Susan E. Walters is the Senior Vice President of the California Emerging Technology Fund.  Susan joined the Fund after working as the Regional Director of Community Relations for Citibank in Southern California. Prior to Citibank she operated a small consulting practice focusing on corporate social responsibility.  The work focused on building strategic partnerships between nonprofit organizations and corporations, strategic planning, communications and marketing.  She has worked in myriad areas ranging from telecommunications policy, disability access to multimedia projects.  Examples of her work include designing a highly successful technology job training program for low income adults and youth, creating a brand strategy for a buy local food campaign and marketing programs to reach emerging markets.  Her firm’s clients included:  AOL, Verizon, Microsoft, Independent Television Service (ITVS), San Francisco Giants, Freddie Mac Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the FoodRoutes Network.

Susan has held executive positions in Communications and Marketing with Odwalla and Pacific Bell.  Prior to her work in the private sector Susan served as a senior staff member to Willie L. Brown, Jr. during his tenure as Speaker of the California Assembly.  She is an alumna of the Coro Fellows Program, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of Public Policy degree from Claremont University.  She serves of the Board of Directors for CD Tech, World Institute on Disability and the Center for Accessible Technology.

Jack Olree is a Community Development Officer for Wells Fargo, Los Angeles Metro Region.  Olree also   manages  the Riverside and San Bernardino Markets which fall within the Southern California Region. Olree is responsible for identifying investments and loans for community/economic development and low-income   housing initiatives throughout the Divisions he manages. With more than 14 years of banking experience working in the areas of community development,              mortgage lending and small business, Olree was a regional vice president in the Community Development Group at First National Bank of Chicago. Olree leverages his past career experiences in his role at Wells Fargo on the Community Development Team.

For over 10 years Olree successfully owned Chicago Wireless Communications, a wireless brokerage firm that was ranked number one in the Chicago market exceeding $4.5MM annually in contract sales. Olree’s vast entrepreneurial experiences also includes mortgage/real estate broker, developer and managing/growing his family’s construction company to becoming one of the mid-west areas’ largest. Olree attended Calvin College in Michigan and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business with a focus on small business management.

Rubén Lizardo is Deputy Director of Policy Link, leads equitable public investment efforts to ensure public investments in infrastructure generate community benefits. His work includes research and public education, training and technical assistance to strengthen community and civic participation in decision-making, and working with public officials to develop investment strategies and policies that further equity and economic vitality.  Prior to joining PolicyLink, he was the capacity-building director of California Tomorrow, where he led advocacy, training, and technical assistance efforts to address diversity and equity issues. He also served as director of the Community Planning and Economic Development Program at Los Angeles Trade -Technical College.  He is a former president of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and was awarded The California Wellness Foundation’s California Peace Prize for his work to address root causes of youth violence.  He currently serves on the boards of Californians for Justice and Justice Matters.