Board Members
CHAIR
Jayati Goel
Jayati M. Goel is the co-founder of Nidaan Systems, Inc – a technology consulting services firm focused on providing turnkey software solutions. Under her leadership Nidaan has grown from a two-person startup to offices in the Bay Area and South Asia over the past decade. As a woman and minority business owner, she is passionate about championing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. She also serves on the board of the ICSBD as VP of Programs. Jayati holds an M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University and an M.A. from Punjab University. She is also an alum of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program at Babson College and the Minority Business Executive Program at the University of Washington.
Secretary, Membership Chair
Linda Renteria
Linda Renteria earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Mexico and an M.S. in Engineering & Construction Management from UC Berkeley. Currently she is on the Board of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce and St. Rose Hospital Foundation. She also continues to volunteer in the community to promote STEM and manufacturing careers. Linda has over 33 years of project management experience working for PG&E, the San Francisco Unified School District and Casa Sanchez. Together with her husband, Linda owns and manages in 3rd generation Casa Sanchez Foods, located in Hayward. The company has over 130 employees serving California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.
TREASURER
Svetlana Smirnova
Svetlana Smirnova earned her MS in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the Moscow Aviation Institute, Russia, and her MBA in Human Resources, Finance and International Business from the California State University, East Bay. She has over twenty 20 years of experience in multiple HR roles at Ernst & Young, and at Chevron. Svetlana has also extensive global management experience.
Legal Chair
Jason A. Geller, JD
Jason Geller is regional managing partner of the San Francisco office of Fisher & Phillips LLP. His specialties are employment law, representation of employers in litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, preventative counseling and training of employers, drafting of employment agreements, handbooks and agreements governing various facets of the employment relationship.
EXTERNAL & SOCIAL MEDIA RELATIONS CHAIR
Maitjian Welke
Maitjian Welke is founder and chief security officer of CMIT Solutions Silicon Valley, a service provider for IT infrastructure, cyber security, and IT Consulting and CIO/CISO services. Maitjian has a background in computer science along with extensive IT and software engineering. In the last 20 years, she has done expansive work with Fortune 500 corporations. She is an advocate and expert in implementing cyber security for organizations and businesses for data protection and compliance.
EXTERNAL & SOCIAL MEDIA RELATIONS CHAIR
David Ford
David Ford DSL, MBA, SHRM-SCP earned graduate degrees in Strategic Communication, Business Administration (MBA), and a doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL). David currently works in the insurance and HR consulting industry and holds an insurance license in Accident/Life and Health and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional HR certification. David has in-depth knowledge of HR, payroll, and benefit underwriting.
COORDINATOR, EDD
Sandy Yerena
Sandy Yerena currently serves in dual roles with the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD). As an Employer Advisory Council Coordinator and Employment Program Representative within the Workforce Services Branch, she brings over a decade of experience in process improvement, business management, and workforce development. Sandy specializes in streamlining operations for greater efficiency, managing extensive portfolios, and providing coaching and training to drive success.
In addition to her public service roles, Sandy has experience in sales, where she contributed to driving business growth year-over-year. She earned her MS in Health Care Administration from CSU, East Bay. A dedicated lifelong learner, Sandy believes that every day is an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills.