Consultants

Luis Batista is a Procurement Specialist with more than 25 years procurement experience in both the public and private sectors. He assists small and medium-size companies interested in pursuing federal, state and local-government contracting and subcontracting opportunities.

Before joining SBDC, he was procurement director for a multinational food manufacturer, importer and distributor, and founder and president of LMT Corporation, a supply chain management and consulting firm serving the international market. He has a bachelor of business administration from American University and holds a lifetime certified purchasing manager certification from the Institute of Supply Management.

Bonnie Barnes is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant, entrepreneur, and director of nonprofit organizations for over four decades. Over the span of her career, she founded two successful marketing and communications firms providing agent, client, and consulting to a broad range of industries. She has taught marketing, business, graphic design, and non-profit courses (planned giving, board development, strategic planning, recruit/retain/reward volunteers, fundraising, and capital campaigns), for chambers, industry associations, and colleges.

Experienced in a broad range of disciplines in both for profit and non-profit, she assists start-ups and examines existing businesses to streamline processes for growth. Her strengths include: customer relationships, strengthening employees; strategic planning; budgeting; business and marketing plans; software integrations; brand-image communication and positioning, board development, grant writing, and crisis management.

Bonnie holds a B.S. in Leadership and Business Development, and an MBA in Business, both from Jacksonville University.

Shelly Bernal is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant who understands the ways of both big business and small business. As an international business development manager for two Fortune 500 companies,she advised U.S. food manufacturers on international market expansion and international logistics. She also launched and operated her own small business in South Florida. Shelly earned a bachelor's in marketing from the University of North Texas and an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion in Caracas.

Matthew Block is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant that specializes in assisting small businesses to navigate through some of the difficulties and hurdles that are encountered when attempting to obtain government contracts. Prior to joining the Florida SBDC at FIU, Matthew had the opportunity to work with the FDOT's DBE Supportive Services Program and instructed the FDOT's Construction Management Development Program for over five years. During this time, Matthew instructed hundreds of DBE firms on how to obtain FDOT contracts directly from the Department, and how to present bids to winning prime contractors for subcontracting opportunities. He has a Bachelor's in English with a specialization in Professional Writing from Barry University and a Master's in English from Southern New Hampshire University.

Sonja Bogensperger is a consultant for Florida SBDC at FIU. Growing up in her family's hotel in Austria enabled her to develop an innate knowledge of hospitality and customer service. From there, she worked for various international tourism companies before building a career in Real Estate Development in Miami launching well over $2 Billion of new construction projects. At some point she managed multiple real estate offices employing more than 150 agents.

Sonja later served in a top management position at the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). During her seven-year tenure at the DDA, she was part of the expansion of downtown Miami that saw a doubling of the residential population, the construction of 15,000 condominiums and the opening of Miami's most prominent cultural organizations.

Bogensperger attended the International School for Tourism Management in Salzburg, Austria, holds a Florida Real Estate Broker's License, is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional and did extensive Emergency Management training.

Frederic Bonneau, MBA, is an experienced online marketing expert with specialization in website development, social-media optimization and mobile marketing. Knowledgeable in all aspects of marketing and management, he is highly experienced in establishing branding and identity for consumer goods and services. Frederic formerly was president and CEO of a Euro-American consulting company assisting in technical assistance projects worldwide in both developing and transitional economies. Frederic studied in Switzerland and obtained a Bachelor in Economics from Valcreuse International Institute in Lausanne, and a Masters of Business Administration from Glion Institute in Montreux.

Julie Brown is a Consultant with the Florida SBDC at FIU, assisting small businesses in Key West and Monroe County. She moved to the Keys from New York City where she worked as a Systems Engineer for FedEx. Julie has since worked in all areas of the unique tourism industry of the Florida Keys, learning and honing her tourism marketing and business development skills in hotels, restaurants, charter companies and visitor centers. Julie started her own Marketing and Consulting company, Tourism Consulting Corp, in 2015 and assisted businesses throughout the Keys as an SBDC Consultant following the devastation of Hurricane Irma. Julie has served on the District I Advisory Committee for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council for 10 years, is President of Railway Condominium Association and works with several Environmental groups throughout the Keys. A native of Nashville, TN, she earned her Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jacqueline Bueno Sousa is regional director of Florida SBDC at FIU. Before joining FIU, Jackie was a director with an international business-intelligence and strategic- advisory firm, advising multinational companies with business intelligence needs related to new-market entries, regulatory issues and competitive analysis. Previously, Jackie was a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, an executive editor with American Lawyer Media, and editor of The Miami Herald's Business Monday magazine. She also launched and operated a regional media company. Jackie earned an MPA, with high honors, at FIU and a bachelors in journalism, with honors, from the University of Florida. She is a certified business Growth Curve Specialist and is CIP-I certified as a Strategic & Competitive Intelligence Professional.

