John L. Allen

Senior Vice President in Wealth Management

John grew up in Sacramento. After graduating college, John joined Merrill Lynch where he established a financial advisory team helping individuals with their financial and planning needs. He and his team relocated from Merrill Lynch to another firm in 2016. John is a co-founder and board member of the Sacramento Angels (a private investment group) and current managing partner at Lakeside Equestrian Center. He is the former founder, president and CEO of Loomis Tank Lines, Inc., former president of A&H Ventures, past member of EO and former vice chair of the Sacramento Ballet. John is involved in motorsports, he is a retired member of DDMNC and was the past director of the Hangtown MX Classic Outdoor National and still assist in making that event a success. He graduated from CSUS in 1995 with a BS in Accounting.

James Beckwith

President and CEO, Five Star Bank

Mr. Beckwith has served as Five Star Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 2003. Mr. Beckwith is deeply connected to the Sacramento community and has chaired several community-based organizations including the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Valley Vision and KVIE (the local PBS affiliate). Mr. Beckwith is currently the Chair of the Western Bankers Association, a Private Sector Director with Greater Sacramento Economic Council, a board member of Crocker Art Museum and a member of the Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. He is also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington where he was class president. In 2020, Mr. Beckwith was recognized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce as the Businessman of the Year. He was named among the Most Admired CEO's of 2020 by the Sacramento Business Journal. In 2021, Five Star Bank received the 2021 Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber Corporate Steward Award and the 2021 Corporate Champion of the Year Award from the Sacramento Business Journal.

James Berkery

Vice President of Enterprise Analytics at Altais Health

James Berkery is currently the Vice President of Enterprise Analytics at Altais Health, an organization dedicated to activating an exceptional healthcare system that cultivates the health and well-being of physicians, patients, and the clinical community. He leads teams in Actuarial Services, Financial Planning, and Healthcare Analytics. A healthcare industry veteran, James has served in different roles across the care continuum for nearly 20 years in hospitals, insurers and providers spanning operations, finance, and technology roles. He is active with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), currently pursuing a fellowship and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). James is a proud product of California public universities, graduating from University of California - San Diego (UCSD) with a degree in Economics and completed his Master’s in Business Administration at California State University Sacramento. He has had the privilege to serve as a mentor through the UCSD Alumni Association and industry programs. He is grateful and excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the Business Advisory Council. He resides in Granite Bay, with his wife, an Oncology Nurse, and two children. Outside of work, he is very engaged in his children's scholastic and sporting activities.

Paul Coccovillo

CFO of Rhombus Systems, Inc.

Paul Coccovillo is the CFO of Rhombus Systems, Inc., a next generation video security company that is working on blending A.I. and machine learning to advance the field of safety. Paul has over 20 years of finance experience and progressive leadership positions throughout the tech industry in Silicon Valley having worked in 4 other start-ups previously. He joined Rhombus Systems in 2021.

Before joining Rhombus Systems Paul was with Unicorn companies Oculus VR, Juul Labs, and held roles at Meta (Previously Facebook), and Microsoft. Paul has an undergraduate degree in Accountancy from Bentley University in Waltham, MA, and an MBA in Corporate Finance from California State University, Sacramento.

Kyle Desautels

Senior Director of Operations, Quick Quack Car Wash

Kyle Desautels is an operations leader who brings over 12 years of experience leading large teams in manufacturing, fulfillment, logistics, and retail operations. Kyle is a Lean Six Sigma black belt, holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, a Master of Science in Engineering Management, and an MBA from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Throughout his career, Kyle has led packaging manufacturing operations in the San Francisco Bay area that pioneered digital print capabilities in corrugated packaging, led fulfillment center operations for Amazon in their robotic facilities, and led the growth of Amazon’s logistics network on the West Coast before the pandemic. Currently, Kyle leads all facilities, maintenance, and store operations in the United States for Quick Quack Car Wash as the Senior Director of Operations. In this role, he loves being able to pursue his passions of leadership development and process improvement in an environment that puts people and culture first.

