PAUL GRANILLO
President & CEO
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
REAL Co-Chair

Paul became President and CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership in 2010. He serves on the board of Mobility 21, a coalition that pursues regional solutions to transportation challenges. Additionally, Granillo serves on the Southern California Association of Governments Global Land Use and Economics Committee, the Board of Directors for The Community Foundation serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Cal State San Bernardino’s Foundation Board, the Leonard Transportation Center Advisory Board and Regional Economic Alliance Leaders of California. A native of the Inland Empire, Granillo was born and raised in Redlands. He received a B.A. from California State University San Bernardino, a Master of Divinity from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

PETER RUMBLE
President & CEO
Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce
REAL Co-Chair

Peter became President and CEO of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber in February of this year. Prior to that appointment he was the Deputy County Administrator for the County of Sonoma for almost 2 years. Other previous roles include Planning Commissioner for the City of Santa Rosa, CEO of California Clean Power, and various other roles for the County of Sonoma. Throughout his public service to the County of Sonoma, he established the first community engagement plan, oversaw intergovernmental affairs and legislative advocacy programs, managed media relations, and established the Healthy Policy Division to prepare for and implement the Health Care Reform. Peter and the Metro chamber are focusing on creating new business opportunities, connections, and growth for their city, the 5th largest in the San Francisco Bay Area 26th largest in California.  Peter has a Master’s in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

AHMAD THOMAS
President & CEO
Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Ahmad Thomas brings nearly 18 years of experience working both in and on behalf of non-profits, governments and businesses. As incoming CEO, Thomas is charged with leading Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) in urgent action to address racial justice, equity and opportunity with its 350+ member companies in efforts that strengthen Silicon Valley and America’s competitiveness, economic strength and innovation while also benefiting employees, their families, and all residents of the community.

BARRY BROOME
President & CEO
Greater Sacramento Economic Council

Barry is the first President and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. He is responsible for leading community-driven efforts to retain, attract, grow, and scale new businesses; develop advanced industries; and guide new job-creation strategies throughout a six-county region. In his role, he has established the first ever public/private partnership economic development organization led by Chief Executive Officers in in the State of California; the organization comprises 37 CEO’s and 19 communities in the Greater Sacramento region.

Previously, Broome was the President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). He delivered more than 50,000 jobs and 250 company locates into the Phoenix Region. Under his leadership, for six out of the ten years, GPEC was named one of the top economic organizations in North America by Site Selection Magazine. In 2013 he was also named Arizona Economic Developer of the Year, Arizona Real Estate Executive of the Year, and received the Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce award.

Prior to Arizona, Barry was the CEO of Southwest Michigan First (SMF), where he built an organization from the ground up, which was later listen in the top 20 companies in North America by Site Selection Magazine. In 2006, SMF was named one of the fastest 50 companies in Inc. Magazine- the first nonprofit to have that honor. Barry built and co-developed venture funds, angel networks, and 31 new ventures 0 primarily in the life science space in the Kalamazoo region. Barry was named Michigan Economic Developer of the Year in 2001. Preceding Michigan, Barry led the economic development in Toledo, Ohio, where he completed the largest industrial deal in the history of the United States called Project Jeep; which was built on 450 acres of brown fields in the North Central Toledo area.

BOB LINSCHEID
President & CEO
Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce

A. Robert (Bob) Linscheid was named President & CEO of the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau in April 2021, after serving as Interim CEO for the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. Bob joined the Chamber with extraordinary experience and expertise as a coalition builder, business and education advocate, and community leader—the heart of a chamber’s landscape.

In 1993, Bob founded Linscheid Enterprises, Inc. (Danville, CA), guiding clients through their public relations, advocacy, community engagement, and strategic planning needs. Since 2016, Bob has been a special advisor to Cal Poly President Jeff Armstrong, providing leadership on the university’s economic development strategy and implementation of its Cal Poly Vision 2022 plan. From 2013 to 2016, Bob was president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, where he provided high profile leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the more than 1000-member chamber. In that role, Bob fully demonstrated his knowledge of and expertise in economic development principles, regional economy, political environment, marketing and branding concepts, membership sales, and overseeing opportunities and challenges for large and small employers to grow and prosper.

Bob served nine years as a member of the California State University Board of Trustees and two years as Board Chair.

JOANNE WEBSTER
President & CEO
North Bay Leadership Council

Joanne Webster is President & CEO of the North Bay Leadership Council.  Prior to becoming CEO of NBLC, Joanne served as President and CEO of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce for nearly 10 years. She was the Executive Director for the San Rafael Business Improvement District for a decade and owned and operated two Double Rainbow Café franchises for nearly 30 years. Joanne currently serves on several boards and committees including Housing Crisis Action, California Stewardship Network Partner,  Healthy Marin Partnerships, Marin’s School to Career Partnership, Keep Marin Working, Workforce Alliance of the North Bay and Sonoma Business and Agricultural Consortium.  Joanne is the recipient of Marin’s Small Business of the Year and Spirit of Marin Awards in 1998 and 2008 and the North Bay’s Best Business Community Leader Award in 2021.  

