Board of Directors

Mario Acosta-Velez, Chairman

Mario Acosta-Velez is the Director of Mid-Atlantic State Government Affairs for Verizon. He manages relations with elected and appointed officials and builds strategic alliances with organizations and businesses to promote sound public policies that are consistent with the goals and objectives of Verizon, its stakeholders, and customers. He completed the Harvard University's 2005 Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, and holds an MPA, and an MA and BA in Political Science. He is a recipient of the 2009 Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers award by the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility. He currently serves on the board of Leadership Greater Washington and GALA Hispanic Theater.

Alfredo Casta, Vice Chair

Alfredo Casta is an inspiring and award-winning entrepreneur. He is the CEO and founder of Cascades Technologies, Inc. (CTi). CTi combines professional consulting with high-impact technology solutions to provide services to important clients like the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, and the Justice Department. CTi enjoys long-standing and growing relationships with many satisfied customers.

Miguel Ornelas, Treasurer

Miguel Ornelas has been Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending at John Marshall Bank in Falls Church, VA since 2006. Previously, Mr. Ornelas worked in El Paso, TX at Inter National Bank and Chase Bank in their commercial lending operations. His work with the Hispanic business community has been extensive; he is involved with Leadership Fairfax, is secretary vice-chair of Border TM, and is mentor for the program Help One Student to Succeed and Vilas Elementary School. Mr. Ornelas holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Texas and lives in Centerville, VA.

Randy Ramat, Secretary

Randy Ramat is the General Manager for Clean-Mark, a commercial cleaning and facility maintenance company servicing the greater DC Metro area. Prior to Clean-Mark, Mr. Ramat worked as account executive at Printing Methods and ECCO Select an IT Technical Services company based in Kansas City, MO.

Members At Large

Syddia Lee-Chee

Syddia Lee-Chee is the President of Energetica Group and DC Public Relations for Goya Foods. Syddia has an extensive background in the non-profit, public and private sector in the areas of communications, politics, financial education, global opportunities, marketing, management and public relations. She holds a  B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from La Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama City, Panama and she is a Graduate of  the International Executive Leadership Business Program at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Ms. Lee-Chee is a native of Panama.

Carlos Perdomo

Carlos Perdomo is founder & CEO of Keystone Plus Construction Corporation (KPCC), a Washington-based general contracting firm established in 1989. KPCC has been named as one of the top 500 largest Latino-owned companies in the United States by Hispanic Business Magazine from 2007-present. Mr. Perdomo is also the president of the D.C. Hispanic Contractors Association, mentoring smaller local construction companies and founding member of the Washington Development Industry Council, a strategic non-profit coalition of key business persons dedicated to the growing small business capacity in the District.

Edward Puzio

Edward Puzio is the Business Banking Market Manager for PNC Bank Greater Washington. Previously, he worked for PNC’s Northern New Jersey market, where he served as branch manager and regional manager. He is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and the School of Retail Bank Management at the University of Virginia. Currently Mr. Puzio serves as executive vice president of the Alumni Board of Governors and finance chair at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan. 

Nicole Quiroga

Nicole Quiroga is the General Manager of Telemundo WZDC-25 and Telemundo WZTD-45. Ms. Quiroga is a communications strategist with extensive expertise in media sales, multi-cultural marketing, public relations, business development, and strategic planning. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communications and Marketing from the University of Maryland and has received extensive leadership training from Leadership Greater Washington Executive Program and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Executive Program, among others. Ms. Quiroga lives in Vienna, VA.

Frederik Riefkohl

Frederik Riefkohl Maldonado is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development in North America and CFO for CSA Group. He holds a bachelor degree in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University and holds a MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Michigan. Mr. Riefkohl has over 20 years of executive and staff experience in finance and operations in the investment banking, information technology, construction, and engineering industries. 

Martin Mayorga 

Martin Mayorga is the President and Founder of Mayorga Coffee which is one of the fastest-growing Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine. Mayorga Coffee employs over 60 individuals and has a retail presence in the Washington, DC market, as well as wholesale distribution throughout the United States. Mr. Mayorga's day-to-day focus is on establishing partnerships with national and regional customers while ensuring that all facets of company operations are managed as efficiently and profitably as possible. His strengths are marketing, product development, supply chain management, and finance.

PRESIDENT & CEO

Angela Franco

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Jose Antonio Font