Dora Westerlund is the Founder and the President and CEO of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2004 in Fresno, CA to foster entrepreneurship as a means towards economic self-sufficiency within minority and underserved communities. As CEO, Dora has led the organization to become a highly visible entity in the non-profit sector by changing the lives of thousands of Hispanic and non-Hispanic business entrepreneurs throughout the state, connecting them with the tools and resources necessary to help them become economically self-sufficient. In 2009 Dora obtained the support of a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, and under her leadership, established the Downtown Business Hub; the first bilingual business incubator in the Western United States that opened doors in June 2011 and serves as a one-stop-shop for small businesses throughout California’s Central Valley.

Dora’s leadership and work have received recognition from many sectors: Business Street Newspaper (Most Influential Women), 2 time-award recipient from the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Chamber Executive of the Year), “Chamber of the Year” award by the United States Chamber of Commerce in 2014, 2016 Top Dog recipient from the Alumni Association at Fresno State, and 2017 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award recipient. Dora is involved in the community by serving on the Board of Governors at California State University, Fresno and Saint Agnes Medical Center. She has also previously served on the Business Advisory Council for the Craig School of Business, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Community Advisory Council, Board of Directors for the 21st District Agricultural Association, Big Fresno Fair, Fresno County Office of Education Foundation, and the Patino School of Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee.