Edit: Business Advisors

Miguel Alfaro has over ten years of experience in digital marketing, helping small businesses succeed with personalized strategies. He is an expert in SEO, web design, email marketing, and social media management, increasing brand visibility and revenue. Additionally, he is a Certified Executive and Personal Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), where he helps business owners improve their leadership skills and achieve their goals. Miguel's coaching emphasizes self-awareness and strategic planning, ensuring that business owners can overcome challenges and seize growth opportunities. His comprehensive approach provides the support needed for sustainable success.

Shelby Arthur has been an active member of the Santa Barbara community since 2001, working in program development, employee training, instructional design and marketing, emphasizing scalable mission-driven program growth. Shelby is a Certified Connective Leadership Practitioner, transforming organizational culture to empower all employees to practice leadership in their roles. As an adjunct instructor at Santa Barbara City College, Shelby is at the forefront of online instructional design in Marketing and International Business. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Global Studies from UC Santa Barbara and a Master's Degree in Intercultural Relations from University of the Pacific.

Shelby co-founded a consulting firm that helps businesses align mission and strategy to benefit all stakeholders and engage socially conscious consumers. She specializes in organizational resilience, target marketing and scalable program design. Shelby is Vice President on the Board of the Center for Global Dialogue and has volunteered time with local organizations such as Showing up for Racial Justice, United Way Santa Barbara, and Girls Inc.

With more than 15 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Luisa Arzate has helped hundreds of companies utilize advertising resources to promote and grow their business. She has worked with start-ups, small local businesses, schools, corporations and businesses that have been around for generations. Living in this country, Luisa learned to value the importance of visual communication, due to the diversity of languages and cultures in our population. After years of experience and a passion for graphics and advertising, Luisa began developing her own holistic marketing system that is been proven successful for every client.

Laura Baker runs two nonprofits, CyberWyoming and the CyberWyoming Alliance, which comprise multiple programs designed to help average citizens and microbusinesses manage their security risks. Some of the business side programs include the Cybersecurity Competition for Small Businesses and an apprenticeship program for tech professions. Other citizen programs include a weekly publication called the Hacker's Brief, Senior Fraud Alert Flyers, the annual cybersecurity conference, the Teens Exploring Careers Camp, and a school cyber safety video challenge. CISM, CEPA®, ARM, MBA, BS Marketing

Bill Bartels, B.A., is the principal in a diversified farming/management/organizational development company generalizing in facilitation of diverse teams with divergent ideas and goals. Bill works in public policy and spent 17 years with the city of Fillmore in various roles, concluding his tenure as deputy city manager. Bill served on the Ventura County Planning Commission for 12 years and is a fourth-generation Ventura County farmer.

Tracy Beard has served as Executive Director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce since 2015. Prior to joining the Chamber, Tracy worked as Human Resources Manager at Marriott Corporation Restaurants Division in Washington, D.C. specializing in workforce development for over 25 years. She has owned and operated a property management company for the past 30 years. Tracy currently serves as President of The Association of California Commissions for Women (ACCW) who works to ensure the implementation of key policy and legislative changes for women in business. Tracy is an advocate for female entrepreneurs and regularly lends her expertise to local nonprofits looking to build their fundraising capacity and improve operational efficiency.

After a 20-year career in government sales, Elizabeth founded Cabral Consulting Group, offering entrepreneurs government procurement and business development services. To date, her strategies have earned over .18 billion in federal and military programs worldwide. Elizabeth’s career in small business development began at the Oxnard MBDC, Gold Coast SBDC and SBA 7(j) program, where she helped entrepreneurs secure government contracts reserved for small, service-disabled veterans, 8(a) and W/MBE firms. A continual student and mentor, Elizabeth has completed MBA coursework at CLU in marketing and organizational development and is a certified Adult Trainer by the Association for Talent Development. She has delivered training in Sales Communication, Consultative Sales, Professional Ethics and Cultural Competency for CLU and the County of Ventura. Elizabeth holds dual B.A. degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science from USC and Business Marketing Strategy program certification from the Harvard Business School. She is a member of the Society of American Engineers, CLU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Association for Corporate Growth - ACG 101 Corridor.

Dean Dela Cruz, B.S., is a principal consultant with APBTS, 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, PhD 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 M in debt and venture capital investments to portfolio companies. He is an advisor with the Startup Launch SBDC hosted by Bixel Exchange, where he chairs the Money Team and the Funder’s Roundtable, and serves on the Investment Committee at Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs of So Cal. In addition, he has worked on several initiatives focused on building inclusive ecosystems nationwide. Sebastian received his PhD in Classics from Stanford University.
Sebastian received his PhD in Classics from Stanford University, an MA in Cultural & Social Anthropology from Stanford University, and a BA magna cum laude in Liberal Studies from California State University, Los Angeles. His academic work has been published by Palgrave McMillan and the Stanford Archaeology Center. In addition, he has been awarded fellowships by the Getty Foundation, Getty Research Institute and New York University.

Deborah Deras has a Masters’s in Education and Bachelors’s in Marketing. She is a business owner since 2002, providing fortune 100 companies with peak performance corporate training, and is 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.

Anthony Elliott, CPA is a forensic “royalty audit” specialist with more than 30 years of public and corporate accounting experience. He consults with EDC SBDC small business clients on a broad range of finance, accounting and tax related topics, including business startup assistance, business plan and financial projection development, access to capital, disaster recovery, due diligence and business acquisition analysis, profitability, break even and cash flow analysis, sales and income tax compliance issues and other financial advisory services.

Gonzalo Fernandez has a business degree from La Salle Business College in Havana, Cuba. He is the founder of GBF Consulting, a small business financing advisory. 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.

Melissa Forziat is a Hermosa Beach-based marketer, speaker, consultant, and author. She helps small businesses market on a budget with specialties including marketing strategy, email marketing, social media marketing, sponsorship marketing, and partnership marketing. Before starting Melissa Forziat Events and Marketing, Melissa’s career involved roles with the Olympic Winter Games, Rugby World Cup, and the US Olympic Committee. Now she adapts this knowledge for microbusinesses and those operating with more limited resources. Melissa is the author of the free eBook Small Business Marketing on a Budget and former Board President of Ventures nonprofit in Seattle.

Samuel Frank is the founder of Nzuri Strategy, where he helps early-stage and growth teams get clarity on what’s slowing them down and move stalled work back into motion. His background spans tech, manufacturing, energy, and nonprofit environments, with two decades of experience turning complex, cross-functional problems into practical steps that teams can actually act on. He blends analytical structure with a straightforward, collaborative style, working closely with founders to sharpen priorities, pressure-test assumptions, and build simple operating rhythms that reduce noise and accelerate learning. Samuel leads a distributed team in the U.S. and Kenya, giving him a broad perspective across markets and user contexts. He holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering (Purdue, University of Michigan) and an MBA from Vanderbilt. His recent work includes human-in-the-loop approaches to AI-supported primary research and business development.

Erin Fredregill, B.A., is the Founder/CEO of Robe + Signet, a full-service social media agency providing strategy, content marketing, and implementation services to small and medium-sized brands in a variety of industries. Her experience spans over 6 years of in-house and agency experience managing integrated marketing campaigns for accounts in numerous industries as diverse as software, retail, entertainment, and construction.

Sasha Globa is a finance professional with decades of experience supporting business operations in a variety of organizations and industries, ranging from multinational manufacturing and distribution to tech startups. He has served in management roles encompassing business development, marketing, financial planning and analysis, as well as financial reporting and internal control. More recently, Sasha served as a nonprofit executive providing SBA commercial real estate financing and implemented alternative lending programs for underserved small businesses. As an industry trade association board director, Sasha advocated for SBA loan program improvements on behalf of small businesses. Sasha holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley (MBA) and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA, Accounting). Sasha is a licensed CPA and a Russian speaker.

Shalene Hayman, B.S., has worked in the accounting industry for more than 20 years. She has experience with local public accounting firms and as a partner and principal in her own firms specializing on managerial finance/accounting functions. She is the CFO/Controller for many large nonprofit organizations and small businesses in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

Noel has 25+ years of global experience combined with an outcome driven, entrepreneurial mindset that underpins his successes in establishing, supervising and motivating multinational teams of specialists. His strong visionary thought leadership is based on a solid, routinely updated, engineering background. He is a practicing software engineering process architect and enterprise management executive with a servant leader mindset and business acumen, accomplished at inspiring and driving successful tactical teams on a mission as well as managing complex international operations. He designs and implements digital centric operating models for enterprises and governments looking to compete and grow in the evolving digital economy.

Sarita D. Jackson, PhD, CGBP, is a bilingual (English/Spanish) international trade consultant and founder of the Los Angeles-based Global Research Institute of International Trade, LLC (GRIIT). Her expertise helps firms enhance their revenue by capitalizing on global market opportunities. She has extensive experience in Latin America, the Caribbean and Southern Africa. Dr. Jackson is the author of International Trade in Services: Effective Practice and Policy. Additionally, she is a TEDx speaker and adjunct professor. She holds a B.A. in broadcast journalism and Spanish from USC and a Ph.D. in political science from Brown University.

Doug Korte is an internationally recognized, award winning and accomplished global technology business executive, guest speaker, investor, and respected transformational leader, experienced in turning-around and growing high-tech companies sized from start-up to Fortune 50. In addition to serving as an executive for IBM, HP and Harris Corporation, responsible for multi-million-dollar business operations, he has helped over a thousand C-level and other top executives at companies of all sizes around the world break through to new levels of success. Today, Doug serves as an Executive Partner, Leadership Advisor, and Interim Executive, providing actionable, outcome-based advice and execution across a full gamut of business issues to accelerate achievement of client goals, reduce risk, increase sales success, create innovative solutions, and achieve optimal business results.

Seasoned industry veteran with several consecutive executive management successes. Provided guidance and hands-on executive management to seven business ventures that have gone public or have been acquired. Exceptional ability to acquire funding and develop sustainable, profitable partnerships. Operational expertise includes leadership, team management and development, profitable goal setting, development and execution of business strategy, development and management of sales strategy.

Ed Lee is a go-to-market expert, and CEO of HelloAdvisr, a growth consultancy helping leadership teams accelerate growth with high-impact strategies. Ed works with businesses across growth stages and draws on experience from industries including eCommerce/retail, software, digital health and wellness, and consumer goods.
Previously, Ed held leadership roles with LG Electronics and global management consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners where he advised leading global companies and brands on pricing strategy. Ed is regularly invited to teach and speak at leading academic institutions including UCLA and Oxford University. He serves as a mentor for accelerators including Techstars, 500 Startups, and the Oxford Foundry. Ed was elected to the Oxford University Said Business School’s global Alumni Advisory Council.
Ed received his MBA from Oxford University, two Masters (MSc) from the London School of Economics, and BA from UCSD.

Sylvia Martini, B.A., CGBP, supports clients with international trade, marketing and sales, public relations and web communications. Bilingual in German and English, she has over 30 years experience in international marketing and sales in several diverse industries, where she conducted competitive analyses, identified markets for start-ups, developed marketing strategies, provided sales training, organized events and trade shows. Sylvia has an international business certificate, and is a certified global business professional from NASBITE International.

As an SBDC Business Advisor since 2012, Kevin McVearry specializes in the restaurant and hospitality industry at all levels of operations from start-up concepts to existing businesses. Kevin has spent 25 years opening and operating restaurants, bars, and events across the country. He has relocated to the Chicagoland area but is excited about continuing to consult with California clients in all areas of business. Kevin has extensive knowledge in new venues, including design, construction, budgeting, menu development, promotions, and customer acquisition and retention. He is also experienced in recruiting, hiring, training, and coaching employees of all levels including senior management. Kevin has a B.A. in Speech Communication and Business Management from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Gary helps growing companies innovate, see things from new perspectives, understand markets and competition, motivate employees, tackle challenges and make strategic plans. A 1976 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Gary held diverse international trade positions before founding Meridian Finance Group in 1993. He grew Meridian into a leading trade finance resource for U.S. exporters before selling the company in 2020. Now Gary mentors small and growing businesses in a wide range of industries: manufacturers, distributors, exporters/importers, tech firms, service providers, etc. While more knowledgeable in some fields than others, what he learned in his career applies across many sectors.

Wangari Njathi, (Ph.D.), is an accomplished data-driven digital marketer and Chartered Marketer with a rich history of 9 years dedicated to building sustainable brands in Africa. Renowned for her publications and teaching prowess in digital media studies, she serves as an Assistant Professor at Pepperdine University. Seamlessly blending academia and industry practice, Dr. Njathi imparts knowledge on digital media and integrated marketing communication, recognizing the interconnected nature of digital spaces. With a profound understanding of local and global communities, her expertise in market strategies, content development, social media management, digital marketing, user research and brand positioning, contributes to impactful digital experiences across industries. Her proficiency injects fresh energy into DTC, B2C and B2B realms at the dynamic intersection of marketing and the digital world.

Lauryn is a social impact strategist, start-up advisor, investor and entrepreneur whose philosophy is grounded in pushing brands beyond traditional conceptions of corporate social responsibility to sustain robust social impact practices company-wide. Lauryn is currently the Co-Managing Director of Brand Citizens, a strategic social impact consultancy spun out from renowned ad agency 72andSunny. Previously, Lauryn led Social Impact at industry disrupting brands such as Headspace and (recently IPO’d) Dave. She is currently an early stage start-up advisor with the Economic Development Collaborative and the Pasadena City College Small Business Development Center and proudly serves on the board of directors of ChargerHelp!

Jennifer is an international economist with work experience in North America, South America, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She received her MBA from IDRAC Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Lyon, France and is heading Those Coffee People’s international business development.

Simona Filip Racek is a recognized expert in international trade and global commerce. Based in California, she is the Co-CEO of Simaris Trade, connecting businesses with global markets through tailored strategies, digital trade solutions, and sustainable practices. She also founded Just Down The Street, a global trade consultancy practice, collaborating with clients like Economic Development Collaborative, SBDCs, World Trade Centers, and Chambers of Commerce to provide export consulting and develop programs that streamline trade operations, supporting the internationalization of hundreds of businesses. Simona specializes in export regulations, trade financing, and global market strategies, while her leadership extends to advocating for women in global trade and digital trade policy, organizing trade missions and diplomatic events. She chairs the Organization of Women in International Trade Orange County and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the San Diego and Imperial District Export Council. Growing up in Romania during the communist regime inspired her mission to expand global access to goods, services, and information. Simona practices mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition and speaks Romanian fluently.

Juliana Ramirez is an accountant, entrepreneur, business adviser and Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor. With over 20 years of experience, she has trained and helped small businesses including her own—from restaurants to retails stores, car dealerships to dental offices and Non-profit organizations.

Monika Rye is a highly accomplished and results-driven Vice President/Bank Manager and Senior Relationship Manager. She has over 20 years of experience providing exceptional customer services to business and individual clients while managing branch operations. Monika specializes in new business development, credit, finance, financial review and loan underwriting. The advanced “Credit Bootcamp” and loan underwriting classes that Monika has graduated from have made her very knowledgeable about lending requirements. Monika has a great understanding of business and is a natural leader. She is noted for her energetic, engaging style that motivates teams to perform exemplary. Monika is proficient at identifying, analyzing and simplifying complex problems.

Karen Scuncio, B.A., has over 25 years of experience in international business. Scuncio’s expertise touches on all areas of exporting from export pricing, screening potential customers, distributor agreements, product labeling requirements, international shipping and payment terms as well as sales and marketing. Since 1997, she has been a principal in a business consulting and sales representative services company which she helped start, to assist small business in increasing their US and International sales.

Guy Smith received his B.A. & M.F.A.in creative writing from San Diego State University before completing doctoral coursework in rhetoric and linguistics at the University of Southern California. He has worked extensively with media, communications and film in his 40-year career at Santa Barbara City College and Antioch University. Mr. Smith has managed and developed projects focusing on new media production, e-commerce and distribution, mobile media, and the use of game technologies in providing training and education. He has been the lead in helping to establish media arts and film programs at multiple colleges in Southern California. For the past 15 years, he has worked with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival as Director of the student filmmaking competitions, and has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the Economic and Workforce Development program from the State of California – all focusing on media and film.