Roberto Castellaón, MBA, is a recipient of the Florida SBDC Network State Star of the Year for excellence in consulting. Roberto is a seasoned certified business consultant experienced in the areas of finance and growth acceleration. He assists qualified small and medium-size enterprises in developing growth strategies, including strategic-plan development and accessing capital. He prepares financial health assessments for established companies - a financial management tool for improving cash flow and preparing companies to seek financing. Formerly, he was a business banking officer at Wachovia, Mercantil Commercebank, and Citibank. Roberto has also owned and operated several businesses.

Kiomara Hidalgo has more than 20 years of experience in global human resources, strategic planning, talent development and change management at Fortune 500 companies, including the technology, healthcare, education and retail sectors. She is highly experienced in the personnel components of organizational development, mergers and acquisitions, training and development, state, federal and international regulations, mobility management and more. Kiomara received her Bachelors and Master degrees in the Science of Human Resource Management from Florida International University. She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Nancy brings to Florida SBDC at FIU with extensive experience in competitive research, strategic analysis, financial modeling, and valuation. Her primary expertise lies in analyzing a company's full financial model-from P&L through customer data-to unearth meaningful metrics and trends. This process, often, reveals pivotal blind spots within an organization. She then works closely with business owners to convert financial and operational metrics into actionable insights for use in business forecasting and strategic planning.

Prior to her work in finance, Nancy served as Director of Competitive Intelligence for a biotechnology firm and helped the company transition from a 20 employee start-up to a $60 million IPO. In the process, she honed her skills in conducting due diligence and primary/secondary research on products, individual companies, industries, and market trends.

She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Emory University, where she primarily studied the biological basis of behavior. She also holds an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Competitive Strategy from the University of Florida, where she received a Weyenberg Fellowship.

Ray is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant with extensive background in banking, investments and real estate. He is specialized in access to capital and has trained many small and medium sized business owners in how to become bankable; by providing entrepreneurs with the bank's perspective in evaluating the bankability of a given business concern. His experience in financial analysis, lending, trade finance, factoring, residential and commercial real estate financing, provide a strong value added proposition for business owners seeking to build a strong capital structure and viable growth strategy. As a banking executive, he was awarded the BANKSIM award, one of the highest recognitions in bank management. He is a graduate of Barry University as well as the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Nile Kirec is a marketing communications and public relations professional with almost three decades of agency, client and consultancy experience. Over the span of her career, she has co-founded and co-managed two successful public relations agencies and has consulted international companies in a broad range of industries, including automotive, consumer products, travel and hospitality, high tech, telecommunications, building materials, non-profit, aerospace and defense. Experienced in a broad range of disciplines, she excels in strategy development, marketing-communications planning, brand-image communication and positioning, and crisis management.

Alfredo Lacayo Evertsz is a Florida SBDC at FIU business consultant who provides financial assistance to entrepreneurs and small-business owners. He is the founder of Qbit Solutions, the developer of an innovative quantum-based financial training methodology that has been used to teach finance and accounting to more than 700 business owners and professionals in Latin America and the United States. A former investment banker and general manager in the securities industry, Alfredo previously was a certified broker for international stock exchange markets. He has a bachelor's in business administration and finance from the University of Florida.

Alina Matas is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant who specializes in business research and business-plan development. Previously, Alina led the research department of a major commercial real estate company, where she helped identify pricing and development trends and wrote industry reports. A former business journalist with The Wall Street Journal and The Miami Herald, she has more than 20 years of experience researching industries and companies. She earned a master's in journalism from the University of Florida, and a bachelors from Wellesley College.

