CORPORATE LEADER AWARD

 Michelle Vargas is the Manufacturing/Operations Quality Manager at Illumina.  She is the current Co-Chair of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) NextGen and the ASQ Deputy Regional Director for San Diego, Temecula, and Palomar.  Michelle has previously held the positions of ASQ Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect.  She holds three ASQ Certifications: Certified Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and Certified Quality Auditor.  Michelle has a B.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from San Jose State University and a Masters in Regulatory Affairs from San Diego State University. She has obtained an Advanced Certificate in Regulatory Affairs from SDSU.  Michelle has over 20 years working in Quality Systems for Medical Devices and Aerospace manufacturing industries.  Her expertise includes Quality Systems, Quality Engineering, Validation, Customer Complaints, Corrective and Preventive Actions, Non-conformances, Design Controls, Change Order Control, Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Process Controls, Continuous Improvements, and Audit (Internal and External) in compliance with FDA regulation, ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, International regulations, and laws, and AS 9100.

LinkedIn 

Company: Illumina 

Jesica Holstein is a vice president and project manager at California Bank & Trust (CB&T), a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. She has been with CB&T for more than 13 years and was recently project manager for the bank’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which delivered over 10,000 loans totaling $1.7 billion to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in California, saving an estimated 154,000 jobs. She is also responsible for driving the strategy and administrative oversight of CB&T’s corporate responsibility program, and future employee recruitment and development through management of the summer internship program. Her efforts with CB&T’s diversity, equity and inclusion activities include serving as secretary for the Asian Pacific Islander Leaders business resource group. As part of her volunteer work with local nonprofits, she is deeply involved with the Japanese American community and serves as treasurer on the Genki HomeCare board of directors. Holstein earned her B.A. from San Diego State University and a project management certificate from UC San Diego.

LinkedIn 

Company: California Bank & Trust 

Deanna Martin Mackey is president of the Public Television Major Market Group (PTMMG), a consortium of the 40 largest PBS member stations in the U.S. She focuses her time on leadership/culture, revenue generation, audience development and digital on behalf of the group as well as national partnerships and system leadership activities.  In 2015, Mackey co-founded Public Media Women in Leadership, to provide mentorship/training for women in her industry and address issues of gender inequity in public media. For 13 years Mackey has served as a Girl Scout troop leader, currently leading 17 high school girls, and she spent 10 years in board governance for Girl Scouts San Diego. Mackey was recently elected to the board of directors of Parks, California. The organization’s mission is to make California state parks and public lands welcoming, inclusive and climate resilient spaces to truly serve all Californians, particularly underserved communities.  

LinkedIn 

Company: Public Television Major Market Group & Public Media Women in Leadership  

As the Director of Retirement Plan Services for MWM Retirement Solutions, I help businesses optimize their employer sponsored retirement benefits and financial wellness programs. I assist with creating and maintain an efficient due diligence process, that allows plan sponsors to act prudently, in best interest of their participants.

LinkedIn 

Company: MWM Retirement Solutions 

Lori Holt Pfeiler has a passion for helping others and is passionate about housing.  Everyone needs a decent and affordable home.  In July 2021, Lori took the helm of the Building Industry Association of San Diego County as President & Chief Executive Officer.  She expects to raise the conversation such that everyone understands housing is a problem for all of us together.  Previously, Lori served as President & CEO of San Diego Habitat for Humanity for nine years; guiding Habitat in providing a hand up to families that might not otherwise have the opportunity to have a home to call their own.

LinkedIn 

Company: Building Industry Association of San Diego County