Local community and business leaders work together to advance our mission to ensure public schools are places all students can thrive.
Gianira is a Senior Relationship Manager focused on serving the core financial needs of middle market commercial clients with annual revenues of $75 million to more than $2 billion in South Florida. In this role, she is responsible for helping client’s meet their business objectives through providing advice on credit and lending, treasury and liquidity management, risk management and investment banking.
Gianira began her career with Bank of America’s Global Commercial Bank and has held various roles within the Bank over the past 10 years. Her transaction experience includes advising on appropriate capital structures, hedging strategies, and global corporate account structures designed to meet company’s priorities.
Gianira earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Florida. She is a FINRA Registered Principal with Series 7 and 63 securities license. Gianira is passionate about advancing financial literacy and education in the Miami-Dade community. She serves as Executive Board Chair on City Year Miami Executive Board. She lives in Miami Beach with her husband, Ilian, and daughter, Siena (age 1).
Rashad D. Thomas is the Regional Director for AT&T Florida overseeing local and government relationships in Miami-Dade and parts of Broward County. Before his new role at AT&T, he worked on Strategic Partnerships and Community Relations for PortMiami which is the busiest port in the world. He was also the Assistant to the County Deputy Mayor in the Office of Mayor Carlos Gimenez. In this role he was responsible for the COVID-19 Response Team where he addressed all matters regarding essential and non-essential businesses, Senior Meals Program, and New Normal Tactics related to the reopening of Miami-Dade County.
Mr. Thomas is a Bethune-Cookman University graduate and attended Harvard Business School -Young American Leaders Program, he also served in various capacities in Miami-Dade County government for 18 years. He began his career as a Community Organizer and has held several positions in Miami-Dade County government where he was responsible for policy, legislative affairs, special development projects, Community Action and Human Services, Homeless Trust, and Juvenile Services. Prior to his return to the Mayor’s Office, Mr. Thomas served as the Vice President of Business Connect and Legacy Projects for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Rashad is a member of Omega Phi Psi Fraternity, Inc and a: 2017 Legacy Magazine 40 Under 40 award recipient, 2017 Bethune-Cookman University 40 Under 40 award recipient, Class X Miami Fellow, 2019 Legacy Magazine Influential Leader in Business, 2018 and 2019 FIU Emerging Leader finalist, 2019 Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Board: Man of Valor, Black Professionals Network 2020 Black Men in Excellence, 2021 Black Affairs Advisory Board Community Pillar, 2022 Leadership Miami – Outstanding Project of the Year, 2023 Florida Panthers Black Excellence, 2023 ICABA- Black America’s Best, and 2023 Father’s MIA- Father of the Year. A native Miamian, Rashad is married to Shannon and the father to three handsome boys (Rashad Jr., Rashaun, and Rasheem).
Cori Flam Meltzer is an experienced Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator and the principal mediator of CFM Mediation. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School, where she was a senior editor of the Columbia Law Review. After law school, Cori served as a law clerk for Hon. Maryanne Trump Barry with the U.S. District Court in the District of New Jersey.
Before becoming a legal mediator, Cori was a litigator in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan & Hartson, working on complex civil litigation matters in a variety of commercial contexts including contracts, insurance coverage disputes, construction and real estate. Cori left Hogan & Hartson to become a counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, where she specialized in the areas of antitrust, technology, reproductive rights and violence against women. Cori brings her years of litigation and policy expertise to CFM Mediation, where she serves as its principal legal mediator, mediating all types of pre-trial and pre-suit civil matters with particular experience in the areas of employment, maritime, insurance coverage, personal injury, premises liability, commercial contracts, worker’s compensation and others. Cori is also a frequent speaker and lecturer on mediation and negotiation techniques; the interplay between gender, negotiation and leadership; and business development strategies for attorneys.
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, The Book of Fate, and ten other bestselling thrillers, including The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, The Millionaires and The President’s Shadow. His newest thriller, The Escape Artist, debuted at #1 on the bestseller list. His most recent book, The First Conspiracy, is his first nonfiction and is about a secret plot to kill George Washington.
Brad is also responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Using his TV show, Brad Meltzer's Lost History, he told the story of the missing flag and asked Americans for their help in returning it. Four days later, a former Marine walked into a fire station in Everett, Washington, said he saw Meltzer's TV show, and now wanted to return the flag. Meltzer recently unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display. Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. Brad supports many worthy causes including putting mentors in underserved public schools with City Year, fighting breast cancer with Sharsheret and serving on the Board of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. Brad currently lives in Florida with his wife, who’s also an attorney.
Judge Marcus Bach Armas is a Miami-Dade County Court Judge who currently serves in the criminal division of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Prior to being elected in 2022, Judge Bach served as Senior Director of Legal & Government Affairs for the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix for over a decade and was a key advisor to the organization on a number of transformative projects, including the renovation of Hard Rock Stadium, the construction of the Miami Open tennis campus, the relocation of the Miami Dolphins practice facility to Miami-Dade County, Super Bowl LIV, and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Judge Bach currently serves on the board of City Year Miami and is one of the founding board members of the Dolphins Challenge Cancer, which was created in 2010 and is now the single largest philanthropic event in the NFL. Judge Bach currently lives in Miami with his wife, Lara Bueso Bach, who is an attorney and serves as Senior Vice President of Litigation for TelevisaUnivision.
