40 Under 40 — Class of 2022

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Angeli Calinog

Angeli Calinog is the public affairs manager for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has been a leading voice on one of the region’s biggest challenges: creating enough housing to meet workforce and equity goals. She has worked on policy from a number of different stakeholder angles, including at the Business Industry Association, Circulate San Diego and at the chamber to create broad coalitions, reach policy solutions and educate policymakers. She manages cannabis and broadband policy for the chamber. Calinog is president of San Diego YIMBY Democrats, co-chair of Catalyst Public Policy Committee, a member of the Asian Business Association Policy Committee and a member of Mayor Todd Gloria’s Middle Income Housing Working Group. She is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Will Cherashore

Will Cherashore is the chief financial officer of Evans Hotels. His responsibilities encompass the company’s financial reporting and compliance, including accounting, tax, and audit functions. In addition, he strategizes and implements the company’s plans concerning capital investments and financing and also oversees and provides financial analysis for operations and management. He will leverage his extensive hotel acquisition, development, repositioning, and operations experience in his new role, and will be responsible for the identification and execution of opportunistic hospitality acquisitions.  Cherashorepreviously served as general manager of the Bahia Resort, leading the hotel through the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel recovery.  He has been an integral part of WE CARE, Evans Hotels’ corporate social responsibility program. WE CARE focuses on proactive initiatives to support its employees, contribute to the community and better the environment. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California. 

Heather Diamond

Heather Diamond is senior vice president for business development and community relations for San Diego County Credit Union. She is responsible for defining, and implementing SDCCU’s overall community relations, public relations and business development strategy.  This includes developing community relations campaigns and elevating awareness of them through integrated marketing communications and public relations. She also manages the coordination of strategic relationships with local companies and community organizations and SDCCU’s more than 40 branch locations. She also oversees public relations for SDCCU and executes it as a means to communicate with diverse audiences to elevate the awareness of SDCCU.  Diamond’s efforts have earned notable recognition during her time at SDCCU. Her work has been recognized with a Gold Stevie Award in the Communications/PR Campaign of the Year for 2022, Platinum Hermes Creative Award for Stuff the Bus, and Community Business Award by Orange County LGBT Pride.  SDCCU has $11.5 billion in assets and over 434,000 members, and has increased its membership by nearly 20 percent in the four and a half years she has been with SDCCU. She is a graduate of Colorado Mesa College and holds an MBA degree from San Diego State University.

Sean D. Drake

Sean Drake is an associate with Latitude 33 Planning& Engineering.   He has 16 years of experience in the civil engineering industry, serving both private and public sector clients.  He has been with Latitude 33 since 2014 and has helped lead numerous project types including both traditional design-bid-build and design-build developments. He has been actively involved in a full range of civil engineering disciplines, including preliminary and final civil engineering design, and land project management. He has gained a particular proficiency in providing the most cost-effective solutions to meet his clients’ goals.  Drake

 has worked on numerous significant projects throughout the San Diego region, including Palomar Medical Center, upgrades to many campuses of San Diego Unified School District and Point Loma Nazarene University. He is a graduate of San Diego State University.

Julio Medina

Julio Medina is a Project Manager and Associate Principal at SILLMAN, a local architecture firm which has been a powerful voice in iconic Southern California architecture for over 45 years. During his time at SILLMAN, he has championed the firm’s vision for integrated design, leading teams of interdisciplinary experts to realize highly contextualized and impactful work through open dialogue and collaborative reflection. His reputation as a helpful, knowledgeable presence on each project has led him to become the go-to liaison between clients, firms, and on-site personnel. He is an active leader in the San Diego Architectural scene guiding the next generation of A/E/C professionals to hard–earned success at his alma mater, the New School of Architecture & Design. He has also received the Recognition for Leadership Award from the County of San Diego. His leadership in the renovation of the historic 300,000 square foot San Diego County Administration Building gained award-winning recognition. He is also involved in the ACE Mentorship program.

Riley Mikayo Cutner-Orrantia

Riley Mikayo Cutner-Orrantia is an associate at Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson (CGS3). She is a forward-thinking real estate attorney who takes a strategic and collaborative approach to each and every deal. Her versatility and passion adds an extra level of service to each transaction. Focused on a wide range of commercial real estate legal issues, she keeps every element of a deal organized and has the capacity to manage numerous ongoing transactions and high-velocity deals. Cutner-Orrantia represents developers and investors in all phases of the commercial real estate cycle – including acquisition, disposition, financing and construction in connection with commercial, residential and mixed-use projects. Prior to joining CGS3, she was an associate in the Denver office of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell, a boutique firm with a nationwide practice. She has worked for Earthjustice and contributed to Rio Muchacho Organic Farm. 

