events
Entrepreneurship Panel
JOIN US HERE: https://meet.google.com/msh-oftf-rrq
Join our Entrepreneurship Panel featuring small business owners and consultants who will share their personal journeys, challenges, and insights into launching and growing their ventures. Discover firsthand how they navigated the path as entrepreneurs. Whether you're considering starting your own business or looking to learn from experienced founders, this panel offers valuable perspectives and actionable tips to guide your journey.
Hazel Rios, Event Production Manager @ The Queer Mercado & The Goddess Mercado
Hazel Rios is a proud daughter of immigrants, single mother, and dedicated ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. As an entrepreneur, small business owner, and event production manager, she brings creativity, strategy, and heart to every project she undertakes. Guided by her passion for social justice, Hazel uses her platform to uplift underrepresented voices, foster inclusive spaces, and inspire others to pursue their dreams with courage and purpose.
The best spot in East LA for LGBTQIA2S+ Latine/x/a/o folks! Every 3rd Saturday! @TheQueerMercado
Nearby Consulting partners with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and impact leaders to launch and scale market-driven social enterprises that drive both impact and financial sustainability. We specialize in helping community-based organizations and social enterprises develop viable revenue models that create jobs for individuals facing structural barriers to employment. We work with clients to deliver actionable insights, tailored resources, and strategic guidance through cohort-style programs and one-on-one responsive technical assistance.
Our team brings deep experience in adult learning, entrepreneurship, and cooperative business development, particularly with communities navigating systemic barriers to employment, including those impacted by incarceration, immigration, and intergenerational poverty.
Founded in 2022, we are a democratically structured firm where decision-making is shared and ownership is rooted in mutual accountability and responsibility. This ethos shapes how we partner, with transparency, collaboration, and respect.
Regeanie Corona, MBA President and CEO of Advancing the Seed
Ms. Corona is a business strategist and nonprofit management consultant, business and leadership coach, trainer, author, and speaker. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from the University of Redlands and a Master’s in Business Administration from Biola University. Her background includes 24 years in the information technology field, with 9 of those years serving in an executive leadership role leading the operational support team for Enterprise-wide Cyber Security and Data Center risk and compliance for the County of Los Angeles, which included managing a $16M countywide budget, and successfully delivering several multi-million-dollar countywide projects with multi-agency stakeholder coordination. Since 2014, she has worked in the nonprofit sector and has helped raise over $20M to support grassroots and startup nonprofits. She is also the President and CEO of Advancing The Seed, Inc., a nonprofit that she founded in 2015 to provide accessible training and resources to underserved young adults and communities to increase economic mobility.
Ryland Shelton, Founder of TrueVoice Vocal Development
Ryland Shelton has been a full-time vocal coach in Los Angeles for nearly a decade. His work as a vocal coach with singers, songwriters, and pop groups has earned him a strong reputation in the entertainment industry among artists and studios, but he takes particular pride in his work with groups like Trans Can Work, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Trans*Lounge, and other queer rights & visibility organizations across the country while teaching the program he created for gender-affirming speaking voices for the trans and gender-diverse community, TrueVoice Vocal Development. www.rsvocalcoach.com and