Angela Shafer-Payne is the Chief Development Officer (CDO), at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, owner and operator of San Diego International Airport. Ms. Shafer-Payne is a long-tenured executive of the Airport Authority, where she has held various leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer. Most notably she oversaw the transition to an independent airport authority in 2002 and the technical study/ballot initiative to site a new airport in 2006. While the Chief Operating Officer she oversaw the opening of Terminal 2 West, the Green Build, Terminal 2 Parking Plaza and the Rental Car Center. Presently, she oversees Planning, Noise & Environment, Airport Design & Construction, Board Services, Intergovernmental Affairs and the Airport Capital Improvement Program including the $3.8 billion New Terminal 1 Project.

Dr. Fabi Bagula is the first Latina – and only the third woman – to serve as Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, the second largest in California. While proud of this distinction, she recognizes the responsibility to drive systemic change, so students see themselves represented in the classroom and in leadership.

Dr. Bagula’s leadership is marked by both care and outcomes. Working alongside educators and communities, she has supported academic improvement efforts that have led to measurable gains for students. San Diego Unified now leads large urban districts in California in English Language Arts, Mathematics, lower Chronic Absenteeism rate, and improved College and Career Indicators. And the district’s graduation rate reached 90.3%—the highest in recent years. These results underscore her belief that excellence and equity must advance together.

Raised on the San Diego-Tijuana border, Dr. Bagula’s bicultural upbringing shaped her visionary approach to education. A former faculty member at the University of San Diego, CSU San Jose, and RISE San Diego, she has taught and coached emerging leaders, county superintendents, and principals statewide in equity, leadership, and ethical decision-making. Dr. Bagula is a recent Yale-Broad Leadership Fellow and holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego.

Erica M. Pinto serves as Chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village of California (“JIV”), one of the
13 tribes of the Kumeyaay Nation. Serving for more than 27 years on the JIV Tribal Council,
Chairwoman Pinto has been elected consecutively since 1997. In 2015, she became the first
woman elected Chairperson of JIV.

Ms. Pinto also serves as Chairwoman of the California Tribal Chairpersons’ Association (“CTCA”)
and Vice-President of the Southern California Tribal Chairpersons’ Association (“SCTCA”). She
is a Board Member on the Board of Directors of the Southern Indian Health Council (“SIHC”),
alongside other elected Tribal leaders in the region, helping to improve the quality of healthcare
in San Diego Native communities.

Closer to home, Ms. Pinto serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Jamul Indian
Village Development Corporation, the entity that owns and manages the Jamul Casino and JIV’s
other economic enterprises.

Chairwoman Pinto serves on several state transportation committees and is co-founder of the
Acorn to Oaks tribal program, which organizes activities focused on culture, youth development,
health and fitness, and technology – all designed to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse and teen
pregnancy, while promoting education and family togetherness.

Born in El Paso, Texas, Ms. Pinto grew up with her three brothers on the JIV and Viejas Band
Reservations, where she witnessed the hardships of her people. Her mother, who has been active
in Tribal government for several decades, instilled in her the importance of respecting our
ancestors and giving back to JIV, lessons she carries with her to this day.

Maya Madsen is the founder and CEO of Maya’s Cookies, America’s #1 Black-owned gourmet, vegan cookie company. She started the business in 2015, after she struggled to find a gourmet, decadent vegan cookie that satisfied her sweet tooth. So she started baking them herself. Maya’s Cookies is now an established national brand with two flagship stores. It operates its own facility to ship their cookies nationwide. Maya works with non-profit organizations such as Kitchen’s for Good, Junior Achievement, and Fred Finch to give back and use her platform to provide resources to underserved communities.