Hector Banegas, President
Hector Banegas has 30 years of experience advising personal and institutional clients in the areas of trusts, employee benefits, personal finance and investments. He is Senior Vice President and Financial Planner in the Paramus, New Jersey office of Wachovia's Wealth Management Group. In this role, along with the Relationship Managers and other specialists, he is responsible for providing integrated wealth services including Estate Planning, Financial Planning, Investment Management, Insurance and other financial solutions to the high net worth market. Hector has been with Wachovia Bank for 16 years. Currently, his community involvement includes serving as Trustee and President of the Board of the Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation, serving on the Advisory Board and Selection Committee of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County's Bergen LEADS program, and acting as a mentor for the Amherst College Minority Mentoring Program. He has also supported Habitat for Humanity, the Latino Institute, the Girl Scout Council of Bergen County, Reading First, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and various other philanthropic organizations. Hector is a Certified Trust & Financial Advisor, and is a graduate of Amherst College.
Saara Marte, Vice President
Saara Marte, New York / New Jersey Metropolitan Area Local Relationship Manager.
Saara came to Prudential from Lord Abbett, where she was the Key Account Manager in the Strategic Relations Group working with independent broker-dealers.
Previously, in the Diversity Education division her responsibilities at Lord Abbett included delivering an economic message to African American and Hispanic organizations as well as supporting financial professionals. In this endeavor, she helped to deliver over 200 seminars around the country. She also designed and implemented diversity strategic business plans and key initiatives.
Saara obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration from Muhlenberg College and holds Series 7 and Series 66 licenses.
Miriam Lopez, Treasurer
Miriam Lopez, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) also holds an MBA in Finance from Pace University in New York City and brings over 33 years of domestic and international banking & finance experience to her wealth management and estate planning practice at US Financial Services, LLC in Fairfield, NJ.
She was President of the Bergen County Hispanic–American Chamber of Commerce from 1999 through 2002, the predecessor of the Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ (HBCSF). She has been involved with the scholarship foundation since 1994 in every capacity and is currently a trustee, the treasurer and scholarship chairperson of HBCSF.
Ms. Lopez has served on the national board of Girls Inc. since 2007 and is a founding member of the Women’s Golf Association of NJ (WGANJ) serving as its Chair in 2006 and 2007 and currently serving on the Governance Board. She is a recipient of the el diario/La Prensa Distinguished Woman Award, Bergen County Girl Scout Award, and Distinguished Businesswoman Award from the Bergen County Executive Office & the Bergen County Hispanic–American Advisory Commission.
Nydia Perez, Trustee
Nydia D. Perez has over 36 years of experience in the commercial banking industry. As a Hispanic Segment Manager for Small Business, she positioned JPMorgan Chase as the premier provider of financial services to the Hispanic Market in the Tri-State area. She has also conducted small business seminars and her community alliances have included The New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, Bergen Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce, Accion New York, Hispanic Women Leaders of Westchester, Queens Latino Lawyers Association, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Queens, El Salvador Chamber of Commerce, Audubon Partnership for Economic Development, Hunts Point Economic Development Association, Stamford Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Dominican American Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Perez is a recipient to the El Diario/La Prensa Distinguished Woman Award and the National Hispanic Achievers Award.
Susan Tacuri-Loor, Trustee
Susan is the senior accountant for the Union City Parking Authority of New Jersey and the Coordinator of the Special Education Medicaid Initiative for the Union City Board of Education. Concurrently, Susan has her own accounting practice, founded in 2003, which provides accounting, consulting and administrative services to private, governmental and not-for-profit corporations in Hudson county. Susan is a big supporter of non-partisan, non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting human and professional development through the use of Arts and Education. She currently serves as and Student Affairs Committee Advisor for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) New Jersey Chapter responsible for creating opportunities, addiing value as well as building relationships for the students, the business partners and the community. Susan graduated from Rutgers University. Her professional and personal interests include: continuing education seminars, real state, investments,community service and tennis.
Cesar Rubin, Trustee
Mr. Rubin is a BFA graduate in visual communications with an emphasis in graphic design from Kean University. He has over 10 years of experience creating and specializing in print, web media, communications design, Identity/Brand Development, Events, Interactive and multimedia disciplines.
The roster of clients that have benefited from his visionary insight, conceptual development & flawless execution include Verizon Wireless, Samsung Electronics America, BMW of North America, Pershing, Trans World Marketing, HESS Corporation, Nova Chemicals, MTV Networks, Miller Brewing and AT&T. Samples of his work can be viewed on his web site: 5in5o.com. Mr. Rubin was also the youngest president of the Art Directors Club of New Jersey, and has won various prestigious industry awards such as Graphic Design USA, Art Directors Club of New Jersey and the Ad Club.
Mr. Rubin was instrumental in creating the HBCSF web site in 2008 in conjunction with the then HBCSF President, Joe Hernandez. He also shares his passion in graphic design and direction by teaching courses as an adjunct professor at Kean University.
David Berrios, Trustee
Mr. Berrios has been in the technology field for over 10 years providing solutions for Investment banking firms and Fortune 500 companies. He has been on the same curve of new technology and cost saving solutions. An Honors graduate of The CHUBB Institute with a diploma in Technical Support, he continues to hone his craft by acquiring certifications over the years on for PHP/MySql, Microsoft Windows, Cisco, and Project Management. The love for art and photography has always been a key part in his life. The projects he is currently working on have given him a chance to express his vision. The internet is his canvas and he utilizes his technology brushes very well. One of the latest creations Artislyfe.com is a social-networking website that focuses on the arts, which allows local artists to share their artwork, post public and private events, create blogs, add quotes, add items in a classified section and sell and buy art. The site was created to deliver a clean, user-friendly and interactive environment where members can easily post and share their artwork with anyone around the world. "The only way we can change the world is to start with the closest person to you."
Douglas Sanchez, Legal Advisor
Douglas V. Sanchez is the managing member of the New Jersey office of Cruser, Mitchell & Sanchez, LLC. He has been certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a civil trial attorney and specializes in civil litigation. Doug represents individuals, corporations, public entities and insurance carriers in state and federal courts throughout New Jersey. His practice emphasizes the areas of civil rights, employment practice claims and professional liability, as well as transportation and premises liability and commercial litigation. In these areas, Doug has tried and arbitrated cases throughout New Jersey.