Gonzalo Fernandez has a business degree from La Salle Business College in Havana, Cuba. He is the founder of a small business financing advisory firm. His areas of expertise are analyzing and securing business loans, and strategic planning. An experienced banker, he had held senior management positions at national, regional and community banks, including First California and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust. He has also developed and grown SBA lending programs throughout California.

Anthony Curtis Elliott, B.A., CPA, is a forensic accountant and intellectual property “royalty audit” specialist who performs royalty and contract compliance and related consulting services to a broad base of companies. With more than 30 years’ experience in accounting and finance, he has held positions as accounting director and controller for both medium and large companies. In 1993, he developed a broad-based accounting and consulting practice. His corporate clients are based in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Deborah Deras has a Master’s degree in Education and Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Deborah is a business owner since 2002, providing Fortune 100 companies with peak performance corporate training, and is also an international speaker and author. She has served as a marketing consultant to various Small Business Development Centers with expertise in digital marketing with a specialty in content creation, social media strategy, YouTube, SEO, Facebook, livestreaming, podcasting, Instagram sales, and how to speak with confidence on camera. She speaks English and Spanish and has been a sought after professional speaker for over 20 years.

Dean Dela Cruz, B.S., is a principal consultant with a consulting firm supporting business leaders in the deployment and training of Lean Six Sigma in manufacturing and healthcare. In addition, his team of highly skilled consultants provides specialized engineering-based studies key to generating cash flow: R&D/manufacturing, software development tax credits, cost segregation and energy management.

Sebastian De Vivo, Ph.D. is the co-founder of List Ventures and Sophist Capital, both focused on inclusive access to capital for women and minority entrepreneurs. In this role, he has facilitated over $35M in debt and venture capital investments to portfolio companies. He serves on the Investment Committee at Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs of Southern California. In addition, he has worked on several initiatives focused on building inclusive ecosystems nationwide. Sebastian received his Ph.D. in Classics from Stanford University.

Jonathan Davis is a third generation SBA 8(a) Small Business graduate and Federal Government Roofing and Construction Contractor. Mr. Davis has over 15 years’ experience in Government Procurement, Marketing, and obtaining SBA Women/Minority Owned Certifications. He has served as a mentor to minority and women entrepreneurs in Ventura County since 2010 and has continued to keep strong ties to the youth community in Ventura County through his work with youth organizations.

Megan Cullen, BA, CGBP, grew up in Europe and began her work in international trade processing letters of credit at a lumber exporting, woman-owned business in Portland, OR. In California, she has worked as the international sales manager for a rescue equipment company and a scientific equipment manufacturer, managing company sales and distribution to a network of distributors worldwide selling to universities, research institutions and governmental agencies worldwide. Owner of a consulting and marketing firm, Cullen speaks several languages and serves as the DECSC Secretary and Vice Chair, Central Coast.

Carlos Conejo, B.A., is president of Peak Performance Seminars, Training & Consulting. A leadership and management advisor specializing in Lean and Six-Sigma methodology, he is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Carlos started his career as a product manager and sales manager for the managed health-care industry, where he specialized in business turn-around. He is a published author and frequent speaker at conventions and conferences.

Adam Chapnick is an empowerer, disruptor, and entrepreneur who advises founders with big vision. Adam has a strong track record of simplifying complex problems and bringing revolutionary solutions to market in fields as diverse as entertainment, finance, and real estate. As a strategic communications specialist, Adam tailors consumer-facing and investor-facing company messaging for dozens of companies, helping founders distill their vision into inspiring, engaging language that drives investment, sales and strong word-of-mouth. He is also a partnership specialist who has prospected, negotiated and closed more than 70 strategic partnerships in diverse fields to fulfill an array of strategic objectives. A prolific public speaker, Adam has made more than 300 presentations to every vertical imaginable across corporate, non-profit, arts, and financial categories.

Erica Bristol is an attorney and commercial mediator, specializing in intellectual property and business contracts/transactions. A graduate of UCLA School of Law, Erica served as corporate in-house counsel for over 11 years. A commercial mediator for over seven years, Erica is the owner and principal mediator of a commercial mediation service provider. She currently serves as a panel mediator for the Untied States District Court, Central District of California, the Santa Barbara Superior Court and the California Association of REALTORS®, Buyer/Seller Mediation Program.