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A Conversation Series

CULTURES UNITED

Orange County is stronger when we’re united—united in our passion to improve lives for everyone who lives here.

 

Cultures United is a virtual conversation series that encourages dialogue, collaboration, philanthropy, and unity. Each discussion aims to highlight and celebrate our differences, share our strengths, and unite to do more for our community.

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Watch Our Past Conversation:

Housing Insecurity in Orange County
What’s at Stake and How We Can Help

In our final Cultures United of the year, we explored what’s at stake for thousands of local residents and how community, business, and nonprofit leaders can help drive meaningful change. Our panel of respected Orange County leaders shared valuable perspectives on the root causes of housing instability, innovative programs making a difference, and ways we can collectively support our unhoused neighbors.

 

A special thank you to our distinguished panelists, Lucy Dunn (Orange County Business Council), Kris Murray (Association of California Cities – Orange County), and Alejandro Santiago (United to End Homelessness, Orange County United Way), and to our engaging moderator, Fred Zago (California Bank & Trust).

If you have any questions, please email CulturesUnited@UnitedWayOC.org

Our Conversations Aim to Help Us All:

Discover similarities within our community
Learn about the challenges facing our most vulnerable communities
Strength
Find pride in the different cultures that make up Orange County
Be inspired to take action

Watch Past Conversations

Playlist

6 Videos
View All Conversations
Thank You to Our Sponsor

Cultures United Chairs

Ben Alvarado

Executive Vice President and Director of Core Banking, California Bank & Trust

Board of Directors, Orange County United Way

See Ben's Bio
Martha Daniel

CEO and President, Information Management Resources, Inc.,
Past Board Member, Orange County United Way

See Martha's Bio
Tam Nguyen

President, Advance Beauty College
Past Board Member, Orange County United Way

See Tam's Bio
Susan B. Parks

President and CEO, Orange County United Way

See Susan's Bio

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please email CulturesUnited@UnitedWayOC.org.

Donations to Orange County United Way are processed by the GiveButter platform

© 2025 Orange County United Way. All rights reserved.
Ben Alvarado

Ben Alvarado is currently an Executive Vice President and the Director of Core Banking at California Bank & Trust, where he oversees small business banking and the branch banking network across California.

 

Alvarado is a member of the Executive Management Committee at California Bank & Trust, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University where he received his MBA, a Board Member for the Orange County United Way and the non-profit Bundles of Books. Ben also serves as a mentor for the Student Center for Professional Development at California State University Long Beach.

Martha Daniel

Martha Daniel is the President and CEO of IMRI, which she founded in 1992. Under her leadership, IMRI has grown significantly to deliver more than $285+ million in cybersecurity, information technology, and engineering across 19 states and internationally.

 

A published author and frequent speaker, Daniel co-authored On the Other Side of Midnight 2000: An Executive Guide to the Year 2000 Problem and Million Dollar Conversations. She is also an ordained Minister at Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church, Irvine, Trustee of the University of LaVerne, Chairperson of Board Development Committee of Orange County United Way, member of Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Board of Directors, and a member of the Trusteeship – International Women Forum (IWF).

Tam Nguyen

Tam Nguyen is the President of Advance Beauty College, which has campuses in Garden Grove and Laguna Hills and has seen more than 40,00 graduates over 33 years. He also enjoys teaching Family Business Dynamics as a Management faculty member at Cal State Fullerton (CSUF).

 

An active member of the community, Nguyen is on the Orange County US Bank Advisory Board, the Vice Chair of Orange County United Way’s Board of Directors, Chair Elect of CSUF Philanthropic Foundation, Vice President of the Garden Grove Community Foundation, and past Chair of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce.

Susan B. Parks

Susan B. Parks is the President and CEO of Orange County United Way, where she leads the nonprofit organization toward improving lives and strengthening the Orange County community. Parks has a long history with the organization as a former board member and a founding member of the Orange County United Way Women’s Philanthropy Fund.

 

Parks has received numerous accolades for both her business and civic leadership. She currently serves on the Commission to End Homelessness and is a member of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Chief Executive Roundtable. Prior to joining United Way, she spent many years as an entrepreneur and executive in corporate America.

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