Board of Directors

GLAAACC’s Board of Directors consists of nineteen business men and women who bring ideas, insight, and resources to the table.  They are all stellar individuals and the driving force behind the Chamber.

Gene Hale, Chairman
President

G & C Equipment Corporation

Gene Hale is president and CEO of G&C Equipment Corporation, Gence Corporation and G&C Service and Supply Corporation.  The companies are engaged in the sale, lease and procurement of construction equipment, material, and supplies.  Encouraging strong community involvement has been one of Mr. Hale’s principal objectives. He has promoted these values by providing equipment and financial support to churches, charities, schools and local business organizations.  Mr. Hale earned his Business Administration degree from California State University-Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles and is a native of Birmingham, Alabama.

Bettye J. Dixon is president & CEO of Concourse Concessions, Inc.  She is a well-respected strategic entrepreneur who has spent more than 20 years forming, partnering and presiding over a series of specialty and duty free stores. Ms. Dixon runs one of the most experienced and successful companies doing business with some of the largest airports in the nation, including Los Angeles International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Washington Dulles International, JFK International and Miami International.

Angela Gibson, President
Area Manager of External Affairs

AT&T

Angela Gibson, AT&T, is responsible for public policy and community relations activities in the greater Los Angeles area. She is also the corporate liaison to selected federal and state officials.  Miss Gibson currently serves as chair of the Culver City chamber of commerce and president of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.  She also serves on the board of directors to the Los Angeles Urban League and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board.  Angela believes in the importance of small business to our economy and is the past president of the Compton, Lynwood and Carson chambers of commerce.

Walter Hill, Jr. is chairman, president and CEO of Icon Blue, Inc., a brand-marketing company based in Los Angeles, California.  A second generation entrepreneur with over forty years of business experience, Mr. Hill began learning the fundamentals of building a successful business at the age of nine with the guidance and support of his father.  Icon Blue is now positioned to become a leading Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) provider of marketing business solutions in the United States.

Michelle Smith-Ballard, Secretary
Director of Community Affairs
Turner Construction Company

Michelle Smith-Ballard is the Director of Community Affairs for Turner Construction Company’s Southern California office with over 30 years of experience in the construction industry.  She is responsible for initiatives to increase and monitor contracts with minority/woman-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises, and manages the labor compliance department.  Michelle oversees Turner’s community outreach programs including the Turner School of Construction Management and Youth Force 20/20. Michelle also chairs GLAAACC’s program committee, and serves as corporate advisor with other minority, women and small business advocacy organizations and community non-profit groups.

Kimberly Carter, Parliamentarian
Senior Associate
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Kimberly Carter is a Senior Associate for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in Los Angeles, California where she currently works in the firm’s Employment Law and Litigation practice groups.  In the past, Ms. Carter was a litigation associate with Wicker, Smith, OHara, McCoy, Graham & Ford, P.A. in Miami, Florida.  She also worked as a tax associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in San Francisco, California.  Ms. Carter volunteers with many organizations including the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Lem Daniels, Treasurer
Vice President & Client Advisor
Deutsche Bank

Lem Daniels joined Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown in 2007 and has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years at four major Wall Street firms.  He was the first African American chosen to represent Merrill Lynch in 1978 as part of a diversity advertising program and was the recipient of the Broker of the Year in 1985 with Bear Stearns' Special Investment Group.  Mr. Daniels received a B.S. in Communications from Southern Illinois University and is a native of Chicago, IL.

Directors

Marcus A. Allen

President

Englander Knabe & Allen

Marcus A. Allen brings more than 20 years of public policy and management experience to Englander Knabe & Allen. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Allen served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of operations and finance in the Office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. As Deputy Chief of Staff, he was responsible for the implementation of the Mayor´s policies and initiatives and oversaw teams of Deputy Mayors, Commissioners and General Managers.

Bob L. Blake
Principal
Bob Blake & Associates, Inc.

Bob L. Blake is president & CEO of Bob Blake & Associates, Inc., a full service Insurance and Financial Services firm specializing in Benefit Communication and Supplemental Insurance products for public sector and private nonprofit businesses.  Mr. Blake’s mission is to protect working American families from catastrophic events that can ruin their future.  He serves on several boards, including the City of Los Angeles MBOC Community Advisory Board and 100 Black Men of Los Angeles.

Clarence A. Daniels, Jr. is the president & CEO of CMS Hospitality and chairman of Hartsfield Hospitality, LLC.  Both companies operate food and beverage concessions in airports.  Concessions Management Services, Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles and operates six food and beverage locations.  Prior to entering the hospitality industry Mr. Daniels was a civil rights attorney, attorney for the D.C. Public School System, and later worked as managing partner for Cochran Consulting International, a division of the law firm of Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.

