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Founder and CEO, Elite Changemakers
Although we are a newly formed nonprofit in 2026, our core programs have successfully developed over 500 power leaders across the national for the past 2 years!
Through exceptional programming and world-class organization workplace insights, we have accelerated the careers for students and professionals from across the nation and throughout all industries.
We are now positioned scale our impact across the world for college and early career talent to drive and maximize their workplace readiness and career success.
We will accomplish this goal through leveraging existing programming while reinforcing the experience with additional power services (AI Fluency) to ensure our students are the best of the best!
Refugio (Ref) Atilano history includes being first-generation professional and college student and was born and raised in Chicago. He is a former global senior leader for a world-class pharmaceutical company, worked for 2 Fortune 100 organizations, and was the Global Chair of an award-winning Employee Resource Group (ERG).
Refugio is passionate about leadership development – he mentors professionals and students across the country and from all sectors of industry.
To support his leadership development journey, he authored The Latino Leadership Playbook, created the Professional Leadership Club (PLC), and is also the creator of the Professional Acceleration national webcast.
Ref is an influencer for the academic and business community and uses his network to help drive the collective leadership development with the goal of shaping the future with the next generation of powerful leaders.
Founder and CEO
Ref Atilano is a workplace leadership expert, speaker, and author with a mission to develop 1,000,000 student and power professionals in his lifetime.
Board Member
Born in Cuba, lived in Spain, and was raised in Miami, Florida. Carlos has held senior leadership roles at five global 500 companies—Anheuser-Busch, Carnival Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Tyson Foods, and Waste Management—while living in eight states: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Maryland. He currently serves as CEO of The Latino Coalition. He is the former President & CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) and past chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. One of his favorite quotes is “While talent is universal, opportunity is not.” It is all about opening doors and creating pathways for others.
Board Member
John is a Latino leader focused on mentoring and developing early career Latino leaders… John currently leads the Global Human Resources Practice and is Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of a top tear talent advisory firm. Known as an innovative and strategic human resource and talent acquisition leader, John works with organizations to assess, structure and build leadership teams to achieve outstanding business results. He brings over 30 years of experience in Global CPG, Retail, Hospitality, Life Sciences, and Healthcare, with special emphasis on organizational effectiveness, developing an inclusive culture, and employee inspiration.
Board Director, Senior Advisor & Fortune 100 executive
A pulic company board director, senior advisor and Fortune 100 executive with three decades of experience across Aerospace, Medical Devices, Multi-Industrial, and Energy sectors, Marta has led business strategy, B2B sales, marketing, communications, and brand through large-scale transformations, turnarounds, mergers, acquisitions, and digital transformations at Medtronic, Boeing, Johnson Controls, and Westinghouse — consistently driving value creation in complex, highly regulated, and technology-driven global markets.
CEO of JJR Marketing and Fig Factor Media Publishing, Author of 39 books, Pilot
Jacqueline Ruiz is an internationally known, award-winning entrepreneur and publishing magnate, Latina storytelling pioneer, and Latina aviation and youth champion. Jackie is a two-time cancer survivor dedicated to inspiring and empowering others. She founded the award-winning public relations firm JJR Marketing in 2006 and Fig Factor Media publishing company in 2014, which has published more than 500 books for authors across 34 countries.
Cesar A. Lostaunau, MBA, PMP --- Global Director, Workforce Engagement
Cesar Lostaunau is a purpose-driven executive and advocate for inclusive leadership, with a proven track record of building high-impact engagement strategies across global organizations. As Global Director of Workforce Engagement at Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) an investor research and data organization, he leads global enterprise-wide initiatives that elevate employee experience, foster belonging, and align workforce strategies with business outcomes.
Managing Director & Florida East Market Executive BMO Wealth Management
Based in West Palm Beach, Eduardo oversees BMO’s expansion across Florida’s East Coast for Wealth Management and leads teams in multiple offices. He focuses on advising entrepreneurs, senior executives, and family enterprises on growth, liquidity events, and multigenerational wealth strategies. He joined BMO in 2022 and went on to lead a new national business that surpassed $2 billion in lending and achieved more than 160 percent compounded annual growth within three years.
Head of Worldwide Litigation and Government Inquiries at Texas Instruments
Originally from rural Ohio, Rich understands the importance of education, mentorship, and professional development and how they can lift individuals and communities. This led Rich to study at MIT and Columbia Law School, before embarking on a legal career at leading international law firms Latham & Watkins and Jones Day. He then joined Samsung Electronics America, where he led litigation and legal strategy and served as the Chief Diversity Officer. Rich currently serves as the Head of Worldwide Litigation and Government Inquiries at Texas Instruments.
Founder / CEO Conectado Inc. Board Director : Blue Shield of CA, Stellarus, Jack in the Box
Guillermo Diaz, Jr., is a transformative global business leader and champion of diversity, equity and inclusion. He most recently served as the Chairman of the Hispanic Technology Council (HITEC), the premier global executive leadership organization of senior business and technology executives who have and are building outstanding careers in technology.
Founder / CEO, Alirah People Studio
Vanessa Sandoval is the founder of Alirah People Studio, a strategic advisory practice helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and leadership transitions through thoughtful people, culture, and talent strategy. For over two decades, she has led global teams across the private and non-profit sectors, at organizations including Hearst, Planned Parenthood, SeatGeek, and Teach For America. Throughout her career, Vanessa has been a steadfast advocate for students and early-career professionals, and she serves on multiple advisory boards dedicated to supporting and sponsoring emerging talent. Her work is grounded in a simple conviction: that people are not a byproduct of an organization's success, but the foundation of it.
In a 2025 Study reported by Forbes, only 24% of recent college graduates now in the workforce reported “I have all the skills I need for my current role”. Similarly, 96% of HR professionals reported that “Colleges need to take more responsibility for training students for the workplace”. The study summarized that “Recent college graduates are profoundly unhappy with their lack of workplace readiness—and so are their employers”.