K-deep Dhaliwal

K-deep Dhaliwal, Partner Moss Adams LLP

K-deep received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration (Accountancy) from CSU Sacramento in 2005. After working in finance and operations in the wine industry from 2005 to 2007, K-deep joined the firm of Moss Adams where he currently serves as a leader of the audit practice for the Northern California region of the firm as well as the Agribusiness practice leader for California. K-deep leads a team of over 150 auditors, CPAs, and agribusiness experts. In 2021, K-deep was recognized as a member of the Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 under 40 class. K-deep resides in Folsom, CA with his wife and their 3 children.

Rafael Estrada

President and Founder of Estrada Consulting, Inc. (ECI)

Rafael Estrada is the President and Founder of Estrada Consulting, Inc. (ECI), a leading IT consulting company based in Sacramento. Under Rafael's leadership, ECI's senior teams have delivered IT solutions to over 35 state organizations spanning more than 20 years. Recently, ECI expanded its operations to Mexico and opened an office in Guadalajara to support nearshore development projects. ECI specializes in various areas including business intelligence, application development, enterprise architecture, project and program management, as well as COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) and software solutions.

Rafael holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Sacramento State, which he earned in 1995. He further pursued his education and obtained an MBA in 1998. Additionally, he actively participates in Sacramento State's Professional Pathways Networking Program, where he offers business leadership mentoring to current students.

Carrie Gordon

Vice President of Marketing, Sky River Casino

Carrie Gordon oversees brand, service and product marketing, advertising, guest acquisition and retention, analytics, and digital products for Sky River Casino. Her career spans nearly twenty years, specializing in a breadth of product and service marketing functions for highly regulated industries. She is passionate about the data-driven evolution of the meaningful, personalized relationships developed between a brand and it’s audiences. Outside of work, Carrie enjoys spending time at her kids’ sports games, camping, traveling, and staying as active as possible. Raised in Davis, she earned her BA in Mass Media Communications as well as her Executive Masters of Business Administration from Sac State.

Dana Hayes

HR Organizational Training and Development Manager, InterWest Insurance Services

Dana is a Senior Human Resources leader and business partner who brings over thirty years of managerial, operational, and human resource expertise. Dana holds a Bachelor of Science in Personnel and Industrial Relations from San Francisco State University and a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Golden Gate University. She has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors in Environmental Protection, Real Estate, Telecommunications, and in Insurance.

Dana worked for the Sierra Club for fourteen years and served as the Director of Employee Relations at their headquarters office in San Francisco. In 2008 she moved to Sacramento and married her husband Bob who is a Sacramento State Alumni. After moving to the Sacramento area, she served as Director of Human Resources for InterWest Insurance Services until 2019 when she changed her role to focus on her love of training, development, and oversight of their internship program. The internship program has successfully introduced many students from universities such as Sacramento State, Chico State, and Sonoma State to a career in insurance.

As a HR Organizational Training and Development Manager, Dana champions student entry and career development in our business community. She takes pride in designing and implementing strategies and programs to motivate, engage, and educate a committed high performing workforce.

Gail Jones

Senior Business Advisor to Chief Human Resources Officer

Gail has been with VSP Global Human Resources for nearly 25 years, currently serving as the Senior Business Advisor to the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). In this role, Gail manages key initiatives and high-level projects assigned to the CHRO from VSP’s Chief Executive Officer/President and Board of Directors; ensures successful implementation of HR initiatives/objectives and recommends solutions thereof; and serves as trusted advisor and confidant to the CHRO. Previous roles at VSP include HR Operations Manager, HR Business Specialist, Communications Specialist, Generalist, Trainer and Recruiter. Gail is sought after for her expertise in operational efficiencies, process improvement and communications.

Gail is a former inaugural Board Member of VSP’s Political Action Committee. Active in the community, she volunteers as a Foundation Committee Member and workshop facilitator for the Youth Leadership Collaborative sponsored by the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce; and has also donated her time to teach Human Resources and process improvement workshops to small business owners through the Women’s Business Center at California Capital Financial Development Corporation.

