Members of the Board 

Jorge Marquez | Chair

JORGE MARQUEZ is the Southern California-based Senior Vice President for Robert Half Government specializing in the delivery of consulting and talent solutions with Federal, State and local government agency clients and government contracting partners. Jorge is also the Program Leader for Robert Half's Apprenticeship and Workforce Innovation solution which the goal is to develop a skilled, diverse and inclusive professional workforce through apprenticeships launching in Southern California in the areas of cybersecurity and accounting expanding nationwide into professional roles. Jorge is a proud member of Somos Familia, one of Robert Half’s six new Employee Network Groups created to amplify Hispanic and LatinX perspectives while creating networks, community, and growth opportunities for those employees. Jorge has been responsible for developing several notable client engagements during his tenure with Robert Half. In addition, Jorge has over 15 years of advisory experience in assurance, tax, consulting and business development in the Southern California market. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of California Riverside and obtained his CPA license more than 10 years ago.  He is nominated by Supervisor Kathryn Barger as a Business Representative.

Tami Hutchins-Nunez |Vice Chair

TAMI HUTCHINS-NUNEZ started her career with CVS Health in 2009 as a Beauty 360 Store Manager. She then promoted to a Field Colleague Trainer, Training and Development in 2012, and in January 2019, joined the Workforce Initiatives Team developing workforce programs on a national, state & local levels for CVS Health. She is now the Manager of CVS Workforce Innovation & Talent Center, which works with state and federal workforce agencies that provide employment services and training to underserved communities. Additionally, Tami also works with schools, churches, universities, faith-based and community organizations to hire people with diverse backgrounds. During her career path journey at CVS Health, she received her MBA in HR Management & certification in Change Management. She is nominated by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) as a Business Representative.

Mary Hewitt | Secretary/Treasurer

MARY HEWITT is the founder and CEO of Kollab Youth whose mission is to improve the world of youth development. Hewitt has a professional and a personal reputation of providing unwavering commitment to empowering under-resourced youth. She developed innovative programs and sought transformative support during her decade-long tenure leading the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Club. Now, as the founder and CEO of Kollab Youth Workforce Development, Hewitt is taking her mission to the next level. Leveraging her professional strengths and strong network, she has built a cutting-edge program that combines academic rigor, hands-on technical training, soft and essential skills with wraparound support to help young people launch successful careers in high-growth industries. She is a board member for T-Mobile California Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Council, member of the National Diversity Coalition, and a former board member for the South Bay Business Environmental Coalition. She is an alumna of Central Washington University, and Georgetown University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications Broadcast Journalism, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs, respectively. She is nominated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger as an Education & Training Representative.

Representatives of Education & Training WIOA Section 107(b)(2)(C)

Dr. Armida Ornelas | WDB Member

Dr. ARMIDA ORNELAS is a passionate and committed educational leader who has dedicated her career to continuously advocating for immigrant rights, educational equity, and ensuring access to higher education in marginalized communities. For over 25 years she has been dedicated to quality instructional programs that would lead to transfer, credential attainment, and career opportunities for community college students.  In her tenure at the Los Angeles Community College District, Dr. Ornelas has served as a faculty member in political science, has served as the Vice President of Instruction at East Los Angeles College, and is currently the Interim President at Los Angeles Mission College. Dr. Ornelas was raised in East Los Angeles and is a proud graduate of Garfield High School. She went on to pursue her undergraduate studies at UCLA and graduated with a double major in Chicana/o Studies and Sociology. Later, she earned her master’s degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago and her doctorate from the UCLA School of Education. She is nominated by former Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl as an Education & Training Representative.

Miguel Hurtado | WDB Member

MIGUEL HURTADO is the Principal in Adult and Career Education in Pomona Unified School District. He is privileged to serve his community’s adult population in improving their lives though education. It is his responsibility to identify and assess program needs, determine objectives and develop short and long-term plans to facilitate and improve adult education programs. He currently oversees Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, Adult General Education Development, Career and Technical Education, Concurrent Junior High School and Secondary Student Vocational programs, ROP, High School Diploma, and Adult Citizenship. Miguel Hurtado’s branding statement has always been to leave the school or department in a better position than when he first encountered it. He is nominated by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) as an Education & Training Representative.

