MARIA SALINAS

Chief Executive

Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

Maria Salinas was tapped earlier this year as chief executive of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the first woman in the position in the organization’s 130-year history. She steps into the role on Aug. 1, succeeding Gary Toebben, a longtime chief executive who retired. The L.A. native trained as an accountant at Ernst & Young, spent 11 years as a financial executive at The Walt Disney Co. and launched her own financial consulting business in 2006. She was a founding board member of ProAmerica Bank, now owned by Pacific Commerce Bancorp. She chairs the board of regents at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester, her alma mater. She’s also vice chairwoman of the national board of UnidosUS, formerly National Council of La Raza, and is a founding board member of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine.