Ruben Barrales: Senior Vice President, External Engagement Wells Fargo & Company
Ruben Barrales is Senior Vice President for External Engagement at Wells Fargo. He works to advance Wells Fargo’s diversity and inclusion efforts for employees, customers, and the communities we serve.
Barrales previously served as president & CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. He also led an effort focused on increasing the number of Latinos elected to state and local government.
Prior, Barrales served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Ruben was the first Latino elected to the San Mateo County (California) Board of Supervisors. He was recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” in the United States by Hispanic Business Magazine, and he received the “Ohtli Award” from the Government of Mexico for his commitment to improving the well-being of Hispanics in the United States.
Luis Belen: CEO, NHIT
Luis Belen is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT Collaborative), where he is responsible for leading stakeholder engagement efforts with the White House, Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), Capitol Hill, public/private/community organizations; national initiatives, and key convening’s such as the Annual Conference, Spring Summit, White House Briefing, Wall Street Summit, and Congressional Roundtable.
Belen is a Co-Founder of the HIMSS Latino Community. Belen serves on the Morehouse School of Medicine’s (MSM) Trans-disciplinary Collaborative Center’s Health Information Technology Policy Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Health IT Policy Committee - The Consumer Workgroup.
Belen obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in New York, NY and attended the A Better Chance program in Swarthmore, PA. Belen currently resides in Loudoun County, VA with his wife of 16 years and four children.
Celeste Carrasco: Director, Federal Public Affairs, AT&T
Celeste Carrasco, a Director of Federal Public Affairs for AT&T, is responsible for executing national strategies that achieve corporate legislative and regulatory objectives, presenting company positions to external stakeholders in key issue areas and managing community partnerships with non-profit organizations in the Latino, corporate social responsibility and consumer advocacy communities.
Celeste was honored as City Year Idealist of the Year in 2015 and was honored to receive the herMANA award in 2016 by the MANA organization. She has also been the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award multiple years running. All recognitions highlight her passion for volunteerism and commitment to the communities she represents.
A dynamic and engaging leader. Celeste is coalition builder at heart, always looking for ways to partner, engage and execute plans. Celeste possesses extensive experience in leading diverse and large teams in network operations and customer care organizations.
Previously, Celeste was an Area Manager in New Jersey, where she led a team of 16 managers, with diverse roles and responsibilities in support of over 200,000 AT&T Business customers. Focused on cost saving initiatives, Celeste was effective in reducing expenses and increasing productivity in her management of the AT&T Business Managed Internet (MIS) budget and human capital objectives. She was also involved with the MIS Pilot Program, which is tasked to create and implement the most efficient model to support AT&T customers by providing the “Highest Quality at the Lowest Cost”. Celeste’s most significant achievements were facilitating the off-shoring of MIS support to Sykes in 2005 and in 2011, the migration of this labor back into AT&T facilities in Bangalore, India, Cyberjaya, Malaysia and Piscataway, New Jersey.
Celeste was recruited in 1996 while she was still a senior at Rutgers University, and became one of the first 10 team members to support the newly launched AT&T WorldNet Dial. From that role, she transitioned to working behind the scenes as a Process Owner for AT&T Virtual Private Network (VPN) Business Services, and later held multiple diverse roles within the MIS organization where she was a driving force behind many of the global virtual center designs in use today.
Due to all her accomplishments, Celeste was one of only fifty leaders across AT&T selected to participate in the 2011 Accelerated Development Program (ADP) – a year-long, intensive AT&T experience designed to advance business acumen and increase strategic perspective as preparation for future leadership opportunities.
Celeste holds a B.A. from Rutgers University, a MC in Project Management and a Masters in Management from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is the President of the DC Chapter of HACEMOS, The Hispanic/Latino Employee Association of AT&T, and is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion. A native of Argentina, Celeste and her family live in Washington, D.C.
Joanna Diaz-Soffer: Principal Manager, T-Mobile Government & External Affairs
Joanna Diaz Soffer is the Principal Manager at T-Mobile Government & External Affairs. In her current role she works with internal and external stakeholder organizations, advocating in the public policy space for T-Mobile priorities. She also drives visibility of T-Mobile in the marketplace and its good citizenship with government leaders, diverse organizations, and a variety of external constituencies. Joanna joined T-Mobile in 2020 after working as a consultant on the historic T-Mobile-Sprint merger.