Gail has an Associate Arts Degree in Legal Assisting; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration/Human Resources (2004) and a Master of Business Administration for Executives (2011) both from California State University, Sacramento. She regularly participates in the EMBA Program’s recruitment and orientation events; enjoys mentoring young people; is avid sports fan (Sac Kings, 49ers!); and also does print/web/commercial work as a lifestyle model.

David Lopez

David J. Lopez is a professional investor focused on public markets and startups. He previously worked as a portfolio manager managing investment selection and allocation for ultra-high net worth individuals, foundations, and institutional clients, and on buy-side investment teams overseeing billions in assets.

David graduated from Sacramento State with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and a minor in Government, where he served as President of the Student Investment Fund, a program he remains engaged with.

He currently serves as a board member at the University Foundation at Sacramento State where he leverages his background on the Finance Committee, and funds the David J. Lopez Scholarship for Diversity in Financial Services which provides financial support to high achieving students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. David is also an active member of the Sacramento Angels, serving on the deal selections team. While in college, he was also appointed to a Sacramento County planning advisory council where he served as Co-Chairman.

Christine Mahon

Chief External Relations Officer, Clutch

As the Chief External Relations Officer at Clutch, Christine oversees the company's external communications, community engagement, and government relations strategies. While at Clutch, Christine has helped elevate the profile of the Sacramento region’s fastest growing company through strategic partnerships, media relations, and stakeholder engagement initiatives.

In past roles, Christine’s expertise has led to successful legislative campaigns, award-winning public outreach programs, and enhanced community engagement activities, garnering numerous awards from prestigious organizations.

Christine has been recognized as a winner of the Sacramento Business Journal’s C-Suite and 40 Under 40 awards for her leadership among Sacramento’s top executives and young professionals. She is actively involved in supporting business and non-profit organizations, serving on policy committees and the Public Affairs Council for the California Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Christine is a graduate of Sacramento State and lives on a farm in rural Sacramento County with her husband and two young children.

Chelsea (Minor) Carbahal

Vice President, Community Impact & Public Affairs, The Raley’s Companies

Chelsea leads public relations, governmental affairs, communications, community impact and sustainability, leading the strategy and direction for the enterprise. Chelsea also runs the company’s charitable foundation, Raley’s Food for Families. Chelsea’s leadership spans across the company’s trade areas of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and four Tribal Nations, including TRC divisions Raley’s and Bashas’. Minor graduated from California State University Stanislaus with a degree in Social Science and completed her Master’s in Business Administration for Executives at California State University Sacramento.

Lydia Ramirez

SVP/Chief Operations Officer and Chief DE&I Officer, Five Star Bank

Ms. Ramirez has extensive experience in senior level banking and is skilled in strategic operational process and sales management. Ms. Ramirez serves on the board of directors of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber and the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber PAC. She also serves on the board of directors of the Sacramento Black Chamber and the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. She also serves on the board of directors of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and is a member of the Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council. In 2022, Ms. Ramirez was recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal among Women Who Means Business honorees and was among the Sacramento Bee’s inaugural class of Top 25 Latino Change Makers. Ms. Ramirez graduated from UC Davis, with a BS in Psychology and BA in Spanish and from Sacramento State, with an MBA. She is also a graduate of CBA Executive Banking School.

Jennifer Robinson MBA

Chief Marketing Officer, Tipsy Putt Brands

Dana C. Smith

Director, US Bank

Dana has been in the banking industry for over 30 years. He received an Alumni Honors Award from the Management Department of the College of Business. While he was earning his MBA, Dana was the student coordinator for the CBA's Small Business Center. He has two degrees from Sac State: Marketing, 1983, and an MBA, 1985.

Rhonda Staley-Brooks

Director of Community Relations, Outreach & Support for SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District).

In this role, Staley-Brooks manages and oversees SMUD's community outreach programs, initiatives, partnerships, tradeshows, sponsorships, and events. She also develops and maintains relationships with community-based organizations, businesses and ethnic communities to promote customer education and achieve SMUD's business and community goals in support of our diversity and inclusion principles.

