Founder and Principal

Xara Public Affairs

Violeta Aguilar-Wyrick is the founder and principal of Xara Public Affairs which is a progressive full service public affairs firm based out of Riverside, CA. Xara Public Affairs specializes in social impact strategies, community outreach, public policy, governmental and public affairs. Xara has broken barriers, leading successful strategy, field communication, policy and governmental affairs efforts at the local, state and federal level for candidates, labor unions and corporate clients.

Violeta’s philosophy and impetus to work is tied to her life experience as a Mexican immigrant and as a labor and community organizer working in policy and politics in Southern California. With over 15 years of experience, Violeta has led successful labor, community outreach, issue-based, advocacy and electoral campaigns. She has launched vital initiatives that are helping to change the landscape by empowering equitable policies and practices as well as championing sustainable community led programs which directly help local communities in the cities her clients serve.

Associate Vice President for University Advancement

California State University, Los Angeles

Hilda is an award-winning strategic communications professional and journalist with over 20 years of experience in public affairs, marketing communications, and crisis & issues management. Delgado has been in the trenches of complicated communications campaigns for a wide range of entities in the private, government, and non-profit sector.

Hilda currently serves as Vice President at Actum. Prior to that, she served as Marketing/Communications Director for AARP in California, Public Affairs Manager at Southern California Edison, and West Region Communications and Public Affairs Director for the Coca-Cola Company.

In addition to her corporate experience, Hilda has played a pivotal role in creating winning communication strategies for dozens of political campaigns and policy measures in California. She served as Communications Director for Hillary for America and campaign spokesperson. Other noteworthy campaigns include Prop. 28- the Music Ballot initiative, Prop. 64 – Marihuana for recreational use, and Prop. 7 to ensure California utilities procure half of their power from renewable resources. In addition, Hilda helped Orange County Democratic President and party leaders turn “Reagan County” blue.

Early in her career Delgado served as press deputy for Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, under this capacity, she served as Mayor Hahn’s spokesperson and Liaison to several City entities, including the Department of Water and Power, the Port of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles World Airports. At City Hall, Delgado served on the planning team for Mayor Hahn’s trip to Mexico to meet with President Vicente Fox and Club de Industriales, and in partnership with KMEX she created “El Alcalde Responde” to help connect the Mayor with the fast-growing Latino community. She also worked as Communications Director for the powerful Los Angeles Federation of Labor AFL-CIO under the direction of labor leaders Miguel Contreras and Maria Elena Durazo during The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a national civil-rights movement to revive the immigration topic after 9/11.

Delgado began her career as a reporter for La Opinión, the leading Spanish-language daily newspaper in the country. She has been recognized by The National Association of Hispanic Publications and the Public Relations Society of America for her work in crisis communications. Hilda holds a B.A. in Journalism and Spanish Literature from Cal State University Northridge (CSUN) and a social innovation certificate from the USC Sol Prize School of Public Affairs.

Student Services

Los Angeles City College

A proud alumna of the HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI), Dr. Olga Diaz serves as the Vice President of Student Services at Los Angeles City College. Her career has spanned more than 25 years in leadership roles in higher education, elected office, and non-profit organizations.

The daughter of immigrants, she was first in her family to attend college. Olga holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Santa Clara University, a master’s in public administration from San Diego State University, and a Doctorate of Education in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California.

Another notable first – Olga was the first Latina ever elected to the Escondido City Council in 2008, 120 years after it was established. She served three consecutive terms and forever changed the landscape of politics in Escondido and across north county.

As an Escondido City Councilwoman, she was a vocal advocate for people, the environment, community engagement, government transparency, and fiscal prudence. She embraced Escondido’s diverse needs and proudly championed environmental and social issues with an academic approach that impressed even those who disagreed with her.

Olga has been recognized for her character and service. She earned the Latino Champions Civic Leader Award in 2014 from the Union Tribune, the San Diego County Democratic Party Legislator of the Year Award in 2014, the Route 78 Rotary “Sol” Award in 2014, the San Diego State University Emerging Leader Award in 2019, Madison 365, Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latino Leaders (2021), and of course the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame, Trailblazer Award (2023).

Olga is married to Neal Griffin, a retired Escondido Police Lieutenant and best-selling crime fiction author. Together, they raised four fantastic children.

Associate Director of Regional Government and Community Relations

Kaiser Permanente

Government & External Affairs

Verizon

Executive Vice President and Head of Hispanic & Latino Affairs

Wells Fargo Bank

Patty Juarez has spent more than 29 years at Wells Fargo where she has held a variety of leadership roles. Currently, Patty serves as the Head of Hispanic/Latino affairs. She is responsible for building a Hispanic/Latino external engagement portfolio focused on national cultural engagement, executive recruitment, business development, and stakeholder relations.