Jeffery Wallace | WDB Member

JEFFERY WALLACE is a native of Richmond, California, is a next generation social entrepreneur uniquely equipped to fulfill the dual roles of visionary and architect to find a sustainable solution to almost any social issue. He is president and CEO of LeadersUp, a nonprofit that bridges the gap between the untapped potential of young people and the business challenge of finding and keeping the best talent. With Wallace, LeadersUp has established best practices by facilitating employer-led solutions that are demand-driven and human-centered to tackle high youth unemployment in Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. He gets in front of the issues that fuel educational and economic inequities and unites people around shared goals to achieve disruptive and transformative change. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (he studied music and earned a BA in education), Wallace was the first undergraduate student conductor in UCLA’s music department. He later earned an MS in education from UCLA and an MS in organizational development from the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, he is a fellow of the Presidio Institute and a Metropolitan Non-Resident Fellow of the Brookings Institution. He is nominated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mitchell as an Education & Training Representative.

Representatives of Labor

Luis Arida | WDB Member

LUIS ARIDA is the Civil Service Business Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 11, Los Angeles. He represents over 1000 public sector employees that work for LA City, LA County, LAUSD, LACCD and the Housing Authority of Los Angeles. He is currently working with LA City, LA County, and LAUSD in an effort to implement internal apprenticeship programs that will create career opportunities for LA County residents. He graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Labor Studies from California State University, Dominguez Hills.  He is nominated by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor as a Labor Representative.

Jeremy Diaz | WDB Member

JEREMY DIAZ is the Business Manager, Financial Secretary-Treasurer for United Association Plumbers Local Union 78. Plumbers Local 78 was chartered in 1892 and covers the Los Angeles, Long Beach, and surrounding communities. As the Business Manager of Local Union 78, Jeremy takes pride in knowing he shares responsibility in the grooming and professional development of the most productive and best educated craftsmen within the plumbing industry. As a Business Manager he is responsible for the successful coordination of manpower to signatory contractors, while ensuring the needs of the membership are met. Ensuring the improvement of the contractors bottom-line and the positive experience of the labor force is a fulltime career, but Jeremy believes as a labor leader more is demanded of him. He has served for several years as an Executive Board Member of the Southern California Pipe Trades which represents 18,000 Members and covers all Southern California. Prior to his current position Jeremy held several other positions which allowed him to share his passion for the labor movement and his desire to grow and imbue Local 78 with the reputation of being the best. Considered an Influencer, while serving as the Apprenticeship Coordinator Jeremy was instrumental in igniting the desire to learn and stive to be the elite of the plumbing industry amongst the newly indentured apprentices as well as seasoned apprentices about to embark on the next leg of their journey as licensed journeymen plumbers. This is no small feat as Local 78 is the home to the largest Plumbers Apprenticeship on the West Coast. Attention to evolution has always been the cornerstone to Jeremy’s assurance that Local 78 will continuously escape mediocrity for this reason he proudly serves as the Board Secretary for “Women In Non Traditional Employment Roles” (WINTER). WINTER prepares women for employment and advancement in the construction field. He is nominated by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor as a Labor Representative.

Ben Garcia | WDB Member

BEN GARCIA is the Executive Director of the Apprenticeship Readiness Fund, the nonprofit division of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building & Construction Trades Council. Ben is responsible for leading the Fund, with a mission to sustain quality Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) Apprenticeship Readiness Programs throughout LA and Orange Counties.  With more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry as a journey-level tradesman, contractor and building consultant, prior to joining the Fund in 2019, Ben spent the previous 15 years developing, coordinating, instructing and managing pre-apprenticeship programs across Southern California. During that time, he also consulted and developed pre-apprenticeship programs across the country.

