Jose Corona
Chief Executive Officer
Inner City Advisors
As Chief Executive Officer, Jose leads the ICA team by providing strategic leadership, management and direction to Inner City Advisors. Jose’s primary emphasis has been placed on strong and innovative management, the cultivation of a strong network of high caliber consultants and advisors, and on promoting a fundamental change in the way communities invest into inner city economic development and revitalization. This formula has led to Inner City Advisors reliably delivering high caliber pro bono business consulting, strategic advice, practical entrepreneurial education and smart capital to inner city entrepreneurs. In 2009, Jose’s commitment to and track record in the development of businesses and community garnered him the Young Executive of the Year Award by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Since Joining the organization in 2004, Jose has led the organization in helping inner city entrepreneurs achieve success by assembling an unparalleled network of the Bay Area’s foremost business leaders and is often sought out for his ability to understand inner city business trends. Over a seven year period, Jose has overseen $8,253,600 of total pro bono investments into the ICA mission. In 2010, these combined investments supported the creation and retention of 1,945 jobs– 73% of which are held by inner city residents. This represents over $77 million in wages and salaries created for San Francisco Bay Area inner city communities.
Having worked in business and community development for over a decade, Jose is passionate about entrepreneurship. Raised by a family of successful farming entrepreneurs, Jose understands by way of practical experience how growing businesses have the power to transform communities. Prior to ICA, Jose served as development director at Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that provides business technical assistance and neighborhood planning services to mostly Latino-owned small businesses. Before working in the non-profit sector, Jose also worked in Corporate Retail Operations and Human Resources at Macy’s, Inc.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis, and Entrepreneur Management Development Certification from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. When he is not busy doing community development work, you will find him coaching and playing soccer, learning to be a father to, and chasing after, his 2-year-old son, Mateo.