She partners with Diverse Segments Representation & Inclusion, External Engagement, and Government Relations to curate national and local stakeholder activities to amplify Wells Fargo’s DE&I commitment. Patty has a long history of leadership in the Latino community. She is former chairwoman and current board member of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber, she is on the board of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and on the advisory board for the Latino Donor Collaborative. She is also on the board of Governors at Chapman University and on the Chancellor’s Council at the University of California, Berkeley. Patty is also involved in diversity and entrepreneurship initiatives at Cal, Stanford, and Harvard Universities.

Externally, Patty often speaks about topics such as Diversity and Inclusion, diverse segments, access to capital, multi-cultural marketing, and financial literacy. Internally, Patty is past president of the Hispanic & Latino Connection Employee Resource Network, which has 53 chapters and represents more than 35,000 Latinos at Wells Fargo. Patty lives in Orange County, California, with her children Isabella and Max.

Government Relations Manager

Southern California Edison

Community Relations Corporate Affairs

Walmart

Associate Vice President for Student Life & Dean of Students

California State University, Los Angeles

Associate State Director

AARP

Housing Services

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA)

Marisela Ocampo is the Director of Housing Services at HACLA, where she oversees over 6,000 units across 14 public housing sites, managing approximately 300 staff and serving approximately 17,000 residents. She has been with HACLA for over four years and brings 20 years of experience from the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA).

During her tenure at LACDA, Ms. Ocampo was responsible for managing properties; developing policies and implementing Federal/State/Local regulations; and providing oversight of the Capital Fund Program, Real Estate Assessment Center, procurement, quality control, and rent collection functions. She was instrumental in helping LACDA achieve a high performer designation for over 10 years.

At HACLA, Ms. Ocampo oversees the public housing functions as in the LACDA and has focused on improving the public housing properties, both in HUD mandates, public housing assessment system performance indicators, and overall infrastructure and beautification improvements. Under her leadership, the public housing program has maintained its high performer designation.

Ms. Ocampo holds a B.A. in English Literature from UCLA and a Master’s in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. She is deeply committed to improving the lives of the people HACLA serves.

Cultural Affairs

L.A. Chargers

Liliana T. Pérez serves as the Cultural Affairs Director for the Los Angeles Chargers and is responsible for building strategic partnerships within California’s dynamic and versatile economic, cultural and social sectors. In this role, she is responsible for managing community engagement, especially with the Chargers’ valued neighbors. Among her priorities include driving cross-functional alignment of internal divisions to provide optimized benefits to sponsors and fans.

Community & Government Affairs, US

First American Financial

Assistant Vice President

Arizona State University

Dulce Vasquez is a formerly undocumented LGBTQ+ Latina. She is an education advocate, change-maker, and passionate civic leader. She currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Los Angeles’ outpost of Arizona State University. She has served as a Los Angeles City Commissioner and was a 2022 candidate for Los Angeles City Council. She’s currently running for California State Assembly to continue fighting for issues she cares deeply about, including housing, public transportation, education, mental healthcare, and LGBT+ & women’s rights. She attended Northwestern University and UCLA.

Co-founding Partner

Amanecer Consulting Group

Dr. Iris Zuñiga De La Cruz is a results-oriented leader with over 20 years of experience at the nexus of social services, education, and community development. As the Co-founder of Amanecer Consulting Group, she has a proven track record of scaling impactful initiatives and fostering cross-sector collaborations that yield measurable outcomes.

Iris has dedicated her career to advancing social equity and academic success. She has spearheaded place based initiatives to break intergenerational poverty cycles and increase access to education for underserved populations. Her leadership has mobilized significant investments from public and private sectors, empowering communities across California. Beyond her professional roles, Iris has served as Vice President of the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission, providing strategic oversight for a $160 million budget and over 400 parks. She also chaired the Coordinated Services Sub-Committee for the CA Statewide Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, helping shape policy recommendations to strengthen the social safety net for children.

Dr. Zuñiga De La Cruz currently serves on the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation Board, where she continues to champion initiatives that create equitable opportunities for students and families. She is also the Co-founder of the Latino Prosperity Fund, an initiative dedicated to advancing economic mobility and wealth-building for Latino communities. She is a nationally recognized leader, having been selected as a fellow by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and honored with the Mujeres Destacadas Award by La Opinión. She is also a HOPE HLI Alum, Class of 2011.

Her academic credentials include a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Chicana/o Studies from UCLA.