Board of Directors

Rosa Mendoza

ALLvanza Founder, President and CEO

Prior to founding ALLvanza, Rosa served as the Executive Director of the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) where she informed administration officials, congressional staff, state and local representatives and other stakeholders on how telecommunications and technology policy issues impacted the Latino community. She represented HTTP at meetings, conferences, conventions and industry gatherings. Rosa expertly analyzed telecommunications and technology policy to develop advocacy briefs that brought the needs of Latinos to the forefront.

Prior to joining HTTP, Rosa served as the Manager of Special Projects for The Raben Group, where she assisted clients with coalition building, strategic planning and research, with a particular focus on the firm’s LatinStrategies division. Rosa worked with clients such as MasterCard and Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary.

Formerly, Rosa served as the Assistant Finance Director for Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX). As the primary point of contact for Congressman Cuellar, Rosa communicated with donors and constituents, coordinated fundraising events and managed logistics.

Previously, Rosa was hired as the Media Relations Executive for the Hispanic Communications Network (HCN), which designs customized radio, television and print media campaigns for the Latino market. In this role, Rosa built relationships with media affiliates, assisted with program development, and helped execute the firm’s large-scale media campaigns.

Before coming to Washington D.C., Rosa was the Coordinator for the Chicano/Latino Cultural Center and the Principal Assistant to the director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at Washington State University.

Rosa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration from Washington State University.

Sindy Marisol Benavides

LULAC CEO

She previously served as the Chief Operating Officer and National Director for Civic Engagement and Community Mobilization for LULAC, Vice President of Field & Political Operations for Voto Latino and as Northern Virginia Political Director for the 2012 Kaine for Virginia senatorial campaign. She has also been National Director of Community Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, and Latino Liaison and Director of Gubernatorial Appointments for Governor Timothy M. Kaine.

She received her Bachelor of Arts from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, where she graduated Valedictorian of her class and studied Political Science with a minor in Spanish. She has also attended American University for her Master’s degree in International Affairs and is working on submitting her substantial research paper. Sindy is the founder, co-founder, or founding board member of LULAC Council 4611, VA Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN), VA Coalition of Immigrant Rights (VACIR), and the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Action (HOLA). Sindy serves on numerous civic boards and can be found on Twitter @SindyBenavides. She lives in Stafford, Virginia with her husband and two children warmly known as Peanut and Buttercup.

Ms. Benavides is an alumna of the Sorenson Political Leadership Program through the University of Virginia and the Virginia Executive Institute and Minority Political Leadership Institute through Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an alumna of the 2009 class of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. Sindy obtained her Certificate on Executive Management and Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School in April 2009 and attended the Center for Creative Leadership in July 2009. She was also named top 20 People to Watch in 2009 (Richmond magazine) and named top 20 Latina Women of Excellence in 2010 (Hispanic Business magazine). In 2010, Sindy was selected by the American Jewish Committee to travel to Israel with a delegation of 13 national Latina leaders. In 2013, Sindy was selected as part of the class of 2013-2014 for New York University’s IGNITE Fellowship for Women of Color in the Social Sector. In 2014, Ms. Benavides was selected for Emerge Virginia, the premier training program for Democratic women to run for public office. Lastly, in 2016, Sindy was selected for Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Next Generation Latino Philanthropy Fellowship program. HIP Next Generation Latino Philanthropy Fellowship program.

Kim Keenan

EVP Marketing & Research, General Counsel
Odyssey Media

Prior to taking the helm at MMTC, Keenan served as General Counsel and Secretary of the NAACP, the oldest, the largest and most recognized grassroots civil rights organization in the world. She is the longest-serving female General Counsel in the history of the NAACP. Keenan has also served as principal of her own law firm and in the litigation practices of two nationally recognized law firms.

She is a past president of the 100,000+ member District of Columbia Bar as well as the National Bar Association. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Spirit of Democracy Award from the NCBCP, the Media Executive of the Year from Vote It Loud, the NAACP Medgar Evers Award for Excellence, and the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Alfredo Casta

Cascades Technologies, inc., Founder/Chairman

Mr. Casta’s has vast experience in the IT field area specifically in the area of Data Management and IT Operations and Maintenance including Computer Forensics and Cyber Security. Mr. Casta has experience servicing as a FSO (Facility Security Officer).

In 2014, CTi was recognized by SmartCEO with the Trailblazer Award for its delivery of IT services utilizing US talent in PR and in 2016, Mr. Casta was named a Washington Business Journal – Minority Business Leader for his entrepreneurship and philanthropic efforts.

Prior to Cascades Technologies, Mr. Casta served in a variety of information technology roles in the U.S. Government. As Division Chief at the Department of Labor, Mr. Casta led his organization in the development of many systems and mission critical applications of the Office of Systems Development.

Mr. Casta obtained his Masters of Science degree from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Sacred Heart. He is fluent in Spanish.

Advisory Board

Danny Vargas

Founder/President of VARCom Solutions

Danny is the Founder/President of VARCom Solutions, a nationallyrecognized, marketing, public relations and professional services firm. And he is the Chairman of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, advancing its creation within the Smithsonian.

Vargas is a regular media commentator in both English and Spanish, appearing on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Univision, Telemundo, and more and has penned op-eds for Wall Street Journal, NBC, etc. A successful businessman, Danny was an executive at AOL, France Telecom, Global One and Raytheon. Virginia’s Governor appointed him Chairman of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to ensure the future economic vitality of the commonwealth. He served as Chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce (the first Latino to chair a mainstream chamber in Virginia history) and is on the board of the Northern Virginia Chamber. Active in politics and the community, he was a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, was one of the top races in 2015 and was endorsed by the Washington Post where they called him “one of the region’s more impressive first-time candidates for the House of Delegates in recent memory.” The Speaker of the Virginia House appointed him to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and a commission promoting economic opportunity for the underserved. He is on the Northern Virginia Regional Council for the “GO Virginia” initiative and the board of Virginia FREE and has served on boards of various nonprofits. Danny has advocated for commonsense solutions for a variety of causes—workforce development, veterans support, economic development, health IT, immigration reform, transportation and more. A sought-after public speaker, Mr. Vargas is committed to keeping his community and our nation vibrant, thriving and strong.

Eric S. Galler

Principal, Galler Corporate Law Group

Mr. Galler received his JD from The Washington College of Law where he graduated summa cum laude in 1994.  Mr. Galler’s early career was spent with large private U.S. based law firms, including Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, and before that clerked for the Honorable Irma S. Raker, of the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Domenika Lynch

Former President and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc. (CHCI)

She skillfully facilitates internal and external networking to help employees thrive, speaks frequently at conferences on leadership development and diversity strategies, and prioritizes mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders.

From July 2016 to May 2019, she served as president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the preeminent Latino leadership institute founded by Hispanic members of Congress. Building on CHCI’s 40-year legacy, Lynch led an organizational and financial repositioning, raising more than $20 million to ensure that CHCI will remain a premier national convener for thought leadership.

She previously spent more than a decade as executive director of the Latino Alumni Association (LAA) at the University of Southern California. During her tenure, LAA doubled its membership and tripled its endowment. Her professional breadth extends into the corporate sector, with previous leadership positions at Bank of America and Univision.

Lynch’s dedication to advancing positive change has been widely recognized. She received the 2019 National Ohtli Award from the Mexican government for services to the Mexican and Mexican American communities, the 2018 Leadership Award from Crittenton Services of Greater Washington for empowering young women and teen mothers, and the 2018 Legacy Award from the USC Latino Alumni Association. She was highlighted as one of The Hill’s 2017 Latina Leaders to Watch and named a 2016 Latina of Influence by Hispanic Lifestyle.

A graduate of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, Lynch holds a master’s degree from the USC Rossier School of Education and is completing a doctoral degree at USC.

Lynch is most inspired by stories of immigrants in the pursuit of the American Dream. She fundamentally believes that learning to overcome adversity is a leader’s greatest competitive advantage.