Prior to SMUD, Staley-Brooks has 18-years of experience as an Executive Director of 2 major Non-Profits - Nehemiah Community Foundation (NCF) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sacramento. She holds a BA in Child Development and an MBA from Sacramento State. She is a Senior Fellow of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, Leadership CA and Leadership Sacramento.

Staley-Brooks has received numerous local recognitions including the Sacramento Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 and Women Who Mean Business awards and the CSUS Distinguished Alumni Award to name a few. She serves on the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center Board, Advisory Council for Sacramento State Anchor University Council and is an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.

Selvi Stanislaus

Executive Officer, Franchise Tax Board of California

Selvi Stanislaus was appointed the Executive Officer of the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) on January 11, 2006.

As FTB’s fourth Executive Officer and the first woman to hold this position, Selvi oversees the second-largest tax department in the nation, with more than 6,000 employees in California and its three out-of-state offices in New York, Chicago and Houston.

Under Selvi’s Leadership, the FTB has:

• Increased development of a positive workplace culture that has made FTB a destination employer.
• Successfully launched the Enterprise Data to Revenue (EDR) Project. The project’s one-time costs were approximately $522 million with over $5.1 billion in revenue collected by the FTB for the State of California.
• Launched a new, streamlined version of FTB’s public website focused on an improved user experience.
• Successfully implemented growth of Leadership Development Programs. These programs are a key component of FTB’s strategic commitment to invest in their employees.
• Enhanced MyFTB, a FTB website tool that provides taxpayers and representatives access to more tax information, new self-service options, and an improved platform for communicating.
• FTB effectively administered new tax programs such as the California Earned Income Tax Credit and Young Child Tax Credit which provide refundable (cash-back) credits for qualified lower income working Californians.

Tim Stenvick, CPA

Tim retired in 2019 after 37 years of professional experience with Deloitte. Tim was the Managing Partner for Deloitte’s Sacramento office for many years and also held other leadership roles for the firm. While at Deloitte, Tim led the Firm’s services to many large public and private organizations, and advised his clients on numerous corporate finance matters, including mergers and acquisitions, and equity and bond offerings. Tim’s clients included some of the most well-known organizations in the US. Over the years, Tim has had extensive interaction with the governing boards of both public and private entities.

Since retiring, Tim has remained active in both his local and professional community, and he is a past president and current board member of several organizations.

Tim received his BS degree in accounting from California State University, Sacramento.

Virginia Varela

Divisional President & Head of Community Banking, SoFi Bank

Virginia Varela is the President and CEO of Golden Pacific Bank, a Sacramento based community bank with a mission of providing exceptional personal and business banking services and creating customer loyalty and satisfaction. Virginia is a seasoned banker with over 30 years of successful community banking experience, both as a bank executive and as a former banking regulator. Virginia held various positions of authority with regulatory agencies including the Federal Reserve Bank and the US Treasury Department. She was a manager of examinations and supervision, helped develop banking law, drafted Congressional presentations, and provided expertise to financial institutions of all complexities. After retirement from the Federal government, Virginia was President of San Luis Trust Bank in San Luis Obispo, CEO of the Bank of Rio Vista, and COO of the Bank of the Orient in San Francisco, responsible for managing ten branches, including three in Hawaii, and one in China.

Kenny Williams

Chief People Officer, Quick Quack Car Wash

Kenny Williams is an 18-year Human Resources Professional. He started his Human Resources career at The Home Depot and has worked in different industries, such as manufacturing, distribution, and service. Kenny has been employed with Quick Quack Car Wash for 10 years, currently as the Chief People Officer. Kenny has played vital role in Quick Quack Car Wash’s growth, leading the company to maintain its culture, as it has grown from 16 car washes to the 200+ they have today. Kenny is responsible for employee relations, training, organizational development, recruiting, safety/compliance, and workforce planning. He received his B.S. in Business Administration (concentration in Human Resources), and B.A. in Communication, from California State University, Sacramento. He is a Senior Certified Human Resources Professional (SPHR) and a Society of Human Resource Management -Senior Certified Professional.