Previously in her role as Associate Vice President at DDC Public Affairs, Joanna worked with clients like T-Mobile to plan and execute their advocacy and policy initiatives. She served clients in the energy, telecommunications, and manufacturing industries. Joanna has utilized her over-a-decade in politics and corporate government relations experience to build and manage successful issue and advocacy campaigns.
Prior to joining DDC Public Affairs in 2017, Joanna served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for a top targeted congressional race in Nevada. Most notably, she served as the Nevada Hispanic Engagement Director for Jeb Bush for President in the 2016 cycle. Originally from Southern California, Joanna worked for Disneyland Resort Government Relations and various state and local political campaigns.
Currently, Joanna serves on the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) Advisory Council, the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocations Business Advisory Council and The Latino Coalition Public Policy Council. Joanna resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter and English bulldog.
Mark Elliott: Global Head of Military & Veterans Affairs JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Mark A. Elliott is the Global Head of Military and Veterans Affairs for
JPMorgan Chase & Co. He oversees firm-wide, veteran-focused efforts
around strategic pillars, including: Career and Skills, Business Growth and
Entrepreneurship, Financial Health and Community Engagement.
Over nearly three decades serving in the U.S. Army, Mark commanded units
at the company, battalion and brigade levels. Retiring as a Colonel, his
assignments in both conventional and special missions units took him around
the world including two deployments to Iraq, with his last serving as aide-decamp
to the commander of all forces in Iraq. Most recently, Mark Elliott was
the Director of the Army’s Land Warfare Network at the Pentagon in
Washington, D.C.
Mark joined JPMorgan Chase in 2015 as a senior strategist on Global
Technology Infrastructure’s Strategy and Transformation team where he
supported the firm’s efforts to create new ways of interacting with customers
in a digital environment.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in physics from the University of Alabama,
a Masters in Telecommunications Management from Southern Methodist
University, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the National War College
in Washington, D.C.
Thomas Eybl: Sr. Corporate Counsel, T-Mobile
Experienced attorney with extensive background advising c-suite level executive leaders on legal matters in dynamic environments and building high performing teams for effective operations. Proven ability to analyze complex challenges and finding results oriented solutions driven by data. Strong communicator adept at interfacing with customers, team members and government officials to resolve legal disputes before they become show stoppers. Seeking new opportunities supporting senior corporate partners in the areas of compliance, regulatory matters, anti-money laundering/anti-bribery.
Christine Hill: McKesson
Christine Hill joined McKesson in March, 2022, and leads Talent Management & Development for McKesson’s Medical-Surgical Solutions business and Enterprise Technology.
An HR leader with over 20 years of experience, Christine joined McKesson from EMCOR Group, where she led HR for several of the operating companies within the portfolio. Christine has also held Executive HR leadership roles at General Electric, the Federal Reserve, and Willis Towers Watson. Christine’s expertise spans various specializations in Human Resources, including talent strategy and development, labor relations, compensation & benefits, HR strategy and HR business partnership. Passionate about veteran’s initiatives, Christine is a former Board member of the US Armed Forces Transition Assistance Program’s Employer Advisory Board and is the current National Vice Chair for McKesson’s Military Resource Group. She is an advisor to the US Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program, a member of the Disability:IN Leadership Committee, and Academy Women.
Christine holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Old Dominion University, a MBA from Averett University, a Master’s in HR Development from Indiana State University, and multiple professional certifications.
Christine is a health enthusiast and enjoys working out and the outdoors in her free time. She is based out of our Richmond, VA office.
Englebert “Freddy” Jimenez: Principle Enterprise Architect at AT&T
I was born in NYC to two immigrant parents from Dominican Republic. I attended Milton Hershey Boarding School before enlisting into the U.S. Army National Guard where I served for 8 years as an IT specialist. I now have 23 years of experience in the IT field primarily with government services. My experience in Telecom ranges from National video distribution, IP networking, to Fiber Optic infrastructure. I'm currently with AT&T serving as a Principal Enterprise Architect in the government services division. In this role, I have the opportunity to implement merging technology such as Software Defined Networking and Zero Trust Architecture. I’m also involved with several employee resource groups (ERG) as the Director of Technology for Project Management Network, VP of Communication for HACEMOS, and Communications lead for our Federal Culture Council. My roles in the ERG’s allow me to contribute towards our companies Diversity, Inclusion and Equity initiatives.
