Chapter Officers

If you are interested in becoming more involved with our Chapter, please contact our President.

President Hedieh Bolour Wells Fargo Home Equity Group president@LAnabe.org	Hedieh is a Market Growth Consultant in the Century City office of Wells Fargo Home Equity Group, developing the business line in Southern California. Previously she assessed the needs of high net worth individuals as a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Investments. She began her career at ING Direct assisting clients with cash management. She simultaneously founded and managed Bolour MusicPlay, a business fostering the talent of aspiring pianists. She was a Private Banking Summer Associate at Credit Suisse Securities and also performed financial and investment analysis for the CFO at the American Wind Energy Association. Hedieh received her MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University, and a BA with honors from the Psychology Program at the University of Southern California.

Vice President Carmen Hirciag California Association of Realtors vicepresident@LAnabe.org	Carmen Hirciag joined the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) in 2003 as membership development manager. In that role, she was responsible for managing and marketing various member programs, building strategic partnerships with other real estate and community organizations, developing and overseeing budgets, planning educational events and managing C.A.R.’s commercial programs and Young Professionals Network. Carmen has transitioned to the position of research analyst and she is now conducting research, analyzing the housing market and economy and writing articles based on that research and analysis,. Prior to C.A.R., Carmen worked as a consultant for Media Plus Consultants in Belgium. In that capacity, she analyzed investment opportunities and interviewed government officials and heads of corporations in several countries in Europe, Africa and Asia to produce promotional country profiles for global print and television media. Carmen has a Bachelor degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a minor in Spanish Literature. She is currently pursuing a Master degree in Business Administration, with a specialization in Global Business, at Pepperdine University. Carmen has been an active member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association for Business Economics since 2008, serving on the Board as Academic Chair from 2010 to 2011.

Treasurer Shawn Bolour treasurer@LAnabe.org	Shawn Bolour is a recent graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business. He served as a junior analyst for Bolour Associates, where he was responsible for the acquisition of two real estate investments. Furthermore, Shawn was an investment analyst for Marcus and Millichap, where he valuated 36 properties for a team of brokers. At USC, Shawn was part of the founding of a social fraternity and helped catapult the organization from 20 to 65 members. In addition, Shawn traveled with the USC Men’s Soccer Club to compete in tournaments nationwide. Connect with Shawn via LinkedIn.

Secretary Karen Smith AdamsSmith Economics secretary@LAnabe.org	Karen Smith is a principal in the economic forensic company AdamsSmith Economics. She provides expert witness testimony and litigation support to various laws firms and government agencies throughout California. She began her career at IBAR Settlement Company in 1985, and worked her way up to Assistant Vice President by the time she left in 1990. Karen received her BA from the University of California, San Diego, Revelle College in 1984 with a double major of Management Science through the Economics Department and Applied Mathematics through the Mathematics Department. She then earned her MBA with a concentration in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Southern California in 1989.

Marketing Chair Cherie Park Forever 21 marketing@LAnabe.org	Cherie currently works at Forever 21, Inc., focusing on business strategy. Prior to that, Ms. Park was an Associate at Lehman Brothers, where she evaluated equity and mezzanine debt investment opportunities. She graduated with a B.S. from Cornell University in 2005.

Academic Chair JJ Espinoza Econ One academic@LAnabe.org	JJ recently completed his masters in economics from the California State University, Fullerton with an emphasis on econometrics, time series analysis and international economics. JJ will be presenting his thesis titled, "Dynamic Effects of Foreign and Domestic Variables on Nicaragua's Economy" at the 86th Annual Western Economic Association International Conference this year in July. While at UCLA he earned dual bachelors degrees in mathematics / applied science and economics. JJ also holds 3 associates degrees from Cerritos College in business administration, economics and mathematics. He plans on continuing his education by earning a PhD in economics with an emphasis on macroeconometrics and international finance. While at UCLA he volunteered to help poor farmers in Honduras with Global Business Brigades in addition to working as a research assistant on campus. JJ has also worked as an analyst in the financial services industry and as a planner for a major retail company. He recently was hired by Econ One Research Inc., an economic and litigation consulting firm in L.A., to work as an economic / statistical analyst where he will be doing Independent data/statistical analysis including economic and econometric modeling. Database construction / manipulation and document collection / organization and review.

Webmaster Lee Huffman City National Bank webmaster@LAnabe.org	Mr. Huffman is the Vice President, Finance Manager for the Entertainment and Specialty Banking Divisions of City National Bank, where he manages the budget of $5 billion in loans and $4 billion in deposits. He has over 15 years experience in banking, finance, and investments, including the last five in his current role. Mr. Huffman holds a Bachelors from Pepperdine in Business Management and a MBA from University of Phoenix in Techonology Management. Throughout his career, he has earned several designations, including Series 6 and 63 Licenses, Life Insurance License, and a Green Belt in Six Sigma. He is currently pursuing an Accounting Certification on his way towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Huffman is a past President of the LA Chapter of NABE.

Advisory Board

Ssusan Forte O'Neil
Forte Designs

Laurie King

Lynda Lo-Hill
TuTerrific Tutors

Dr. Jim Charkins
California Council on Economic Education

Robert Kleinhenz
CA Association of Realtors

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