategic Sourcing for Disney Worldwide Services, supporting Disney’s West Coast Theme Park Operations, including the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney Imagineering and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa.
Michael leads a Sourcing team consisting of 25 professional Cast Members in various roles supporting the Disneyland Resort and related Disney segments in the areas of Facilities & Operations Services, Design & Construction, Food & Beverage, Entertainment and Imagineering’s “Blue Sky” activities.
Michael joined the Disneyland Resort team as the Manager of Food & Beverage Sourcing & Procurement in May 2004. In 2005, Michael’s responsibilities were expanded to encompass the sourcing support for Marketing and Entertainment. In 2006, Michael became the Disneyland Resort site lead for Strategic Sourcing.
Prior to joining Disney, Michael held various positions in Strategic Sourcing, Manufacturing and Human Resources for divisions of Nestlé, Heinz and Kraft at locations throughout the United States. Michael earned Bachelors of Science Degrees in Management and Finance from the University of Utah.
Michael currently serves on the boards of the Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council and the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and has formerly served on the boards of the Cypress College Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy of Utah and the Tea Association of the United States.
Paula Garcia-Arsenault is the Vice President, Community Manager with
Chase Bank. Fully supporting our customers' success requires a
commitment to support the community’s success. By focusing on growing
Chase business opportunities within underserved communities and across
diverse segments, the team creates integrated, actionable financial health
roadmaps to help our communities. The Community Manager is the liaison
to build relationships and ensure financial education and product solutions
are available to the community. This role is to work in the field and develop
a community outreach and engagement program. Prior to returning to
Chase Bank Paula was the Vice President of Family and Homebuyer
Services with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, where she ran the
Home Ownership Program, the Home Repair Program and the Neighbor
Revitalization Program. Paula created a comprehensive process which
assures the success of the on-going family selection process, beginning
with target marketing and ending with family partnerships and successful
homeownership.
Paula comes with 30 years of commercial and consumer banking
experience and was formerly the Business Relationship Manager Assistant
Vice President with Chase Bank in Santa Ana. Prior to that, she was with
Independence Bank as a First Vice President, Regional Manager of the
North County and an executive with Farmers & Merchants Bank and was a
Vice President with Wells Fargo Bank.
Paula currently serves as a volunteer and board member for a number of
organizations including past Chairwoman for Santa Ana Chamber of
Commerce, Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, High School
Inc. Foundation, Kiwanis OC, National Hispanic Business Womens
Association, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Armando Rivera Gil is a Manager of Electronics Engineering for the Digital Integrated Circuits and Electronics (DICE) Department at Northrop Grumman Corporation located in Manhattan Beach, CA. Armando is responsible for managing a wide range of experienced digital engineers at the DICE department to fulfill Northrop Grumman’s Mission to serve its customers with ASIC and FPGA boards for Space System technology.
Before joining Northrop Grumman, Armando served in the US Navy from July 2001 to June 2011. While in the Navy, he served 2 tours in Iraq, first at sea aboard the USS Dubuque LPD-8 and second on base at Al Asad Air Force Base in Iraq.
Armando received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Irvine and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. He serves on the Orange County Hispanic Youth Chamber of Commerce as an Advisor.
Veronica Corona is a dynamic Business Consultant, esteemed community influencer, bilingual public speaker, and fervent champion of leadership. As the former Founder & CEO of a Multimillion-dollar janitorial company, she brings unmatched industry insights to our clients. She is passionate about delivering her expert guidance to propel leadership growth and achieve goals, all while making a lasting impact on diversity and community enrichment for the next generation of leaders. Today she coaches small business owners to navigate the challenges, scale their business and to give business presentations with confidence. Her success is based heavily on her ability to partner with business leaders while building relationships.
Sylvia Pizarroso is a seasoned financial expert with over three decades of experience in finance, commercial and business banking. Her career is marked by a proven track record in business development, client relationship management, and risk mitigation. With a strong foundation in credit analysis, cash management, and SBA lending, Sylvia has been a trusted advisor to businesses of all sizes for many years.
Prior to joining the OCIE Small Business Development Center Finance Center as Director in April 2024, Sylvia held various leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase for 14 years, culminating in the position of Executive Director in their Commercial Banking division.
As Director of the Finance Center, Sylvia leads a team dedicated to providing essential financial support and guidance to small businesses. Passionate about empowering the next generation of Latinos, she is actively involved in mentoring and community outreach. Her leadership extends beyond the Finance Center, as evidenced by her role as 2022-2024 Board Chair of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and various other organizations.
An immigrant from La Paz, Bolivia, Sylvia's journey embodies the American dream. Her determination and hard work have propelled her to success, and she is now committed to helping others achieve their professional aspirations. Sylvia is married and is the proud Mother of Michelle and Luke.
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