Breakout Session 2 Speakers
Ester Gordillo, International Trade Specialist at the Center for International Trade Development
Ms. Gordillo began her International Trade Consulting career at Verity Systems in El Dorado, California in the logistics department. Currently she offers international trade consulting services through the Center for International Trade Development (CITD) and the Metro Chamber Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Sacramento. Ester provides support and leadership in international trade to a wide array of industries, seasoned and start-up companies, and individuals. Ester is currently a member of the Northern California District Export Council and a director of the Inland International Trade Association, Inc. (IITAI). Ms. Gordillo is a founder and past president of the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California based in Sacramento, working closely with the Mexican Consulate. She is a former state secretary of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and former executive director of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Ester is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. Additionally, she holds an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from the California Academy of Merchandising Art & Design, Sacramento. Ester also attended the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos in Mexico and received a “Doing Business in China” certificate of completion from Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management.
Christina Chin, Technical Assistant to the Vice President and General Manager of Intel Education at Intel Corporation
As a Community Engagement Manager, Christina Chin revitalized Intel’s Volunteer Matching Grant Program into a $2.5 million philanthropic engine for the State of California generating 306,876 volunteer hours annually for 500+ schools and non-profits. Additionally, she pioneered partnerships with Girls Who Code, Khan Academy and Stanford’s d.School to unleash creative confidence in closing the gender leadership gap. Prior to moving to Silicon Valley, Christina trekked 2,000 miles across the Kingdom of Morocco on ABC’s Expedition Impossible with her two best friends from UC Davis. Today, she’s the Chief of Staff for Intel’s Public Sector vertical, and travels to over 18 countries a year scaling Intel’s vision for a smart, connected world.
Connie Qian, Equity Research Analyst at Goldman Sachs
Connie Qian is an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs specializing in the hardware and communications technology sector. her role is to value these companies and provide investment recommendations to institutional clients, such as mutual funds and hedge funds. prior to goldman sachs, she worked in a simla role as an equity research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. Connie graduated from Cornell University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management and Minor in Real Estate.
Brenda Elwood, Engineering Program Specialist at Fitbit
Brenda Elwood earned a Social Work B.S. (Cum Laude) from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2000. She entered engineering support in 2008 while pursuing her MLIS at San Jose State. Brenda leverages her diversified background to deliver ‘people skills’ uniquely while building ECAD/MCAD database infrastructure and developing engineering process. Prior to her current role as Engineering Program Specialist at Fitbit, she worked at Google X/Makani Power and Zee Aero.
Yun Lien, Pipeline Engineer at Pixar
Yun Lien joined Pixar Animation Studios in October 2005, beginning in the Tools departments on the animation software used for the Academy Award©-winning feature film “Brave.” Since then she has worked as a render pipeline developer on every film from the studio, including “Monsters University,” “Inside out,” “The Good Dinosaur,” and Pixar’s most recent feature release “Finding Dory.” As a render pipeline developer, Lien’s team manages Pixar’s Render Farm, which is a data center of machines that converts movies from software format to film. Prior to Pixar, Lien held various positions at several different startups and Oracle, growing into an Engineering Manager position. Raised on Newton, MA, she graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Computer Science and minor in Music. Lien currently resides in Berkeley, CA.
Tiffany Lin,Management Consulting Analyst at Accenture
Tiffany Lin graduated from UC Davis in June 2016 and currently works at Accenture as a Management Consulting Analyst. Prior to graduation, Tiffany completed several internships in various firms and industries. Some of her notable internships include Finance Summer Analyst at Barclays Investment Bank, Project Controller Intern at Deloitte Consulting, and Financial Advisor Intern at Merrill Lynch. On the UC Davis campus, Tiffany worked as a Resident Advisor for the freshman dorms and a Peer Advisor at the Internship and Career Center. Tiffany was also involved in Delta Sigma Pi and TEDxUCDavis on campus. In her free time, Tiffany loves playing the violin, eating out, and playing board games.
Shelina Noorali,Economic Empowerment Specialist at International Rescue Committee
Shelina Noorali is an alumna of the University of California, Davis where she graduated with highest honors in Political Science. She is currently an Economic Empowerment Specialist at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Sacramento where she helps newly arrived refugees achieve self-sufficiency. During her time at UC Davis Shelina was actively involved in a variety of student organizations and was also a grant recipient through the UC Davis Blum Center for Developing Economies. Her passions include policy and economic development and she hopes to further her work in these fields in the future.