Board of Directors Bios
Executive Officers
Cecile J. Bereal, Chair
Cecile has worked in the Human Resource field for over 20 years. She is the President and CEO of RMA Management Alliance, Inc., a Human Resources consulting, training, coaching, and organizational management firm. Her company specializes in employee relations, investigations, mediations, facilitations, and collaborations. In addition to the private sector, much of her experience includes working with federal and state government, as a mediator for the EEOC, and a workplace investigator for the Bureau of Land Management.
Cecile holds a Masters degree in Organizational Management/Human Resources and a Bachelors degree in Business. Cecile has been featured in numerous publications, including the San Diego Business Journal, San Diego Union Tribune, The San Diego Daily Transcript, and others throughout the country. She has also written articles for the Journal on problems facing American female managers transitioning into leadership roles in organizations with plants in Mexico. Cecile is currently writing a book on organizational management/faux pas.
Amanda Mineer, Vice-Chair
Amanda owns and operates The Legal Center for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs, Inc. providing legal and business consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Services include Corporate, LLC and Partnership Formations; Business consultation including planning, advising, motivating and encouraging; Contracts (Employment, Service, etc.); Copyrights & Trademarks; and Estate Planning.
Amanda is a member of the California Bar Association and San Diego County Bar Association. She completed her law degree at the University of San Diego where she was named Outstanding Legal Intern of the Entrepreneurship Clinic. Amanda also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Americans for Children Foundation, Inc and sits on the Advisory Board of the San Diego Regional Revolving Loan Fund.
Sharon Gray, Secretary
Sharon comes to the WBCC with 30 years experience as a banker, 27 years of which with Union Bank of California. She currently serves as Union Bank of California's Small Business Regional Manager/Vice President in the San Diego area and manages 12 development officers that work with small businesses all over San Diego County. Sharon assists them with financing and other depository products, helping small businesses reach their full potential. Sharon also supports 46 branches with their small business goals and client needs.
Sharon is active in the community, lending her expertise in small business financial services to small business owners and entrepreneurs. She is the Past President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, San Diego, and served on the Board of Directors for 5 years. Sharon is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Council Connections (a non profit agency serving community clinics), and on the Fundraising Committee for Home of Guiding Hands.
Karen Bates, Treasurer
Karen is a CPA and President of Military Home Programs, Inc. She founded Military Home Programs in July 2004, after three career changes inspired by PCS moves. Karen’s 1st career was as a military member herself, serving 8 years as an Air Traffic Controller in the Navy. Afterwards, she earned her accounting degree and Master’s of Taxation. This lead to her 2nd career as a tax accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and her CPA license. Upon her spouse’s final PCS move to San Diego, Karen began her 3rd career in the mortgage industry.
In her new field, Karen saw a great opportunity to establish a mortgage company focused on integrity and unsurpassed customer service. She set a new standard of service in the mortgage industry for her clients and provides this service to those who deserve it most – the military community.
Michelle S. Butler, President and CEO
See WBCC Staff for bio
Directors At Large
Bonnie Shaw
Bonnie has over 20 years of experience in public relations and marketing and is the co-founder of Clearpoint Agency. Previous positions include Public Relations Account Director for McQuerter Group, Director of Marketing and PR for the San Diego Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Account Executive at San Diego Magazine, as well as Director of Special Projects for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. Bonnie holds a BS degree in Journalism and Public Relations from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo.
Bonnie has received six Bernays Mark of Excellence awards from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a two-time recipient of the Award for Excellence in Communications from the National MS Society. Active in the community, she sits on the Board of Trustees for the National MS Society, San Diego Chapter, and the National Association of Women Business Owners, San Diego Chapter as co-chair of the PR Committee and volunteers for the Public Relations Society of America.
Margaret Oppliger
Margaret is Vice President/Relationship Manager at Discovery Bank and possesses over 30 years of banking and lending experience, focusing on small to mid size business. Coupled with a high level of client care, her expertise brings valuable insights to business owners seeking financing solutions. Committed to impacting the community, she is a board member of the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary, a past president of Women In Business, a table captain for the YWCA of San Diego, and a graduate of LEAD San Diego.
