Yashira “Yaya” Marie Rivera is a passionate entrepreneur, designer, activist, blogger, event coordinator, philanthropist and marketing/social media guru. She is currently the Events and Non-Traditional Revenue Coordinator at WURD Radio, the only independently-owned African American radio station in Pennsylvania.

Rivera also runs a personal lifestyle blog, M0ntage.com (soon to be YashiraRivera.com), a website that publishes motivational stories, interviews, and volunteerism to help readers boost their confidence.

She is also a co-facilitator for the Indivisible Northwest Philadelphia’s Reproductive Justice Group. Rivera worked as a teller for several years at Northwest Savings Bank, and in 2013, she received its annual Community Involvement Award for her work with Dress for Success South Central Pennsylvania, where she served as the committee chair for The Power Walk & Suits to Careers 5k Run. The award is granted to one of the bank’s regional employees each year.  

Amaris Hernandez is an Information Systems professional, working out of the Delaware Valley for more than 13 years. She graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, and earned a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems and Technology from Drexel University.

Hernandez began her professional career as a Data Manager with the School District of Philadelphia. In this role, she worked with a family literacy program and facilitated technology courses for parents in the community. She later began consulting for Bank of America as a Systems Administrator, where she managed the production and job tracking system for an internal advertising agency.

For the last nine years, Hernandez has been an active participant in the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (NACOPRW), a national organization that serves the community through workshops, mentoring, scholarships and leadership development. Hernandez is currently the president of the Philadelphia chapter.

In August 2015, Hernandez was sworn into the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, where she now sits as the Commission Vice-Chair. Through the Commission, Hernandez is able to bring issues of the local Latino community, and recommendations for policy to the attention of the governor.

She also advocates for young women to enter STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) fields. In 2010, she was nominated by Impacto newspaper as one of the “40 Most Influential Leaders in the Delaware Valley.”

Jennylee Ramos currently works as the Assistant Director for Programs and Marketing in the Office of Student Activities at Temple University. Ramos is a proud double alumna of Temple University: she earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Business Marketing from the Fox School of Business in 2016, and in 2018, she completed her Masters in Tourism and Hospitality Management from the School of Tourism and Hospitality.

In her role as the Assistant Director for Programs and Marketing, she manages all major programming for the Temple University student body. She previously worked and interned with several organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, including her role as the Program Coordinator for the African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ, and DE, where she strategically crafted events. She established a monthly program, “Tech-Tuesday,” that connects young professionals and business owners of marginalized communities with tools to help propel their business and career goals.

As the Events Officer for Prospanica, she has volunteered to develop and execute transformative programs and initiatives for people of color. These initiatives provide networking opportunities and resources to help advance marginalized populations. Ramos’ long term goal is to build events that enhance communities and create lifelong connections.

Yocasta Lora is the Associate State Director for Community Outreach at AARP Pennsylvania. She leads program development and implementation, volunteer management, local advocacy, and strategic partner relationships in order to create accessible and safe communities for people of all ages.

Lora has been recognized for her accomplishment in building strategic alliances and community and economic development. Prior to joining AARP, Lora was the Director of Programs for the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she managed relationships with key partners such as Philadelphia Commerce Department, University of Pennsylvania, and Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses. Here, she also supported the two largest programs in the Chamber: the Small Business Development and Education, and Professional Mentoring Network. These programs focused on strengthening businesses in the greater Philadelphia area through revenue generation and local job creation.

Lora currently serves as a board member for The Merchants Funds, and Comhar. She is also a committee member of the Philadelphia Mayor Transition Team and Phila International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), and was a former committee member of Philadelphia Minority Enterprise Development Week She is also the founder of the professional group, Dominicanos in the Delaware Valley.