Our Team

Executive Board of Directors

Annissa Fragoso

Annissa Fragoso

President

Annissa Fragoso is a Farmers Agency Owner located at 527 W Main Street, Merced CA an. She began her career with Farmers Insurance in 2012 and overall insurance experience as an insurance professional for 13 years. She has been a Board of Director for approximately 6 years and currently serves as the MCHCC President for the 2021 – 2022.

Annissa’s greatest joy with the Hispanic Chamber has been watching the facial expressions of new business owners, who come to the chamber for their ribbon cutting. Seeing their expressions of pride is an amazing experience to witness over and over. Their excitement and enthusiasm keep her driven as she never wants to lose the same excitement in her own business. Her second achievement has been chairing the 5K Cowboy/Vaquero Run. For 4 years in a row, the Hispanic Chamber’s event has helped keep the scholarship foundation funded for Merced County graduating seniors.

Annissa has lived in the community of Merced for over 22 years. She came from Tracy, CA where she was born and raised. She is looking forward to being a grandmother and hopes for the future is that she can continue to give back to her community and to be remembered for her love and generosity for all humanity.

Elisa Trevino

Elisa Trevino

Vice President
Ana Davalos

Ana Davalos

Treasurer

I (Ana Rosa Dávalos) was born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico I moved to California in 1999, I attended Merced College and later the University of Phoenix to pursue a career in Accounting.  I was offered an internship at Kemper CPA Group LLP and later hired in 2006, I have been with Kemper since then, and my current position is Senior Accountant, with experience in the following fields: Payroll, Bookkeeping, Income Tax, Auditing, Financial Statements (Compilation Reports) Human Resources and more. Previously I have served as an executive board member (Treasurer) of the Merced County Hispanic Chamber for two full terms.

“Volunteering creates empowerment”

Karla Narváez-Flores, MBA

Karla Narváez-Flores, MBA

Secretary
Community Educator for Dignity Health, Mercy Medical Center, and Substitute Teacher for MCOE.
 
Also a member of the Merced County Binational Health Week Committee.
 
Karla joined the Chamber in 2018.
She likes Community Engagement and supports the Chamber in decision making and representing this entity in outreach venue

Board of Directors

Lupe Rubalcava Jr

Lupe Rubalcava Jr

Program Manager | Human Services Agency
Maida Miranda

Maida Miranda

Owner | Minuteman Press, Merced

Maida is the owner of Minuteman Press, Merced – a full service printing, marketing, and design center.  MMP Merced is an independently owned and operated family  business; she works alongside her son Josh who is the Graphic Designer/Production Specialist.  Minuteman Press, Merced was chosen by the Merced County Hispanic Chamber as their Business/Member of the Year in 2018.

Maida is excited to be a part of MCHCC’s Board of Directors and is looking forward to helping other businesses thrive in Merced.

Elizabeth Guzman

Elizabeth Guzman

Staff | El Tlahualil Restaurant
Norma Hernandez

Norma Hernandez

Life Insurance Specialist | AAA

Norma currently works as a life insurance specialist for AAA Insurance providing families lifelong security. She has worked at Devon’s Jewelers since 1995 and has years of customer service, sales, and leadership experience.

She is excited to contribute to the Hispanic Chamber’s mission of empowering local business with the tools and knowledge to succeed in the community. 

Gil Cardon

Gil Cardon

Business Advisor / UC Merced SBDC
After completing his 3-year assignment with the JET Programme in 2004, Gil moved on to live and work in New York City to explore new opportunities. Building upon his experience in sales, management, and understanding of Japanese culture, he secured a job with the North American headquarters of NTT DOCOMO. Long story short, he learned a lot in a short amount of time, and decided to leave DOCOMO to launch his own business consulting company – RIFFSLINGER.
 
Soon after the launch, Gil received an invitation to do contract work for the Japan National Tourism Organization, Convention Bureau division. He served as the primary contact for promoting Japan as a premier conventions destination to the North American market.
 