Margaret attended Central Missouri State College and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School. Prior to joining Discovery Bank, Margaret was a senior commercial loan officer with 1st Pacific Bank of California. She also spent 10 years at Peninsula Bank of San Diego as founder/manager of the Corporate Banking Center. Previously, she had been a branch manager for La Jolla Bank & Trust and branch manager and commercial lender for Crocker National Bank.
Claudia Pires Klaus
Claudia is owner and partner of Pacific Advisors, Inc, a full service independent financial planning firm providing comprehensive financial planning for individuals including investments, retirement, estate planning, and asset protection with a focuses on serving the interests and needs of businesses. Pacific Advisors partners with businesses owners to enhance and protect themselves and their assets, their partners, their business, and their employees. Key services provided include buy-sell planning, business succession planning, key contract review, business structuring and tax mitigation services, executive benefit plans and corporate benefits. Claudia and her clients develop a long-term partnership based on trust, allowing her clients to focus on their passion.
Claudia believes businesses form the foundation of our community and as such is active as a small business advocate. In addition to supporting the WBCC, Claudia acts as the membership chair on the board of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) and as the President of her own non-profit, the Americans for Children foundation. Claudia earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Political Economy from the University of California Los Angeles and a B.A. in Social Science and Education from Castelo Branco University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jaymee Lomax
Jaymee is the Supplier Diversity Manager for Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas and Electric, a company committed to Supplier diversity having spent $214 million on contracting with companies that qualify as SDVs/MBEs/WBEs. She is an expert in developing strategic contracting opportunities for small and diverse business owners, and brings her expertise to the WBCC’s Contracting & Procurement/Supplier Diversity Program.
Jaymee is responsible for Diverse Business Enterprise relationship management/supplier advocacy programs, developing and enhancing Diverse Business Enterprise outreach programs, and creating business opportunities with Minority/Woman and Service Disabled Veteran programs. She brings her expertise and knowledge to the community by serving on the Board of Women Business Enterprise Council West, the National Association of Women Business Owners San Diego, and involving herself in events such as the annual award for Woman Business Owner Advocate of the year.
Nicole Anderson
Nicole Anderson is currently Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for USA Federal Credit Union, an international financial cooperative headquartered in San Diego, CA with more than 61,000 members, $700 million in assets and 22 branch locations throughout San Diego and Riverside Counties (CA), Nevada, Japan and Korea. Nicole is also co-host of the only credit union produced weekly Internet radio show, USA Federal’s “Money and You” on the Entrepreneur Magazine Radio Network. Her previous experience as an Account Manager for a full-service marketing agency Southern California included managing the account for the Western Division of AT&T Broadband and managing special projects for Cox Communications.
Active in the community, Nicole sits on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Business Center of California, the first independently operated non-profit women’s business center in the nation. Committed to the advancement of quality education, Nicole also sits on National University’s Advisory Board for BBA & MBA curriculum development and she frequently speaks to area high schools and colleges about the marketing profession. Nicole is a member of the American Marketing Association, San Diego Ad Club, Credit Union Executives Society, Credit Union National Association, Credit Union Alliance of San Diego, Credit Unions for Kids (benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego) and California Youth Involvement Network. She is the recipient of several credit union industry awards including the Credit Union Executives Society “Golden Mirror”, Credit Union National Association “Diamond”, and California Credit Union League “Best Practice” for entry categories including Annual Report Design, Media Kit Development, Public Relations, Radio and Youth Financial Literacy. Additional career highlights include leading USA Federal’ to being named as a finalist for the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation’s “Beacon Award” (the foundation’s highest honor recognizing exemplary financial education programs or projects). Nicole graduated Cum Laude from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina with a B.S. in Business Administration.
Lorise W. Maynard, Advisory Board Chair
See Advisory Board