JEFFREY BALL
President and CEO
Orange County Business Council

Jeffrey Ball is president and CEO of Orange County Business Council, where he where he represents the interests of local businesses and organizations together with academia and government to promote the economic growth of the nation’s sixth largest county, Orange County, California.

Ball is the Founder of Friendly Hills Bank in Whittier where he previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer and is currently Vice Chair. His more than 25 years of experience in commercial and investment banking includes leadership positions with Bank of America, as well as past Chair of the California Bankers Association. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Mobility21, Data Center, Inc. and the Kinetic Academy charter school. He is also a member by appointment of the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission of the California State Bar and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

JERRY SANDERS
President & CEO
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

Jerry began his lifelong career in public service when he joined the San Diego Police Department at the age of 22, fulfilling his dream of becoming a police officer. He ascended the police department ranks and became one of the youngest police chiefs in the city's history. In 1999, Sanders retired as Chief of Police and became CEO of the United Way of San Diego, where he reduced the organization's costs and increased fundraising by 20 percent. Three years later, he chaired the board of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. In 2005, with his reputation as a successful turn-around executive, civic leaders urged Sanders to run for mayor.

Under Mayor Sanders, city financial staff completed six years’ worth of back-logged audits, allowing the city to return to the public bond markets in January 2009-- helping to fund the mayor's commitment to repair San Diego's long-neglected water, sewer and transportation infrastructure. In addition to his broad reform agenda, Sanders placed a high priority on economic growth and job creation during his time in office. Sanders completed his second and final term as Mayor in December 2012, and now currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. At the Chamber, Sanders leads the organization’s efforts to make San Diego a place where business can succeed and grow while creating jobs, supporting infrastructure and enriching neighborhoods.

JIM WUNDERMAN
President & CEO
Bay Area Council

Jim is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bay Area Council.  In this role, Wunderman has led the Council’s efforts to advocate for billions of dollars in federal, state and regional funding for major transportation projects completed or currently under construction. He has worked to expand the Council’s leadership outside the region, including opening an office in Sacramento and overseas offices in SHanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing, and partnering with the state to reopen the California-China Trade Office. Wunderman positioned the council to lead in developing an innovative early education program - Talk, Read, Sing -- and partnering with the Clinton Foundation to introduce it nationally. Since becoming CEO in 2004, Wunderman hashoned the Council’s regionalist approach to advocacy in key areas that impact the Bay Area’s economy and competitiveness, including: housing, transportation, workforce, water and resiliency, carbon reduction and renewable energy, gender equality & diversity, and healthcare reform. in 2015, 2016, and 2017 he was named one of the TOp 100 movers and shakers in California politics. Wunderman serves on numerous boards and commissions including the University of California Business Executive Council, is Vice CHair of the Water Emergency TRansportation Authority (WETA) Board, and the State of California International Trade and Investment Advisory Council.

LUIS PORTILLO
President & CEO
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership

Luis Portillo was appointed President and CEO of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership in December 2021. He brings more than 18 years of experience working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Previously, Luis served as the Director of Public Policy for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, where he managed the organization’s advocacy efforts. While there he helped establish a grassroots coalition that brought together more than 20 business organizations throughout the Inland Empire to advocate on behalf of pro-growth economic policies. He also worked at Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, as part of its Government Affairs team focusing on the analysis of legislation proposed in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

Luis also spent nine years working in the state capitol. There he served as a Senior Staff Member in the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, led the Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and worked as a Senate Fellow/Legislative Aide in the State Senate.

MARIA SALINAS
President & CEO
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Maria is the President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the largest business association in Los Angeles County representing more than 1,600-­member companies and serving the interests of more than 235,000 businesses across the Los Angeles region. Ms. Salinas took the helm of the organization in August of 2018 and became the first woman and Latina to lead the L.A. Area Chamber in its 130 year history. An accomplished business woman, entrepreneur and a stalwart community leader, Ms. Salinas’ business acumen and financial expertise provides her with the right experience to lead the Chamber.

Prior to the Chamber, Ms. Salinas was an entrepreneur having founded Salinas Consulting, a finance and accounting consultancy firm. Previously, she held financial leadership roles with The Walt Disney Company, including responsibility for global financial reporting for the Consumer Products division. Ms. Salinas began her career in public accounting with the firms of Ernst & Young and Kenneth Leventhal & Company.

