VP, Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
The common thread of Alex Nichols’ career and community journey is the donation of time and treasure she’s provided to numerous organizations. Her dedication to helping others locally and nationally comes from a personal feeling of responsibility to pay it forward the gifts she’s received and help others along the way. Her approach to connecting others and exciting a team around a cause has resulted in an energy of enthusiasm that those who have volunteered alongside her now carry it forward as well, expanding the reach of philanthropy.
Nichols’ involvement with nonprofit organizations started at age 16 with the Youth Science Center in Hacienda Heights to make STEM education exciting for young children. After graduating from Duke University, she moved to Boston where she fell in love with the Girls on the Run organization. Girls on the Run encourages young girls to be healthy, joyful, and confident through exercise and provides as many scholarships as possible to girls who can’t afford to pay for the program on their own. From July 2011 to June 2013, she served as a team coach and in 2017 raised over $7,000 for the organization by running the Boston Marathon.
When Nichols relocated to Southern California in 2013, she wanted to stay connected to the Girls on the Run organization and worked with the local Los Angeles chapter to launch a Friends on the Run fundraising group. She helped the organization launch two new school programs in the Walnut Valley School District by bringing together the executive director and a former school board member to expand the program offerings to over 80 girls per year.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nichols, as treasurer of the Lyons-Smith Family Foundation, was integral in identifying, evaluating, and implementing a $1 million donation to support food insecurity programs in Orange County. The two organizations selected, which each received $500,000 from the foundation, were Orange County Food Bank and United Way Orange County. The Lyons-Smith Family Foundation impacted thousands of lives of local residents by providing food and basic necessities during a significant time of need.
Rising Star Finalists
Claire Arora
VP, Head of Customer Success
Green Street
Claire Arora is a vice president at Green Street where she leads the global Customer Success team. Her previous experience on Green Street’s Market Analytics team lends well to her role as head of Customer Success, where she meets regularly with clients to educate them on the intricacies of the company’s product and how investors can make better capital allocation decisions in both public and private markets.
Under Arora’s leadership, the newly formed Customer Success team of 12 individuals located across the U.S. and Europe has led over 4,500 client trainings and handled more than 13,000 user inquiries. The Customer Success team’s client satisfaction score is 4.95 out of 5, which equates to a 99% satisfaction score, signaling the clear and unique value Customer Success brings to Green Street’s clients.
Fatima Arshad
SVP, Credit Risk Management & Decisioning
Comerica Bank
Fatima Arshad began her career as a credit analyst and moved through a variety of positions as a commercial bank relationship manager responsible for developing, managing, and growing customer relationships before advancing into a senior sales leadership role supporting Comerica’s large corporate division. This experience prepared her for her current role as a credit administration officer. She now supports the bank’s growth objectives through sound credit decisioning and portfolio management of a large complex loan portfolio.
Arshad’s strong credit and business acumen, coupled with excellent communication and decision-making capability, make her an effective partner for Comerica’s sales colleagues and a steward of the bank’s strong, disciplined credit culture. She is known to be a strong and engaging leader, routinely relied upon to coach and mentor junior credit colleagues, relationship managers, and new group managers.
Sruthi Dhulipala
PR Manager
Technicolor Creative Studios
Sruthi Dhulipala is a multi-talented, award-winning entertainment publicist, writer, storyteller, and musician dedicated to creating purpose-driven content. Representing some of the biggest names in the film, TV, and brand industries, she has spearheaded the VFX publicity for films and shows like Jordan Peele’s Nope, House of the Dragon, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, Top Gun: Maverick, and more. She has also supported publicity for CBS Television’s The Big Bang Theory and The Late Late Show with James Corden, among others.
As a pioneering South Asian publicist in the Western entertainment industry, Dhulipala’s mission is to inspire change and open doors for underrepresented talent to pursue their dreams. She empowers others with her experiences, supports and uplifts fellow women in the industry, and offers personalized consultations to aspiring artists seeking to establish themselves in the mainstream media.
Samrah Mahmoud
Partner
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
Samrah Mahmoud is a partner at Troutman Pepper, a community leader in Orange County, and an advocate for access to justice. She graduated summa cum laude from Chapman University and UC Irvine School of Law, earning a pro bono achievement award for her extensive pro bono work. Her career at Troutman Pepper has been remarkable and played a crucial role in securing favorable judgments for United Educators Insurance in an ongoing arbitration and litigation with the University of Southern California over liability policies. Mahmoud has been recognized as a California Super Lawyer "Rising Star" and is actively involved in mentoring and supporting younger attorneys, especially women and minorities. Additionally, she is deeply committed to pro bono work representing low-income litigants in immigration, unlawful detainer, and domestic violence matters. She is also actively involved with her alma mater, UCI School of Law, as a lecturer and former president of the Alumni Association.
Nivine Perez
Senior Associate, Interior Design Leader
CannonDesign
Nivine Perez, lead interior designer at CannonDesign's Southern California region, is a creative and passionate leader. Her impact is felt locally and beyond with notable projects like UC San Diego Internal Medicine and Center for Seniors and LAC+USC Restorative Care Village. Her ability to listen to clients and create impactful spaces has earned her extensive recognition. As a gifted leader, Perez served on Cannon-Design's NEXT Council and was named a Woman of Influence in Architecture and Design by the San Diego Business Journal. She is currently leading efforts to grow CannonDesign's interiors practice in Southern California and actively engages with employee resource groups, mentoring others, and providing job shadowing and connections to interior design students. Despite her busy career, Perez is devoted to being a mom and actively participates in her son's school PTA, volunteering biweekly in his class and organizing school events.
Brittney Tierce
SVP, Technology & Security
Visory Health
Thirty-five-year-old Brittney Tierce is a prominent figure in healthcare technology, rising from vice president of operations to SVP of technology at Visory Health. This women-led company focuses on affordable medications via their app, transforming healthcare access. She orchestrated a groundbreaking cloud-based pharmacy system, a feat unachieved by competitors. Tierce ardently addresses healthcare gaps, elevating Visory Health to the fourth-most used platform, securing its prescription card in 30,000+ pharmacies, and saving over $2.7 billion for two million patients. Her advocacy extends to her local community, regularly supporting the homeless in Orange County and fostering creativity through her production company. As a powerful woman leader, Tierce confronts industry gender imbalances, inspiring change and transparency while championing improved healthcare options. Her drive embodies the aspirations of women leaders everywhere.
