Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County welcomed three new members to its board of directors this month while electing new officers. 

Banking executive Timothy Nguyen and community economic developer and real estate management professional Dr. Gil Keinan and capital equity markets advisor, Armando Romero joined the corporation’s board on August 11th, while board directors Thanh Pham and Pablo Ocasio voted as chairman and vice chairman of the board respectively. Also elected were board directors Larry Trujillo as secretary and Cassaundra Johnson as treasurer. 

Nguyen serves as commercial lending regional manager at Chico-based Tri Counties Bank overseeing commercial lending in Orange County. He has over 20 years of banking experience ranging from business banking to branch management and consultation in the areas of commercial lending, cash management and corporate finance. 

Keinan holds an extensive background in hotel asset management, investment advisory roles and real estate development. He is an Opportunity Zone Executive Fellow who advises the San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency in development of distressed areas. He also serves as managing director of Local Equity, an economic development organization in Ontario, Calif. and is a principal with H|ObsequioGroup, a hotel investment advisory and asset management firm.

Romero is a former senior banking executive with almost 30 years in the business and currently, principal of Whittier-based Equipoint Capital Advisors, a boutique capital consulting firm specializing in Hispanic markets and federal, state, county and local program funding supporting middle market companies.   

 “We are excited for the insights and guidance our new board directors bring to the table, and grateful to our new officers for their willingness to step into important leadership roles,” said Michael A. Ocasio, president and chief executive officer of Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County, or SBDC-OC.  

The board’s change in command reflects the corporation’s elections processes following term limits, Ocasio said. He is not related to incoming board vice chair Pablo Ocasio who has served on the SBDC-OC board since 2014. The new executive board leaders replace former chairman Gary Dunn, vice chair Terri Enssle, and secretary Abdi Ahmed.

ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF ORANGE COUNTY 

SBDC of Orange County (http://sbfdoc.org) is a quasi-public/private 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public benefit corporation, which operates under the state’s public municipal bank, The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank). SBDC-OC is not affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration.  

The corporation, established in 2001, is a mission driven charitable organization dedicated to assisting small business owners secure operating capital through its capital access programs including California’s State Loan Guarantee Program, Export Lines of Credit, Bond Conduit and Green Energy Initiatives to support small business access to credit.