Outside of work, I am actively involved with my family and community through Scouting, swimming, and soccer organizations. I volunteer my time as a Boy Scout Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 1919, as a board-member for the Dale City Swim Team, and as an Audio Video consultant for the Prince William Soccer Club. In my spare time, I enjoy working on HiFi audio and vehicle mechanics.
Roy Love: President ANSO - Association of Naval Services Officers, Speaker, CAPTAIN USN (Ret)
Roy Love was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. in 1983. In 1988 he graduated from Townsend Harris HS in N.Y. Following HS, Love enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) Program in San Diego, California, in 1989. In 1993, he graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Marine Transportation/Business Administration, and received his naval commission via ROTC.
His sea duty assignments are numerous, having served over 12 years at sea. He attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, earning a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies in 2008.
He deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom on an Individual Assignment in support of the ARMY 304th Sustainment Brigade, managing and distributing fuel across all of Iraq to support U.S. and allied forces.
CAPT Love reported as Commanding Officer of USS BOONE (FFG 28) in June 2010, where he led the ship in winning the Battle Efficiency award in 2011. He completed his tour on BOONE in December 2011 and assumed Command of Afloat Training Group Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. CAPT Love served in the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Joint Division Chief for PACOM, NORTHCOM, and SOUTHCOM, under the Deputy Director for Regional Operations (J35) from 2014-2016.
In August 2016, he assumed command of Naval Base San Diego (NBSD), the second-largest Naval Base in the U.S. CAPT Love culminated his tour as Commanding Officer of NBSD in July 2019, after leading the base in winning the Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award.
His final assignment in the U.S. Navy was as Executive Assistant to Commander Navy Installations Command, who leads 10 Navy Regions and 70 Naval Installations worldwide, with over 50,000 employees and over $200 Billion in assets, and a $10B annual operating budget. Captain Love retired from the U.S. Navy after 29 years on active duty.
CAPT Love’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and various U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard unit and service awards.
Jose Melecio II: Senior Program Management/Senior Project Management/Healthcare Management/Senior Healthcare Administrator/Program Management, Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Strategic, high performing management professional with over 20+ years of proven experience in Military and private healthcare systems. Extensive experience in iterative process improvements, coordinating and monitoring leadership engagement activities, driving cultural safety, and policy preparation in a healthcare delivery system. Extensive knowledge of VA Healthcare, Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Cemetery, and TRICARE/HUMANA. Demonstrated understanding of the federal health care landscape with previous and current experience managing Veterans Health Administration. Bilingual in English/Spanish communications.
Aaron Miranda: Military Talent Liaison MTSS Wells Fargo
Aaron Miranda MBA, SHRM-CP is part of the Military Talent Strategic Staffing (MTSS) team serving as a Military Talent Liaison. His primary responsibility is to advocate and assist veterans, active-duty military members, and military spouses develop strategies to become Wells Fargo employees.
Aaron has worked for Wells Fargo for over two years but has been in talent acquisitions and military transitional services for over 18 years. He started his talent acquisitions career in 2005 serving as a U.S. Army Reserves Recruiter after returning from a 15-month deployment in Iraq. After leaving the Army, Aaron held positions such as Military Education Liaison for a large for-profit university, Warriors to Work Manager for the Wounded Warrior Project, and owned Ruck-Up Recruiting LLC which focused on contingent/RPO recruitment. Aaron was born in Tulsa, OK and moved to Juarez Mexico as a child. He has lived in multiple places during his lifetime, but considers El Paso, TX his hometown.
Aaron is the middle child of seven and is married to his high school sweetheart, Rachel. He has two amazing children: AJ (17) and Emily (12). His hobbies include strength training, smoking meats, and whatever his kiddos decide his hobbies should be.
Silvana Montenegro: Global Head of Advancing Hispanics & Latinos at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Silvana Montenegro is JPMorgan’s Global Head of Advancing Hispanics & Latinos for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) organization. This first-ever leadership role for JPMorgan Chase provides a unified vision and strategy to advance the unique priorities of the Hispanic and Latino communities, aligning with the firm’s $30 Billion Racial Equity Commitment.
Silvana brings a wealth of experience from her leadership roles in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as a proven reputation for empowering leadership teams and individuals to reach their potential. She is passionate about developing talent, driving an inclusive workplace and excels at connecting the dots to deliver business results.
