Meet the CC Team
Community Connections is a woman-minority-owned small business prime. Our team reflects the history and culture of the community with over 100 years of combined experience within the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Our team consists of fully bilingual personnel in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Armenian, and Romanian. We have various completed and ongoing projects with LACMTA, OCTA and various cities, providing the community with valuable information that will enhance their quality of life. We specialize in partnering with key stakeholders and community-based organizations and have ongoing relationships with numerous elected officials. Our stakeholder engagement, strategic planning and outreach strategies will far exceed your agencies goals for a successful project or program.
Theresa Martinez
Principal-in-Charge
Ms. Martinez has more than 25 years of experience integrating her expertise in grassroots community outreach and stakeholder engagement in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. She has successfully organized and managed large public outreach and engagement programs, including facilitating high-profile events and outreach campaigns and events for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and South Coast AQMD, to name a few. Skilled at building strong working relationships with local government, targeted community, business and faith based organizations and community stakeholders, Ms. Martinez has a superior record of working with underutilized community demographics to formulate beneficial programs and issue resolutions.
Ms. Martinez is an appointed commissioner for the Hospital Supplier Diversity Commission under HCAi and serves as a Board Director for the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership, the Wall Las Memorias, the Latino Restaurant Association (LRA) and the Hispanic Coalition of Small Business Foundation (HCSBF).
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Desiree Portillo-Rabinov
Strategic Project Manager
Ms. Portillo-Rabinov is an experienced senior project manager and community development professional with a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget. She has strong communication skills to resolve complex issues, analyze and prepare reports and summaries, and effectively lead cross-functional teams to facilitate and innovate for project execution.
She currently serves as a Strategic Project Manager in providing transportation planning and outreach strategies in Southern California. Ms. Portillo-Rabinov worked for Los Angeles Metro for over 30 years and coordinated developing the Transit-supportive Planning Toolkit and implemented a web-based format for the TOD program, grant-funded 8 cities within a $3.1 million budget for Round 5 for TOD and TIF planning documents, co-developed the West Santa Ana Branch TODSIP implementation award corridor program. She currently serves as Board Trustee for Glendale Community College and on The Trust for Public Land, State Co-Chair, California Advisory Board, the National Women’s Political Caucus - Los Angeles Chapter as past President,American Planning Association, Los Angeles Chapter member as well as the Walk Bike Glendale- Arroyo Verdugo Trail Committee Co-Chair.
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Ray Galan
Digital Marketing Manager
Maria De Jesus Flores
Administrative Specialist
Ray Galan is our Director of Digital Marketing. Ray provides support with projects specializing in online marketing, e-commerce, web development, and online branding. Ray has worked on various contracts with city and privately funded community projects throughout the United States and abroad, with recent contracts with LAUSD, City of Montebello, City of Arroyo Grande, CA and Los Angeles Regional Centers.
Ray has proven results in helping organizations with their online business model: How to revamp their site to improve ROI, strategize and apply new web development tools to improve performance, implement CRM solutions to strengthen business and customer relationships, and implement e-commerce solutions to create sales. Ray also is an expert in E-Marketing; specializing in planning, executing, and maintaining a strong online marketing mix to maximize online efficiency, branding, and reach targeted audiences.
Ray has served on our Metro Vermont Transit Corridor Project and reached over 2,000 stakeholders along the corridor to gather input on their thoughts for a bus rapid transit or rail system along the corridor.
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Maria Flores is a professional with a decade of expertise in project management, excelling in various aspects, including project planning, scheduling, and seamless task coordination. Her meticulous attention to detail is evident in every project she undertakes. Employing a collaborative approach, she engages with all stakeholders to ensure the timely achievement of project goals. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she brings a comprehensive skill set to the table, emphasizing a detailed-oriented approach and a strong commitment to customer service. Maria thrives in fast-paced environments. Having collaborated successfully with high-end designers and has dedicated over 10 years to a marketing company. She has provided services to distinguished clients, including but not limited to Los Angeles Times en Español, Ketel One, Nestle, Shops of Montebello, Festival of Books, #WeAllGrow, LatinaFest, and more.
FULL BIO INFORMATION: CLICK HERE