2015 National Board Slate – Biographies

Daniel Yip

Daniel Yip is the founder and owner of Nexus Business Consulting. Daniel is a business consultant and manager with four years of “Big Five” experienceandmore than eighteen years overall of system implementation experience. He specializes in process improvement and re-engineering, system development, process/product support, internal controls assessment, and quality assurance. He has experience leading and supporting efforts in the Entertainment, Publishing, Financial Management/Services, Wireless Telecommunication, Insurance, Aviation, Cruise, and Mortgage industries.

Daniel founded Nexus Business Consulting with the purpose of creating and implementing unique solutions for his clients. Since 2004, Daniel has consulted onprojects primarily focused on the internal controls assessment and implementation for the IT segment of South Florida-based companies. He has facilitated external IT audits and assessments of the control environments as part of SAS 70, SSAE 16, and Sarbanes-Oxley 404 engagements. From planning to testing to remediation, Daniel has led multiple efforts for multiple clients. In addition, he has assessed existing application-level security designs and implemented new security designs based on his recommendations after collaborative work with all levels of client personnel.

Prior to founding Nexus Business Consulting, Daniel was a Manager and Consultant in the PeopleSoft track at both Andersen and BearingPoint. He worked across the Eastern seaboard for clients in various industries, serving as a leader and subject matter expert in process assessment and improvement, PeopleSoft (specifically Receivables and Billing), and controls identification and remediation.

Daniel received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1992. In 2010, he was awarded the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation, and in 2012, he was awarded the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) designation.

Daniel is a lifetime member of ALPFA, currently serving in multiple roles for the ALPFA Miami chapter: as a member of the chapter’s strategic board as well as the current coordinator of the chapter’s IT and marketing segments. In 2014, Daniel completed his term as senior vice president and secretary for the chapter. He has also served as the Co-Chairperson of the ALPFA National IT Committee from 2010-2012. In 2010, Daniel was one of ten ALPFA professional members awarded the ALPFA/University of Phoenix Leadership Scholarship. With this scholarship, he earned his Master in Business Administration degree in 2012.

Marcela Aldaz-Matos, MBA

Marcela is a Director, Diversity & Inclusion at MassMutual Financial Group where she is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company’s 9 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Marcela is focused on harnessing the business value of diversity and inclusion to yield high business impact. Prior to joining MassMutual, Marcela served as a Business Strategy Advisor for KAS Advisors. Previous to this role, she worked for Best Doctors, Inc. where she managed numerous U.S. and international teams in the areas of business development and service delivery. She has frequently been called upon to open new markets and lead business development strategies for Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.
Marcela’s tireless dedication to diversity has been recognized by numerous organizations. In 2014 she was recognized by ALPFA with the 2014 Woman of ALPFA award. The Boston Business Journal also recognized Marcela with the “Emerging Leader Advancing Women Award”. In 2013 she was named as one of the “Top 100 Women We Admire” by the Boston Ad Club’s Leadership Forum; and also awarded the “2013 Most Powerful & Influential Woman” by the National Diversity Council. Marcela was the recipient of the “2012 United Way Award,” the “Girl Scouts, National Innovations Award” and was also named one of the “100 Most Influential Latinos in Massachusetts” in 2012.

Marcela is a dedicated advocate for women and minorities. She is a member of the National Board of Directors for the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) and was formerly the National Chair, Women of ALPFA, Strategy Development Committee. She is also a board member of the Girl Scouts, Eastern Massachusetts.

Marcela earned an MBA and post MBA from Simmons College School of Management in Boston. She is a scuba diver, a Reiki Master Level III, is fluent in English and Spanish, and has traveled extensively around the world.

Nerelys Ortiz, CPA, CGMA

Nerelys Ortiz is a senior finance manager within the WW Sales, Marketing & Services Group organization at Microsoft. In this role, she drives the monthly and quarterly rhythm of Finance for the SMSG CFO and partners across the global Finance teams to analyze worldwide revenue trends for Microsoft. Nerelys began her career at PwC in Seattle within their assurance practice, primarily with in the technology sector.

Currently, Nerelys serves as National Treasurer of ALPFA and Chair of the Finance Committee.

Nerelys received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration degree and a Master of Professional Accounting degree from the University of Washington. She is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Washington State and is a member of the AICPA and Washington State Society of CPAs.

Tracy LaFlamme Ortega

Tracy LaFlamme Ortega is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PREPWORKS, one of the fastest growing education technology and tutoring companies. A graduate of Phillips Academy Andover and Vanderbilt University, Ms. LaFlamme Ortega began her career in education more than twenty years ago as an English Literature teacher. Today she leads one of the most dynamic, woman-owned ed-tech enterprises, serving students across the U.S. and around the world. As an educator-entrepreneur, Ms. LaFlamme Ortega leads a team of educational course designers, content engineers, programmers, and subject-area experts, who together have built a multiple award-winning e-learning platform that is disrupting the way students learn and achieve on pre-college and pre-career standardized assessments.

Inspired to create the most adaptive and prescriptive e-learning program available, Ms. LaFlamme Ortega focused on the outliers, delivering content aimed to increase the academic performance of the most challenged test-takers seeking competency to the most competitive test-takers seeking near perfect scores. Employing a unique and highly iterative process for both courseware and software development, PREPWORKS' proven methodologies, learning techniques, and proprietary Learning Positioning System® technology are seamlessly

Translated into an e-learning platform used by students across 26 states and 18 countries. PREPWORKS programs and adaptive learning supplements include college and career readiness; PSAT, SAT, ACT exams, End of Course supplements in Algebra, Geometry, Biology, Civics, and History.

Firmly believing that today's technology must serve as the great equalizer in education, Ms. LaFlamme Ortega has fostered a strong culture of social impact and giving, ensuring that in the course of the company's commercial success, PREPWORKS continues to help high-need students, partnering with several local, regional, and national organizations who embrace the opportunity to serve these students. Ms. LaFlamme Ortega has ensured that PREPWORKS programs are available to underserved communities by partnering with organizations such as Breakthrough Foundation, Barbara Bush Family Literacy Foundation, Educate Tomorrow, Georgetown Institute for College Preparation, among others. She has spoken at national and international events on the subject of education technology and emerging trends in adaptive learning and content creation.

Ms. LaFlamme Ortega is a mother of three young women, and is an active member of the Woman’s President Organization (WPO).

Daniel J. Villao, MBA

Mr. Villao is the Managing Director of Intelligent Partnerships, Inc. a firm focused on client improvement through strategic planning, Labor Navigation™ and Diversity Design™ in the public and private sector. Mr. Villao’s extensive background in key stakeholder management, market capture/realignment and value oriented workforce design has contributed to shaping a robust, innovative company. His work is recognized for its relevance and innovative modeling by industry leaders as well as municipal, state and national organizations.

Mr. Villao’s work has influenced policy and practice surrounding the impact of spending on small business, procurement development and disenfranchised worker access. Mr. Villao is also the lead author of “Beyond Green Jobs; Building Opportunity in Energy Efficiency” (UCLA Press, 2012), which has been recognized nationally.

As a member of the National Board of Directors for the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) he advocates to enhance opportunities for Latino’s to gain access to university and professional networks and has played a pivotal role in the organizations evolution into the largest Latino professional and student business membership non-profit organization in the nation. Mr.Villao also serves as a Washington State Commissioner on the Commission of Hispanic Affairs on behalf of Governor Inslee and is the immediate past Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship where he served at the behest of U.S. Secretary of Labor, the Honorable Tomas Perez.