Prior to her current role, Silvana was the Head of Commercial Banking Talent, Diversity & Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase, where she led and elevated strategic efforts around developing and retaining top talent, as well as promoting an inclusive culture across the organization.
Previously, she played a key role in building and developing Leadership Edge, JPMorgan Chase’s Leadership Center of Excellence. During her 3 years on the team, Silvana was responsible for designing and facilitating several management and executive programs for senior managers, including leading programs for JPMorgan Chase’s Top 1,000 Executives.
Of her 25 years with the firm, she spent 17 supporting the Latin America business in various capacities, including as the Head of Latin America Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, leading the function from the ground up and laying a strong and sustainable foundation for the region. During her time supporting Latin America, she played a critical role in advising Senior Management on talent matters, in addition to leading key strategic efforts. A key example was the set-up of the JPMC Colombia office, where she developed the local HR function and practices, in addition to leading the recruiting and onboarding of over 30 new employees.
Silvana has been featured in several publications and was recently recognized by Latino Leaders magazine as one of the top 100 Latinas in the US.
Silvana is a Brazilian national and US citizen and speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish and English. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. Silvana currently resides in Westchester, NY, with her husband and two children.
Lucy Moore: Special Policy Advisor, NTIA
Lucy Moore joined NTIA as Special Policy Advisor in January 2022. She most recently served as Associate Staff Secretary in the White House. Prior to joining the Office of the Staff Secretary, she worked as an Appointments Associate on the personnel team of the Biden Harris transition. Lucy previously served as a Policy Associate for Middle Class Economics and as Co-Editor of the Biden Forum at the Biden Foundation. Before joining the Biden Foundation, she served as Special Assistant to U.S. Secretary Thomas E. Perez at the Department of Labor and as a White House intern with the National Economic Council, focused on climate and workforce policy.
Lucy received her BA from the University of Southern California and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Marie Robles: SVP-Director of Finance, EagleBank
Marie Robles’ financial expertise spans over 20 years in both the private and public sectors. Ms. Robles is SVP-Director of Finance at EagleBank.
She was previously Chief Financial Officer at Transportation Federal Credit Union where she oversees all functions of accounting and risk. Prior roles include VP of Accounting and Finance at Northwest Federal Credit Union and Funds Accounting Manager at Navy Federal Credit Union. Throughout her career Marie has played a key role in the implementation of processes and procedures for compliance with new accounting and regulatory reporting requirements including risk assessment and documentation of risks and controls for compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. Marie is also passionate about serving the community. She currently serves as Secretary on the National Board of Directors for the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and on the Strategy Development Committee of the National Women of ALPFA. She is also Treasurer for the American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA). Ms. Robles is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Nevada, and she holds a BS in Accounting from George Mason University and a MBA from University of Phoenix.
Jose “Abe” Rivas: Managing Director | North America Aerospace & Defense - Talent & Org Lead | Cloud South - Talent & Org Lead at Accenture
Experienced Senior Executive with a demonstrated history of leading large scale transformation efforts in information technology and multiple service industries. Skilled in Transformation, Leadership Development, C-Suite Strategic Planning, Talent, Workforce Development, Operations Management, Policy Development, Cyber, Intelligence, Management, Project Portfolio Management, Change Management, and Organization Design. Experienced professional with two Master’s Degrees focused in Leadership and Business Administration.
Kirsten Sullivan: Senior Events Management Associate at J.P. Morgan
Kristen Sullivan is a Senior Events Management Associate at J.P. Morgan located in Washington, D.C. In her current role, she creates strategy for and executes events for top-tier clients within the Corporate Client Banking & Specialized Industries group of the Commercial Bank. Kristen began this role as part of J.P. Morgan’s Military Pathways Program which assists veterans in the transition from service to the civilian workforce. Her first of two rotations in the program was spent as a Marketing strategist, working with Innovation Economy bankers in the Middle Market to promote the bank’s services to start-up companies.
Prior to joining the firm, Kristen was as a Senior Account Manager and Copy Writer for Vizergy Digital Marketing, one of the top hospitality marketing agencies in the U.S. with notable clients such as Marriott Hotels.
