Glenn Younger, Grah Security

Glenn Younger is the managing partner of Grah Safe and Lock. Grah is over 110 years old, and in 2006 they re-located to the neighborhood of Hillcrest.

Glenn has served on the board and executive committee for the Hillcrest Business Improvement District. He worked on the Uptown Community Plan Update committee, and is the president of the Hillcrest Foundation.

Glenn is on advisory boards for the CA State Fire Marshall, CA. Dept of Consumer Affairs - Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and the CA Contractors State License Board. He is a past board member of the California Small Business Association, and has served on the Governor’s Small Business council.

Sheila Kazemaini, Property Owner*

I have over 25 years of experience in property management.  I am known for being a problem solver, effective communicator, thought leader, and relationship builder.  I am concerned about the growing homeless population in Hillcrest and it’s effect on neighborhood safety and cleanliness, as well as causing Hillcrest's recent loss of some well-known national businesses. Hillcrest is a wonderfully unique and vibrant area of San Diego and I would like to work with my fellow Hillcrest business owners to ensure that Hillcrest is a safe, vibrant, walkable area that will attract customers and tenants to our businesses.

Gary Wong, Property Owner

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Gloria Cruz Cardenas / San Diego LGBT Community Center / Pronouns: She, Her, they, them

Gloria Cruz Cardenas is a passionate public servant with more than 22 years of experience in actively developing policy and advocacy with a race and equity framework. She is a lifelong activist for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, being a member of both communities.

She currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer at The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) where she leads The Center's Public Affairs Department.  Previous to her work at The Center, she served as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). While at CHIRLA, she led regional, binational, state, and federal efforts to advance the rights of immigrants and refugees in California, Mexico, and the U.S.

A glass ceiling breaking activist and organizer, Gloria was deeply involved with the 1994 student walkouts in opposition to CA Prop 187, and was active in the campaigns for in-state tuition for immigrant youth (AB 540) and fighting for the DREAM Act.

A graduate of San Diego State University, prior to CHIRLA, Gloria served at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties where she focused on education equity, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and criminal system reform. Followed by service at the SD City Council under President Georgette Gomez and at the SD County Board of Supervisors under Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer, Gloria served the City of San Diego and subsequently the County as the Director of Community Engagement, Public Safety & Binational Affairs. During her tenure in local government, she brought forward legislation against the Trump administration, affirming San Diego’s commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees.  

Gloria is an Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Leadership Institute (HLI) 2019 Fellow and University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Alum. She is also a graduate of Yale School of Management’s Executive Women Leadership Program.

Trent St. Louis / Realtor

Trent St. Louis has been a full time Realtor for 25 years in metro San Diego and works for the real estate brokerage, The Metropolitan Group. Trent also owned and operated his own real estate office in San Diego before selling it in 2004. Before his real estate career, Trent worked for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Division as a Humans Resources Director. Trent has a Bachelors in Liberal Arts and a Professional Designation in Human Resource Management from UCLA. Trent is a local San Diego resident, who lives in Hillcrest. 

Dorian Brewer / State Farm Insurance

Dorian is a State Farm agency owner in Hillcrest since 2020  located in the historic bank building on the corner of University and Fifth Avenue. He has lived in San Diego for over 20 years and believes in surrounding himself with those who will push him to be better.

His passion is to be actively involved and support his community. He says, “a connected community is a strong community that understands and accepts each other for who they are as people.”

He makes full use of his platform as a high profile State Farm agent to help the LGBTQ community. Most of his team identify with the LGBTQ community. He makes it a point to support local LGBTQ businesses and help promote them through his social media.

A few items below of which he is particularly proud are:

• Proud co-parent to an amazing human being

• Fundraiser and supporter not-for-profits since his childhood

• Cystic Fibrosis bike-a-thon, Multiple Sclerosis 50 Mile Walk, Project KidReady, GirlScouts, Amazing Strays, Red Dress Party

• Supporter and advocate of the LGBT+ communities and businesses

• LGBTQ+ business owner and survivor since 2020

• Selected to represent LGBTQ+ State Farm agent in national social media campaign

• San Diego Equality Business Association Board Member (2018-2022)

• Co-founder of Sobriety on the Sand (SOS) – not-for-profit benefiting the recovery community

Victoria Robertson / Divo Diva

Cecelia Moreno, Crest Cafe

Mike Burnett, Foundation for Form

Ryan Bedrosian / Rich’s Nightclub

Ryan Bedrosian, owner of Rich’s San Diego nightclub, is a well-known business leader, philanthropist, and activist in the local LGBTQ community. Born in New Jersey, Ryan was raised in San Diego and has deep family roots in town. He has been a part of Rich’s since 2008 when he became General Manager, and took the reins as owner at the end of 2019. In the community, Ryan serves as President of the Hillcrest Business Association, and as a member of both the San Diego Police Department’s Chief’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, and Mayor Todd Gloria’s LGBTQ Advisory Board. 

Amanda Minter / US Bank

Amanda Minter brings her passionate and resilient attitude towards life into her place of business by remaining steadfast in her abilities to help consumer and business clients in the Hillcrest community. She intuitively seeks opportunities to bring people together by being an ambassador for change. Amanda’s strong interpersonal skills,

paired with her ability to handle complex situations, all while maintaining integrity, are what lends to her dynamic character.

Amanda’s financial career has been cultivated over the last 10 plus years by being an experienced leader in the banking world. Her extensive expertise in the banking industry, combined with her ability to build strong partnerships across the financial sector, has delivered powerful results throughout her career.

In addition to her work at U.S. Bank, Amanda is passionate about education and supporting LGBTQ+ rights in the community and workplace. She exemplifies this by participating in financial literacy workshops for individuals in underserved communities and by being a board ambassador for the U.S. Bank Spectrum LGBTQ+ Business Resource

Group (BRG), which focuses on creating a safe and accepting environment where LGBTQ+ employees can be their authentic selves.

Amanda is an active volunteer in the Hillcrest community by being a participating contingent in the PRIDE parade and coordinating U.S. Bank volunteers for the event over the last three years. She has also secured U.S. Bank donor funds towards sponsorship in support of Hillcrest small businesses, and in collaboration with the Hillcrest Business

Association for events such as Taste of Hillcrest and for two years in a row, Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays. Amanda holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from California College. Amanda was presented with the honorary President’s distinction award for academic achievement in completing her master’s program with a 4.0 GPA. As such, she is a nominated member of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), where she now helps mentor college students.

Gioia Marino / Gioia’s Room

Gioia Marino is a proud business owner in Hillcrest. Her Styling House of Inclusion has been a retail staple in the community for over 11 years. Gioia’s Room offers unique & one of a kind styles, in house styling, reworked pieces and complementary alterations with purchase. 

Gioia is an active participant in all Hillcrest community events - such as the reoccurring monthly event A Walk in A.R.T.,  City Fest, Pride and many more. 

She is also an active member of the community 

in other respects. From having spoken at a press conference at the Mayor’s office - on behalf of her fellow business owners -  to having participated in multiple news appearances; discussing local community business, safety and upcoming events. 

Gioia is very excited at the possibility of being a member of The Board of Directors for the HBA. As a long standing retail business owner, she is ready to offer a new, vivacious, fresh perspective & voice to the board!