Logan Parmele

Logan Parmele is the project manager for the 81-acre Kona Village Resort. His experience spans the hospitality and education markets with Delawie while serving as project manager for multiple projects in San Diego. He shows continued success in navigating and leading complex projects from initial conceptual design to the final details. He served 16 years as a Naval officer in the Civil Engineering Corps and is currently in the U.S. Navy 

Reserves. His passion for detailed woodworks and heavy timber projects led him to showcasing his hand-built furniture and boats at the San Diego Fine Woodworking exhibit and San Diego Wooden Boat Festival. 

Matthew Parnell

When Matthew Parnell joined Sony Digital Imaging PR and Marketing Team, Sony sat in a very distant third place in terms of camera masker share. To change that, he worked with the executive team and took on the challenge to lead, create and deliver innovative digital and in-person experiences. The success speaks for itself as Sony now sits at number one in camera marker share. To date he has been part of over 500 product launches and each time he reimagines the emotional connection that the customer makes with the product. He has re-envisioned, invigorated and transformed the nature of photo industry PR and marketing.  Parnell also developed Sony’s partnerships with the Associated Press, Getty Images and USA Today during a time when visual media is more important than ever. He was recently elected a board member for the San Diego County Emerging Leaders Advisory Board of the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Sean Scaramella

Sean Scaramella is an associate at Latitude 33 Planning and Engineering, with more than 16 years of experience working on projects varying from public improvements to thousand-acre developments. He has helped lead the planning and engineering elements of some of San Diego’s most significant developments, including the $3.4 billion San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1 and UC San Diego’s Mesa Nueva, one of the largest graduate and professional student housing facilities in the nation. Scaramella is experienced in project management, engineering design, and permit processing through multiple agencies across Southern California and Arizona. His specialties include hydrology, storm water quality, underground fire/water design, sewer, storm drain, rough and precise grading, and street design. He earned his B.S. degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University.

Matthew Warren

Matthew Warren is senior manager of public affairs for Southwest Strategies. He has dedicated his career to directing public affairs and policy strategies for industries and communities throughout San Diego. He has consistently received high praise from his clients for his ability to streamline complex issues, provide creative solutions and achieve client goals. He has a vast knowledge of policy issues stemming from his days interning in Congressman Wally Herger’s Washington, D.C. office and Congresswoman Lois Capps’ Santa Barbara office. His move to Southwest Strategies in 2017 has allowed him to build on his government and policy knowledge as well as establish a path in public affairs and community development in San Diego. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s from British Columbia Okanagan.

Alex Waters

Alex Waters was integral to the genesis of CONNECT ALL at the Jacobs Center, the region’s first low- to moderate-income and diversity-focused business accelerator program, guiding startups that want to grow rapidly with the support they need to be successful. He was promoted to the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation’s director of economic development where he oversees the nonprofit’s efforts to help small businesses thrive in Southeast San Diego and beyond. CAJC’s key initiative is a free, four-month structured program geared specifically for San Diego-based, early-stage startups that are ready for sustainable growth.  A strategic partnership between the City of San Diego and the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, CAJC has jumpstarted more than 60 local businesses. Waters is a graduate of the University of Maryland and San Diego State University.

Max E. Halpern

Max Halpern is a trial lawyer at Gomez Trial Attorneys, and specializes in litigating catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, Boy Scout sexual abuse, and religious sexual abuse. He has worked successfully to help recover tens of millions of dollars for his clients in trials and settlements against those responsible. He has worked with his colleague Allison Worden to recover over $25 million in cases representing people critically injured where loved ones lost their lives, and numerous victims of sexual assault. He is currently representing victims of childhood sexual abuse through California’s new law allowing new cases to be filed against institutions such as schools, churches and other youth-serving organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego and his law degree, cum laude, from the University of San Diego. 

Lupita Cruz Torres

Torres serves as the accounts receivable manage at RJS Law.  She is also an integral part of implementing the firm’s high standards of customer service and works hand-in-hand with the accounts/payable department to reconcile the month’s end report.  She has years of extensive customer service and relations experience and is fluent in Spanish.  She is heavily involved in RJS Law’s community activities . She started as a receptionist ten years ago and is now a valuable part of the executive team at RJS Law, and has been involved in  the firm’s overhaul of its new software system.