The majority of Kristen’s work experience comes from her time in the U.S. Navy as a Human Resources officer. Throughout her seven years of active service, she held various leadership positions within the areas of operations, project management and training. Upon leaving active duty, Kristen continued to serve an additional two years as a Naval reservist.
Kristen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The United States Naval Academy as well as a Master’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications for Northwestern University.
Danny Vargas: President, VARCom Solutions and Founder/Chairman/CEO, ALVA
U.S. Air Force veteran, Danny Vargas is a nationally-recognized business, community, and board leader. He was named among the “101 Most Influential Latinos” in America by Latino Leaders Magazine each year from 2020 - 2023 and among Most Influential people in D.C. by Washingtonian Magazine in 2022. and 2023 His community leadership roles include: Chair Emeritus, Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, where he led the successful national bipartisan effort to pass the bill in Congress; Founder/Chair/CEO of the American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA), helping veterans thrive and recognizing their contributions throughout history; Chair of the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; Chairman of the GO Northern Virginia economic development initiative, and many other boards. In business, he is Founder/President of VARCom Solutions, a national marketing/PR firm; former Chair of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development; former Chair of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (first Latino to chair a mainstream chamber in Virginia history); and former executive at France Telecom and AOL. As a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015, he was endorsed by the Washington Post as “one of the region’s more impressive first-time candidates in recent memory.” A Brooklyn native with a tough upbringing, he has advocated for common sense solutions on issues including economic development, workforce, veterans, healthcare, immigration, transportation and more.
Justin Velez-Hagan: Managing Partner, Solid G Holdings
Justin Vélez-Hagan (MBA, Ph.D.) is the Managing Partner for Solid G Holdings and a Senior Scholar with the Macro Policy Institute. After founding The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, he became its first executive director and continues to serve as a Senior Advisor and member of its board. He is the author of The Common Sense behind Basic Economics (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) and The Paradox of Fiscal Austerity (Lexington Books, 2019).
Dr. Vélez-Hagan has worked with public and private sector organizations to advance policy priorities in sectors ranging from high-technology to telecommunications, energy, pharmaceutical, and retail, while also improving economic development efforts in Puerto Rico. As an advisor, advocate, and frequent guest speaker on these issues, Vélez-Hagan has and continues to work closely with a diverse stakeholder community, including federal, state, and local elected officials, leading advocacy groups, major corporations, and small business and startup communities.
His knowledge of the economic conditions of Puerto Rico, as well as research focus on international fiscal policy, have led national regulators, congressional committees, legal counsel, and administration officials to seek his advice and request testimony and briefings, while he is also frequently invited to provide guest lectures at universities across the country.
His work has been featured in various national publications, including: Forbes, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, CNBC, The Huffington Post, and a wide range of newspapers and academic publications. He has also been a guest on Fox News, BBC World, Fox Business, and NPR, among others.
Previously, Vélez-Hagan served as an adjunct professor of economics, while investing in and building businesses in healthcare and specialized construction products, including D.C. Concrete Technologies, a frequent guest on HGTV’s Curb Appeal and NBC’s House Smarts.
Vélez-Hagan has served on the boards of a number of organizations, such as the Capital Area Asset Builders‘ Board of Directors and the National Military Family Association’s Technology Advisory Board. Previously, he was invited to serve on Maryland’s GOMA Small Business Advisory Council, advised governors in Puerto Rico, and currently volunteers in an organization that seeks to increase the number of veterans holding elected office.
In 2022, he was appointed by the governor of Virginia to serve as a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists.
Vélez-Hagan received a BS in Finance from the University of Louisville, an MBA from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Economic Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
He is a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Diego Zambrano: Manager of Federal Government Affairs to the United States at Philip Morris International (PMI)
Diego Zambrano currently serves as Manager of Federal Government Affairs to the United States at Philip Morris International. In this role, he advocates for the company’s top priorities, utilizing his expertise and experience to engage with government bodies.
He previously served as part of the Committee on House Administration under the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In this capacity, he worked under House Republican leadership, focusing on fostering diversity and inclusion within the congressional setting. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director and VP of Programs at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), advancing diversity of thought within the Hispanic community.
Diego’s public service journey began in his hometown of Miami. He began his Congressional career serving as Director of Outreach for retired U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress, where he spearheaded her engagement efforts. Prior to that, he served as a Diplomatic Mission Aide at the Colombian Consulate in Miami.
Diego holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Miami.
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