Gil went on to work on other government contract work, including conducting the research project which established the vehicle license plate commemoration program for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
Several months after accomplishing the major milestone of producing two live music shows for the CBGB Music & Film Festival in New York, Gil moved to Portland, Oregon to explore new opportunities once again. While in Portland he expanded his repertoire further by doing contract work for nonprofit organizations. He became involved with a local community radio station – KBOO FM – as an event producer, board director, and briefly as station manager.
 
Gil decided to return to his hometown Merced at the end of 2018, and relaunched business operations the following year to serve entrepreneurs and nonprofits in the Central Valley region. With the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, he has been at the forefront of providing specialized support to small businesses and community organizations, and RIFFSLINGER consulting agency was able to mark its 10-year anniversary in May.

Ambassadors

Fernando Flores

Fernando Flores

Merced College | Milan Institute

My name is Fernando Flores. I’m a First Generation latino student at Merced College and I’m working on my business degree. I’m also a full-time employee at Milan Institute here at the Merced Campus as the Career Services Coordinator. We are a private vocational school where our mission is to meet the needs of students and employers by offering short-term educational programs in career fields with solid growth potential such as Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetician, Medical Assistant, Administrative Medical Assistant and Dental Assistant besides offering these amazing programs we are also a full-service salon and we are open to the public.

In my spare time I like to read books because reading helps me explore undiscovered worlds. I also enjoy gardening. Im a plant lover and last but not least “Zumba” I love to dance.

 

Geneva Rojas

Geneva Rojas

Le Grand High School District
Joel Salcido

Joel Salcido

Merced Unified High School District
Juan Alberto

Juan Alberto

Farmers Insurance Annissa Fragoso Agency

My name is Juan Carlos Alberto. I’m a 22-year old college student. I was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico.  I immigrated to the United States at the age of 9. Since coming to the US I lived most of my life in Norwalk, California (it’s a city in LA County). Until coming to Merced in 2016 to start my college journey at the University of California, Merced. I will be graduating this upcoming December with a B.S. in Management and Business Economics and a minor in Psychology. I’m also part of The Kappa Sigma Fraternity – Rho Omicron Chapter at UCM. 

 
I currently work with local business owner and president of the MHCC, Annissa Fragoso at her Farmers Insurance Agency. I have been working for her since February of 2020. That’s what opened up the opportunity for me to become an ambassador for the Merced Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I’m thankful for the opportunities that the MHCC has presented to me and my organization. I’m looking forward to help and contribute to the betterment of the Chamber in a anyway I possibly can. I’m very excited to see what this new year has in store for the Merced Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Thank you! 
Magali Torres

Magali Torres

UC Merced
My name is Magali C. Torres and I am a first-generation student at the University of California, Merced pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Management and Business Economics. 

Driven by a passion to uplift my community, I currently serve as the lead intern for Peer Assisted Learning Support (PALS) and the Vice President of Community Service for Delta Sigma Pi.

Within our local chamber, I serve as an ambassador and am researching ways to help our chamber and our community excel given the new circumstances COVID-19 has presented our world with.

Aside from my current positions, I enjoy connecting with community members and finding creative ways to help Merced become the best version of it it has the potential to be.


If you’d like to contact me please email me at mtorres86@ucmerced.edu or connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/magalictorres 

Office Staff 

Manuel Garcia Salas

Manuel Garcia Salas

Administrative Assistant

Ex-Officio                                                    

Juan Román

Juan Román

Ex-Officio

Juan joined the Hispanic Chamber back in 2016 as Board of Directors, Past President 2019 – 2020 and now serves as Ex-Officio of the Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

He is very passionate about business development, community engagement, youth development, career development, event planning and most importantly seeing people smile. He brings enthusiasm, laughter, and an optimistic approach to the Hispanic Chamber and all its membership. He most definitely enjoys connecting with new and existing businesses and seeing them prosper.

Juan moved to the City of Merced in 2008 and obtained his B.A.( Economics) from the University of California, Merced. He currently manages the day-to-day operations of the Welcome Center as the Welcome Center Coordinator at the University of California, Merced for the Office of Admissions. Visit the tours page to schedule a visit.

Juan Román, Ex-Officio

jroman@mercedhcc.com