2025 IES Houston Regional

Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair. He also oversees a wide range of services for Minnesota businesses, with the goals of expanding access to voting, removing barriers to voting, and making business services as streamlined as possible. He and those at the Secretary of State’s Office strive to make it as easy as possible for Minnesotans to set up and run their businesses.

Juan Llerena is the Founder and President of JLLB Media Marketing Agency and Design Studio. As a Marketing & Communications professional, Juan is very passionate to support diverse entrepreneurs build and improve their marketing strategies for their businesses. Juan says, “We are passionate about creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our proficiency in blending creativity and analytics helps propel brands into the public consciousness. We are united by our dedication to each other, our work, and the outcomes of our efforts.”

Ying Sa was born in Beijing, China, immigrated to Canada before relocating to the United States. She started Community CPA in 1998. The firm now has three branches, and has received many awards for excellence. Ying is a published author of Appointment with Ying at 8am on starting a business, and is releasing her newest book on growing a business.

Brian McDonald is the District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota District Office. Under his leadership, McDonald’s team facilitates SBA-backed loans, advocates and trains small businesses for federal government contracting opportunities, and works to improve entrepreneurial development to strengthen business growth across all 87 Minnesota counties. Before joining the Minnesota District Office, Brian worked in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. SBA Headquarters Office of Entrepreneurial Development and for the U.S. Treasury CDFI Fund. 

As the Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of St. Thomas’ Opus College of Business, Diane is a resource for economic development and small business. Her observations and insights on business have been published in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Finance and Commerce and Minnesota Business Magazine, and she was the recipient of the Progress Minnesota Award.

Since taking up the position as Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs at DEED on an interim basis, Abdiwahab Mohamed has been instrumental in writing DEED’s budget requests and brought together state agencies to compile legislative proposals that impact immigrant and refugee communities. The office will focus on supporting immigrants and refugees in integrating into Minnesota society and also help employers connect with them.

Michelle Rivero serves at the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, which provides guidance on immigration and refugee issues to elected leaders, policy makers and City staff. Director Rivero also works with the City’s Intergovernmental Relations department to coordinate and promote the City’s legislative priorities on immigration-related matters.

Edmundo D. Lijó is developing and managing the immigrant and refugee program for the city – a program dedicated to ensuring that Saint Paul is a welcoming city for all.  Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Edmundo spent over twenty years practicing immigration law and was an Assistant County Attorney representing the El Paso County Hospital District in El Paso, Texas which operated a public hospital on the US-Mexican border.

Bill Adamowski is a proven CEO/President/Catalyst of Entrepreneurial Ventures with a track record of growing revenue and driving successful exits. He currently serves at Drake University’s College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA). He oversees the Drake Business Accelerator, New programs aim to bring world-class entrepreneurship education to underserved small business owners.

Babatope Adedayo is responsible for promoting diversity and inclusion within state government procurement, representing the program at various workshops and trade shows, providing information about the Small Business Procurement Program to interested vendors, setting subcontracting goals on construction projects, and monitoring the utilization of certified vendors to meet construction goals.

Curtis Baugh is the recipient of the Small Business Minority Champion Award by the SBA and has also received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Achievement Award from the State of Iowa. Curtis had a gubernatorial appointment to the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board, where he has been involved in initiatives such as the Targeted Small Business Special Task Force and the Commission on the Status of African Americans. Curtis has worked closely with hundreds of immigrant business owners, providing them with valuable guidance to start, grow, and overcome challenges. 

June Cheng helps foreign investors and Chinese and American companies achieve global mobility, with the focus on EB‑5 and other investment-based immigration, employment-based immigration, and immigration service in global relocation matters. A native of China, June works closely with Chinese clients in U.S. immigration matters, including assisting Chinese investors in EB‑5 investment-based immigration and serving Chinese companies in intra-company transfer visas. 

Dr. Rodolfo Gutiérrez has extensive professional experience in quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation. He is very committed to working with the State of Minnesota to eliminate disparities based on ethnic or cultural differences. Originally from Mexico, his formal education includes History and Demography, with extensive experience in research on demographic change, and his work contains emphasis on immigration, education, access to health and cultural incorporation of diverse communities.

Glen McCluskey is an attorney licensed to practice in Minnesota state courts and in the Federal District Court of Minnesota. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Minnesota. His law degree is from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, and he also earned an MBA from Hamline University. Glen has been practicing law since 1998, specializing in business law and nonprofit law. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association Nonprofit Law Section. Additionally, he has taught at Mitchell-Hamline College of Law and Concordia University. Glen has been happily married to his wife Holly for over 30 years, and he shares his home with two cats, Jasmine and Coco.

Emma Kasiga is a finance professional with a vast expertise in community, business development, as well as access to capital. Her passion for working with her community, and her ability to speak for those with no voice is undeniable. She worked with non-profit lenders (CDFIs) and state government (MN DEED) before she joined ONB in 2023. Empowerment Program is 1st of its kind in the market, and Emma leads the effort in their Minnesota market.

Dr. Sneha Singh is a social entrepreneur with 15+ years’ experience in socio-economic growth. Her area of expertise is training & development, strategic planning, and she is passionate about protecting income and financial future of immigrants and marginalized communities. Max Umanzor is her colleague, who will be co-presenting on the topic. Max has 15+ years’ experience in the financial industry and he has helped businesses build strong retirement income strategy to provide peace of mind.

Tina works collaboratively with clients to help protect their intellectual property assets and grow their IP portfolios through strategic planning of their current and future goals. She has experience handling and prosecuting patent applications within large patent portfolios, including global patent prosecution experience in over 15 countries.

Yana practices what she preaches; she tested and lived through her business first before starting. Yana is a certified international life coach and psychologist, Ukrainian at heart, and first-generation American. As the only entrepreneur in the family, and with the ability to speak another language, she created her practice after traveling thousands of miles from home, moving to the US with one suitcase and a backpack. She helps entrepreneurs, decluttering their headspace and organizing their heart space.

Max Umanzor has 15+ years’ experience in the financial industry and he has helped businesses build strong retirement income strategy to provide peace of mind. He’s leading a successful consulting team in the Greater Houston Area, helping families and business owners across America to structure tax-efficient and retirement-ready plans.