Guiding Hope: Hope Builders’ Executive Committee

Hope Builders’ Executive Committee provides visionary leadership and strategic oversight to advance the organization’s mission to empower young adults to build pathways to prosperity. Comprised of community and industry leaders, the committee ensures strong governance, fiscal responsibility, and mission alignment. Their commitment drives innovation in how Hope Builders delivers impact across Orange County, bridging the gap between young adults disconnected from the workforce and employers looking for skilled, reliable talent.

 

Carlos Gonzalez, Chair

Division President, Clark Construction Group – Southern California

Carlos is a civil engineer by training with nearly 30 years in the construction industry. He joined Clark in 2001 where he has led the construction of more than $1 billion in projects. As the Division President, he oversees construction operations, preconstruction, and business development in Clark’s Southern California region. He has served as a volunteer at Hope Builders sharing about his experience as a child of immigrants encouraging program participants to advance their education. Carlos is a proud member of the National ACE Mentor Program Board of Directors, Civil Engineering Advisory Board at San Diego State University, and Hope Builders Board of Directors.

 

Alex Calabrese, Vice Chair

President & CEO, RSI Equity Partners

Alex currently serves as President & CEO of RSI Equity Partners, a private equity investment company in Newport Beach, California.  Prior to his current role, Alex served for over 20 years as Chairman & CEO of RSI Home Products which, under his leadership, expanded to become one of the nation’s largest kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturers serving national home centers, home builders and dealers and distributors. Alex also served on the Board and as a strategic advisor to RSI Communities, a builder of single-family home developments with operations in California and Texas. Alex currently serves on the boards of The American Bath Group, owned by Lone Star Capital, and The Simon Foundation for Education and Housing

 

Mike Smith, Treasurer

Chief Financial Officer

Mike is a seasoned financial veteran with 30 years of experience leading teams through IPOs, acquisitions, and a variety of other major public company transitions. Most recently with Doma, Mike served as Chief Accounting Officer and Director of Treasury at Banc of California, Inc. where he was responsible for company-wide accounting, financial planning and analysis, and tax, in addition to serving as its interim CFO during the company’s CFO transition. He began his career in the audit practices of Deloitte and Grant Thornton.  Additionally, Mike served for 10 years on the Management Advisory Board for BYU Marriott School of Business in numerous capacities (including as president) and was the volunteer Scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 736.

 

Tim Blett, Chair Emeritus

CEO, eMaxx Partrners

Tim is an Entrepreneur, Board Director, CEO, and Investor. Over the past 30 years, he has earned a highly acclaimed, performance driven reputation for global marketing and digital expertise. He has transformed traditional business models, for marquee organizations, into customer centric, best-in-class, growth platforms.   Tim is an industry expert recognized for the ability to define brand vision, lead technology, translate big data into actionable insights, implement marketing and digital strategies—all designed to build highly successful, digital transformation solutions to support growth objectives. His transformational leadership skills include strategic planning, turnarounds, P&L, M&A, customer experience (CX) and global content management systems. Tim is a dedicated motivator and coach to peers, executive teams, and Directors on Boards.