Sonya Dukes
Senior V.P. & Supplier Diversity Director
Wells Fargo 

Sonya Dukes is the senior vice president of Corporate Supplier Diversity for Wells Fargo.  The Corporate Supplier Diversity group develops company-wide strategies, policies, infrastructure, processes and procedures to increase business with minority- , women- and disadvantaged-owned suppliers.  In addition to being a board director for GLAAACC, Ms. Dukes also serves on the Corporate Advisory Board for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Howard University School of Communication Advisory Council.

Charles J. Franklin II
Manager of Corporate Services
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Charles J. Franklin II is the manager of Corporate Services for American Honda Motor Co., Inc., headquartered in Torrance, California.  In this position, Mr. Franklin is responsible for a number of services that support the daily operations of Honda.  Mr. Franklin also chairs the GLAAACC Business Evolution Program (BEP) Committee which oversees the unique program designed to assist a small business reach the next level of economic success.

Darlene Gartrell, Esq.

Senior Vice President, Legal & Claims Practice Group
Aon Corporation

Darlene Gartrell, Esq. is a Senior V.P. at Aon Corporation assigned to the Financial Services Group, Legal & Claims Practice team.   Ms. Gartrell’s current duties include the management of claims, coverage disputes and facilitating resolutions in this arena.    She provides advice and counsel to internal and external clients on insurance policy coverage questions pertaining to Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance, Employment Practices Liability and other executive liability coverages which assist clients in managing risks.  She has established and chaired several local diversity initiatives and is active in the company’s various affinity resource groups.

Kerman Maddox
Majority Owner
Dakota Communications

Kerman Maddox, managing partner for Dakota Communications develops public outreach and media coordination programs for corporations, academic institutions, governmental agencies, community organizations, religious institutions, political candidates, and small businesses in Southern California.  He has worked on numerous outreach programs to increase minority participation in enrollment, employment and contracting opportunities with governmental agencies and private businesses.   A graduate of the University of Southern California's Intergovernmental Masters Program and the Coro Foundation Public Affairs Institute, Mr. Maddox has extensive experience in strategic planning, media relations, community outreach and public affairs consulting.

Aura McCracken
Global Diversity and Inclusion Senior Manager
AEG

Aura McCracken collaborates to develop and implement supplier diversity support programs to increase economic opportunities for MBE/WBE/DBE across AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) and its family of facilities.  She also manages outreach events and special projects including leading AEG as the corporate mentor in GLAAACC’s 2008 Business Evolution Program mentoring The Baker Group.  She joined AEG in 2005 initially holding the position of Real Estate Development Assistant.  Ms. McCracken has been dedicated to making positive impacts on youth by committing to programs such as the Joint Education Project (JEP) at Foshay Learning Center, USC Marshall’s Career Advantage Program (CAP), Everybody Wins! Reading Program at 10^th Street Elementary School, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Inc.

Christine N. Simmons
Vice President of Strategic Alliances
NBCUniversal

Christine N. Simmons has taken on a new role as the director of Supplier Diversity for NBCUniversal.  She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree from UCLA.

Derek C. Smith
President & CEO
Diamond Contract Services, Inc.

Derek C. Smith is president and CEO of Diamond Contract Services, Inc., a company he founded in 1993 specializes in commercial janitorial services.  Diamond operates in nine states and has grown from one employee to over 1,500 during past sixteen years.  Mr. Smith has over twenty-five years of senior management experience in the building maintenance industry.  He received his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School and a B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Los Angeles.

Douglas L. Hall
Territory Manager
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc.

Douglas L. Hall is a territory manager for Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc.  In this capacity, he assists business owners in fulfilling their capital equipment needs through a variety of loan and lease products.  Mr. Hall has been a banking professional for more than twenty years and has his MBA in Finance and Marketing.  His hobbies include writing and he is the screenwriter of the cult classic film, "Leprechaun in the Hood," starring Ice-T, and released by Trimark Pictures.

Karim Zaman
President
The Zaman Group

Karim Zaman, President of The Zaman Group has been a successful Airport Concessionaire for over 11 years and been in business since 1997.  The Zaman Group is a Joint Venture Partner with The Hudson Group, the nation’s premier airport retailer.  Mr. Zaman has a successful News and Gift store in Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and was recently awarded a contract that will feature 16 new stores including News and Gift and Specialty Retail in 2012 at LAX.  Additionally, he owns The Payphone Company, a Public Communications company with major accounts nationwide and 8 airports including Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.  The company’s Public Communications offering includes: payphones, inmate phones, site administration, prepaid calling cards, internet kiosks and related Public Communications Concessions.