He currently is the Chair of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Career Technical Education Advisory Committee (CTEAC) and is an active member of the Southern California Apprenticeship Coordinators Association. He is certified in MC3 program implementation from North America’s Building Trades Union in partnership with the University of Michigan. He also is a trained Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Outreach instructor through OSHA’s Rocky Mountain Outreach Training Institute, in partnership with the University of Utah School of Medicine. In 2023, Ben received the Abram Friedman Award from the California Council on Adult Education (CCAE) for his work on high-road construction career pathways. He is nominated by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor as a Labor Representative.

Christopher Graeber | WDB Member

Representatives of Government & Economic & Community Development WIOA Section 107(b)(2)(D)

Jesse Cuevas | WDB Member

JESSE CUEVAS serves as Chief of the Workforce Services Branch (WSB) LA/Coastal Workforce Services Division (LACWSD) of Employment Development Department for the State of California (EDD). For the past two and a half years, Jesse has served as the Deputy Division Chief for the Coastal Region of Los Angeles-Coastal WSB Division, with administrative oversight of Wagner-Peyser services across five distinct counties, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Jesse sat on two workforce development boards and multiple sub-committees. He has represented the LACWSD on several branch workgroups and initiatives to identify process improvement and has made recommendations to enhance the service delivery systems of major programs, including the Migrant Seasonal Farmworker and Jobs for Veterans programs. Jesse is especially proud of the opportunities that have been created during his tenure for the development of staff capacity in his region and division in alignment with the department and branch strategic plans. He looks forward to continuing establishing effective collaborations with local workforce partners, Workforce Service leaders and staff in the LA - Coastal Division. He began his career with EDD in 2001 as a Student Assistant in the Youth Employment Opportunity Program in the Chula Vista office, where he provided workforce services to youth at risk. In 2006, Jesse accepted a position as an Employment Program Representative with the Unemployment Insurance Branch and in 2010 transferred to WSB. Throughout his career, Jesse has held a variety of management positions with increased level of responsibility, including Cluster Manager of the East Los Angeles and LA Metro AJCCs and most recently Deputy Division Chief for the Coastal Region of California. Jesse is excited to be part of the LA County Board and to continue to serve the many communities our offices serve. He is nominated by the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD) as a Representative of Government.

MAUREEN MCINTYRE is the Regional Director of the Van Nuys Foothill District of the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). Her district provides vocational rehabilitation services to the entire San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and Alhambra, plus the Antelope Valley area. Maureen has over 40 years of experience working with people with disabilities, primarily serving the disability community in the South L.A. area. During her tenure with DOR, she has served in several roles, including Rehabilitation Counselor, Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Team Manager, and Chief of the Customer Service Section. She has been a nationally Certified Rehabilitation Counselor since 1993. In addition to her work with DOR, Maureen also has experience as a business owner/employer running a custom cabinet shop with her husband. Prior to her tenure with DOR, she worked with foster youth and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities teaching activities of daily living skills. Maureen holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Science degree from San Diego State University. She spent her undergraduate junior year studying Spanish in an immersive program in Spain. Maureen credits her mother with inspiring her and her siblings to dedicate their lives to serving the disability community. She is nominated by the State of California Department of Rehabilitation as a WIOA Title IV Representative of Government.  She is nominated by the State of California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) as a WIOA Title IV representative.

Stephen Cheung | WDB Member

STEPHEN CHEUNG is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of LAEDC and the President of World Trade Center Los Angeles. In his role as COO, he brings together the capabilities of LAEDC's mission-delivery department areas, including: Business Assistance and Industry Cluster Development; LAEDC’s Institute for Applied Economics; Communications & Marketing; and Public Policy, into a single team that delivers the LAEDC’s critically important, public-benefit mission. Concurrently, Cheung was the Director of International Trade for the Port of Los Angeles – the busiest container port in North America and was responsible for developing programs to increase trade through the Port of Los Angeles and facilitate goods movement through the Southern California region. Cheung currently sits on the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, CORO Southern California and Sister Cities of Los Angeles, while also serving on LA Metro’s Sustainability Council and Biz-Fed’s International Trade Committee. He is nominated by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) as a representative of Economic Development.