Raju Mohandas is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant with more than two decades of experience in financial management and turning around companies. In addition to helping businesses obtain growth capital, he is adept at developing business strategies, incubating new business models and building out channel programs. He has extensive expertise in operational and deployment strategies, including budgeting, job costing, strategic planning and project management. Raju graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering and an MBA in Finance.

Ricardo Newark is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant experienced in finance, strategy, international business development and operations. He spent most of his career at Xerox, where his roles included serving as vice president of the Latin Markets, chief financial officer of the International Group and integrated supply chain vice president for the Developing Market Operations. Ricardo enjoys bringing the "know how" of large enterprises to small and medium-size businesses. He has a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and holds an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Valentina Quintero is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant with experience in Human Resources, Startup Assistance & Marketing. She received her bachelor's degree in Human Resources from Antonio José de Sucre University, Caracas, Venezuela. Valentina served as an administrative assist and training coordinator for the Defense Economic Transition Assistances (DETA) in Homestead, Florida.

George Ray III is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant who specializes in pre-ventures and launching start-ups and franchises, including food, clothing and professional-services companies. He also develops sustainable growth strategies for existing businesses. He has received national recognition from The White House Fellows Programs and is a graduate of the United States Congressional Black Caucus ("CBC") Leadership Institute. Additionally, George has served on the Miami Dade Economic Development Trust where he advised the Miami Dade County Commission on economic development policies. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Continuing Education, where he earned a professional certification in Franchise Management. George also has an MBA from FIU and Bachelor's degree in public administration from Talladega College.

Tak Takasu is a globe-trotting competitive research & strategy analyst with an infinite level of curiosity, a passion to connect the dots and a keen sense of multicultural dynamics. She has more than a decade of experience working with companies of all shapes and sizes in three continents. She uses a variety of analytical tools and frameworks to help executives and business owners better understand their competitive landscape, identify opportunities and threats, make better informed decisions and build robust strategies. She has worked with businesses in financial services, manufacturing, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, industrial products, media and technology. Tak has an MBA from George Washington University and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Brian Van Hook is Regional Director of Florida SBDC at FIU. Prior to joining Florida International University, Brian was policy director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, where he oversaw research and legislative activities. Previously, he served as a senate legislative assistant advising on issues related to disaster recovery, economic development, and international trade. A native of Louisiana, Brian has nine years of experience with disaster recovery and business continuity. Brian received his M.S. in International Affairs from Florida State University and his B.A. from Louisiana State University. He is a certified Business Continuity Professional.

Julio Villiers is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant with extensive banking-industry experience. He specializes in helping small-business owners obtain capital. Julio was a small-business relationship manager at Bank of America, a business relationship manager at JP Morgan Chase, and a small-business financial specialist at Wachovia. He's not just a veteran when it comes to banking - he's also a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Army in radar operations support. He studied business administration at Miami-Dade College.

Ricardo Weisz is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant who is an expert in assisting innovation-driven companies with raising equity capital, financing, marketing, management turnarounds, content and brand development, as well as licensing and marketing of products and services. He has headed various ventures with successful exits. During his tenure with The Walt Disney Company, he launched operations in multiple countries, was a Zone VP and GM, and headed a Latin American unit. He is an early-stage investor and syndicator of projects. He has held a number of board positions, including Ogangi Corp., Consult A Doctor, NIP/The Winner´s Circle, Miami Innovation Fund, and New World Angels.

Mark Mungenast is a Florida SBDC at FIU consultant that specializes in assisting small businesses in marketing, sales operations, customer relationship & pricing. Mark has assisted businesses to create new opportunities or deliver significant incremental results within an established framework, by aligning all functional areas to achieve desired goals. He also blends his knowledge of best practices, process, and real experience with his teaching experience. As a Professor at a graduate school, he developed and taught courses in Strategy/Leadership and Marketing for Master of Business candidates.

Yanyn "Yany" San Luis is Florida SBDC at FIU consultant that has helped fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, and Hyatt increase their bottom line by millions of dollars and coach their sales teams in leveling up their daily performance. As an adjunct professor, she has taught her fail-proof negotiation framework to hundreds of sales/marketing students. Through her tried and true methodology, she has secured millions in individual and corporate philanthropy for South Florida non-profit organizations. She is passionate about helping individuals leverage their strengths, demystify the negotiation process, and ensure they walk away with what they are worth.