From 1976 until 2010, he was a faculty, Dean at Santa Barbara City College, responsible for the administration of the Business Division, the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the School of Media Arts which includes new media applications, game design, animation, film & television and journalism. Following that, he was Vice-President of Antioch University and Chair of the Baccalaureate program. For 35 years, Mr. Smith has been at the forefront of emerging information and communication technologies. Actively involved with the online information industry since its inception, he established Infomart Research, the first online information brokerage in California. As co-founder of Intellimation, a multimedia publishing company, he worked with software developers, publishers and content providers to acquire and distribute multimedia applications.

Al Spector brings over 30 years of business experience to his clients, both for-profits and nonprofits, in need of strengthening, expanding, or starting up operations. His career has spanned a wide range of industries: E-commerce, biotech/pharma, consumer electronics, industrial distribution, telecom, data privacy, and sports and recreation. Al is well versed in operations, logistics/supply chain, sourcing, sales/customer service, and legal affairs. He has served nonprofits in various roles: Executive Director/CEO, board member (and board treasurer), staff, volunteer, and strategic advisor.For many years Al was at the helm of his own nonprofit organization serving the recreational needs of San Francisco Bay Area’s blind and vision impaired community.

Sonata is a Growth and Scaling Advisor. She is the founder of Luminaire Advisors a boutique innovation consulting firm specializing in B2B growth, Automation, and Monetization. As a Fortune 10 trained Enterprise Scaling and Transformation coach, Sonata's expertise is focused on global marketing strategies/ scalable operations with an eye for identifying alternative revenue streams, resulting in organic growth within businesses ranging from start-up enterprises to Fortune 100 corporations.

Herb Thompson has multiples years of hands-on experience in a number of industries applying Total Quality Management (TQM) and the Toyota Production System (TPS) style of manufacturing, now often referred to as Lean Manufacturing. He was an Instructor/Writer at the United States Army Non-Commissioned Officers Academy. Since that time, he has worked with companies in a number of manufacturing and service industries, both as a consultant and a senior leader, to implement these techniques. His experience also includes teaching undergrad and graduate business courses at Stanton University.

Transformational finance leader with extensive experience advising, individuals, small businesses and global enterprises on growth, planning, and operational excellence. Proven track record leading FP&A and finance transformation for multi billion dollar organizations while guiding emerging firms through strategic scaling. Expert in financial strategy, modeling, and systems implementation, with deep expertise in process optimization that improves business planning, forecast accuracy and unlocks sustainable growth. Trusted partner to C suite executives and entrepreneurs alike, aligning financial strategy with enterprise goals to drive measurable impact. Fluent in English and Spanish, with a hands on, data driven leadership style that empowers teams and accelerates success.

Dr. Eric Zackrison returned to school to get his MBA and his MA/PhD in Organizational Communication after a 25-year career as a restauranteur and manager. His research focuses on leadership, team dynamics, organizational relationships, and coordination. He has been teaching, training, and consulting in Santa Barbara and Ventura for the last five years, with a heavy focus on team building, leadership, and strategy. Throughout all of these pursuits, a common thread has been the power of managing relationships positively. His published research indicates that workplace relationships are at the core of coordinated teams and organizations. His work embraces the understanding that we have diverse ways of interacting and empowers people to manage those differences to be more successful.

Dr. Alicia (Amari) Trelles-Duckett is a seasoned Technology Program/Project Manager and Process Improvement Consultant with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Trelles specializes in training and consulting in projects, business skills, change, process improvement, strategy and multicultural relations. She has deployed global projects and consulted with clients across various industries: healthcare, manufacturing, finance, hardware and software. She has worked at organizations such as Keck Medicine - USC, Stryker, Adobe, Stanford University and IBM. Dr. Trelles holds a BS in Industrial Engineering, an MBA and a Doctorate in Global Business. She is PMP and Agile-certified, and consults in English and Spanish.