As a corporate director, Ms. Salinas is former Chairwoman of ProAmérica Bank, a community bank in Los Angeles, where she was a Founding Organizer and Director, serving since the bank’s inception in 2005. She held a variety of leadership roles on the Board including Chair of the Audit Committee prior to being appointed Chairwoman. Ms. Salinas led the merger transaction with Pacific Commerce Bank which successfully closed in 2016.

MARK ORCUTT
President & CEO
East Bay Leadership Council

Mark Orcutt is a policy advocate, writer, and operations leader with a decade of experience in communications and nonprofit administration. He is a Northern California native who started his career working on statewide governance reform at California Forward. He went on to work as Field Director for an East Bay State Assembly campaign and as Campaign Manager for a ballot measure that led to the revitalization of San Francisco’s historic Pier 70 waterfront.

Mark joined the East Bay Leadership Council and Contra Costa Economic Partnership in 2015. Over the past eight years, his accomplishments have included driving significant growth in membership revenue, authoring strategic policy communications, writing and designing weekly newsletters, managing media relations, and producing engaging in-person and virtual events.

MELISSA JAMES
President & CEO
REACH

Hourglass has now relaunched as REACH, embodying a spirit of regionalism that is essential to creating a more prosperous, inclusive economy. Our private sector-led coalition partners with public, private, civic and educational institutions across the Central Coast — a region of about 700,000 people in dozens of cities and towns in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. A community leader with a proven track record of building highly effective teams and coalitions, Melissa brings a deep background in economic development, public policy, strategic communications and public relations. A Cal Poly graduate, Melissa worked as a capitol director in the state legislature before returning to the Central Coast, where she’s been instrumental in shaping policy and advocacy for several leading organizations. She’s been named to the Pacific Coast Business Times’ Top 50 Women in Business and Top 40 Under 40 as well as the San Luis Obispo Tribune’s Top 20 Under 40. 

MIKE ROOS
President
Southern California Leadership Council

In addition to being President of the SCLC, Mike is also the Founder and President of his own public affairs management company, Mike Roos & Co., which he created in 1999. His previous roles include President and CEO of LEARN, a coalition of leaders who aimed to implement reform and restructuring within the Los Angeles Unified School District, and serving as an Assemblyman from 1977 to 1991. Mike’s major achievements include the Robert-Roos Weapons Control Act of 1989 which banned assault weapons and the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act in 1982, which provided local government with alternative financing for their public facilities. Other policies and programs he has worked on include prohibiting sex discrimination, teaching children about genocide and human rights, early childhood development programs, and housing and shelters for low-income senior citizens.

Mike is from Memphis, TN. He has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

STEPHEN BAITER
President & CEO
East Bay Economic Development Alliance

Stephen is an experienced professional with more than 20 years of experience leading and supporting successful multi-stakeholder, public/private partnerships. He has an extensive track record with building regional networks and designing funding strategies that create shared value for businesses and residents in local communities. He most recently served as the Executive Director of the City of Oakland Workforce Development Board, a strategic advisory body whose members were appointed by the Mayor of Oakland. In this role, he was responsible for working with a diverse set of leaders from business, economic development, education, labor, and the public sector to align a variety of programs and resources to support high-quality jobs and a vibrant economy in Oakland and the broader region.

Stephen previously served as the Chair of the California Workforce Association, a statewide organization representing a variety of public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders in California and nationally. He has served on the board of directors of multiple East Bay organizations focused on education, economic empowerment, and workforce development. He has a BA in Political Science from Boston College and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University – East Bay.

STEPHEN CHEUNG
President & CEO
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

Stephen Cheung is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and its subsidiary, the World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA).  As CEO of the LAEDC, Mr. Cheung brings together the capabilities of LAEDC’s mission-delivery department areas, including the Institute for Applied Economics (Research), Business Assistance, Industry Cluster Development, Workforce Development, World Trade Center Los Angeles (International), Strategic Relations, Communications & Marketing, and Public Policy, into a single team that delivers the LAEDC’s critically important, public-benefit mission – Reinventing our economy to collaboratively advance growth and prosperity for all.

TAHRA GORAYA
President & CEO
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership

Tahra brings to MBEP strong skills in leadership, management, policy advocacy, and public affairs. She is experienced in diverse issue areas across multiple sectors including nonprofit management, business, and government. Most recently, Tahra was an organization consultant as well as an executive coach. Previously, Tahra served as the Director for Zero to Three Western Regional Office, a national early childhood public policy and research organization; District Director for California State Senator Carol Liu; National Director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national American Muslim civil rights organization in Washington, DC; and Executive Director of Day One in Pasadena, a substance abuse prevention and policy organization. Her familiarity in leveraging strategic relationships, building cross-cultural and cross-sector coalitions, crafting public policy, and organizing multi-faith and grassroots communities helped her succeed and pass legislation for over a dozen policies.