Felipe F. Basulto is the Market President – Retail in South Florida for TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank. In this role, he is responsible for the Bank’s retail network sales and operations, including consumer and small business accounts and lending across 93 locations and growing in South Florida, from the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach to Miami-Dade County and over to the Southwest Gulf Coast.
Felipe joined TD Bank in March of 2010 as the Retail Market Manager in the Greater Miami Region. During his tenure with TD, he has focused his efforts on building out the retail distribution network for the Bank in their ongoing development of the South Florida market. Felipe demonstrates a strong commitment to the community through his efforts in various organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the South Florida Progress Foundation, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and served as Board Chair for each of these organizations. He is a board member and Chairman of The South Florida Business Council and Past Chair of the Banking and Finance Committee for the Beacon Council. In addition, he also serves on the President's Council at Florida International University, on the Board of His House, Board Member of OIC of South Florida, Board member of City Year and serves as a Trustee and Tocqueville Cabinet Member with the United Way of Miami Dade and is CO-Chair of the 2023 Miami-Dade Campaign.
Christie Grays Chambers is vice president and lead, culture and inclusion of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, Inc., the leading independently owned commercial real estate services firm in Florida. With a successful career spanning over 20 years in commercial real estate and healthcare, Ms. Chambers leads the expansion of the firm’s healthcare practice across all service lines and also leads the firm’s culture and inclusion initiatives serving as the liaison with corporate real estate directors.
Ms. Chambers previously served as a leasing broker with Cushman & Wakefield, Codina Realty and Duke Realty, specializing in office and healthcare properties. She has successfully led the negotiations of significant lease transactions on behalf of both owners and tenants. Ms. Chambers also served as the director of government and community relations for Baptist Health South Florida. During her tenure at Baptist Health South Florida, she ensured positive relationships in business, government and civic communities were maintained, while managing the department’s multi-million-dollar budget. After leaving Baptist Health in 2018, Ms. Chambers ran her own business, I Am C.H.I.C. (Christie Has It Covered), advising clients on best practices to align their image with the message they wished to project.
Melvin Faillace is a Senior Manager in Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory & Internal Controls practice, with over 15 years of experience in Internal Controls. In his role, he works with Fortune 100 companies in the Energy & Resources, Technology and Consumer industries to assess, implement, monitor and enhance their system of controls and IT governance.
Mr. Faillace received his Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from Universidad Del Norte, and he is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
He has been working with City Year Miami since 2013 and serving as a Board Member since 2020.
Ana Mari Ortega is the founder and creative director of Ana Mari Ortega, LLC, an e-commerce fashion accessory business founded in 2008 and based in Miami. Since the brand's inception, Ana has drawn inspiration from her vibrant city and its diverse residents. A native Miamian, Ana and her family have committed themselves to improving the local community through their foundation, The Ortega Foundation, which supports several programs involved with children and community building, like Habitat for Humanity and college scholarships for Miami-area high school students.
Ana Mari has been a member of the City Year Miami Board for over nine years, serving as board chair for two years, as well as the chair for their local Red Jacket Society. She currently serves as board trustee for City Year. Ana received a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in fashion accessory design from Miami International University of Art and Design. She lives in Coral Gables with her husband Marc and their three kids: Paloma, Benjamin and Marcela.
Frank Ramirez is vice president, Southeast Miami Dade regional senior district manager for Wells Fargo. He is responsible for 12 branches and more than 100 team members. The Southeast District includes Surfside, all of Miami Beach, Downtown, Brickell and Key Biscayne.
A 19-year veteran of the company, Frank has served in a variety of capacities throughout his career in the financial services industry. Frank grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and has been in Miami since 2012. Frank has been on the board of City Year since 2014 and has embraced the important work they accomplish.
Myrna Vaca is the Executive Director for the Miami Marlins Foundation. In her role, Myrna leads the Foundation, with a focus on building strong partnership and engagement with the South Florida community.
In her previous role as UHealth – University of Miami Health System Director of Community Relations, Ms. Vaca managed corporate and community relations for UHealth’s comprehensive network, which includes three hospitals, more than 30 outpatient facilities in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Broward Counties, with more than 1,800 physicians and scientists. She collaborated with global and local industry partners to increase corporate partnership and community engagement.
Prior to her work with the University of Miami, Myrna served as the Head of Marketing and Communication for Latin America, Canada and Brazil of Lyoness Management America’s. In her capacity, Myrna managed the branding, advertising, media relations and email marketing. Lyoness’ private sector business strategy included partnering with a diverse business community to strategically augment business support for the organization. Myrna received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan and her MBA in Management from the University of Miami. In her time off, she enjoys volunteering for the Foster Care Review Panel, Hurricane football, running and spending time with her husband and two sons.
