Our Company
Monarca Group is a leading woman and minority-owned organization that provides tailor-made Triple Bottom Line solutions to help clients engage and communicate effectively with diverse communities. Monarca creates customized plans and strategies to meet clients' unique needs, enabling them to make a positive impact while promoting social equity and sustainable growth.
Our Team
Our team of trusted consultants is uniquely positioned as cultural brokers with deep roots in the community, providing personalized support to hard-to-reach populations who face systemic barriers in accessing and navigating complex systems. With years of experience effectively engaging diverse communities, our team has played a vital role in driving diverse, equitable, and inclusive policy-making. We are committed to empowering marginalized communities, promoting social equity, and building sustainable pathways for underrepresented groups to succeed.
Berenice El Gharamti
Co-Founder & President
Berenice is a dynamic sustainability professional committed to advancing economic development and sustainability initiatives in minority communities. Her passion for driving positive change is evident in the equity initiatives she has successfully organized and implemented to benefit frontline community members, particularly Latinos. With years of experience working with various organizations in Boulder County, Berenice has significantly impacted the community. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Berenice provided crucial support to hundreds of Latino businesses through her work with the Latino Chamber. She helped these businesses stay afloat during difficult times, ensuring their survival and continued growth. Berenice also played a critical role in launching Longmont's first equitable and sustainable business program. This initiative certified 93 businesses as sustainable, 42 Latino-owned, showcasing Berenice's dedication to promoting economic and social justice. In addition, she leads a compliance assistance program to support Equity Priority buildings in meeting the Energize Denver Buildings Performance Ordinance.
Berenice is an authentic leader and natural problem-solver, born and raised in Mexico. She holds a master's in environmental engineering from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. She has lived in several countries, including Turkey, Italy, and Norway, where she researched climate change. Berenice's love for travel and cultural immersion adds depth and richness to her work, making her a powerful force for positive change.
Jose Luis Ramos
Co-Founder & Vice-President
José Luis is a bilingual/bicultural software engineer with extensive experience in construction, entrepreneurship, education, and business ownership. He has worked for several large corporations, including HP, Agilent, and Seagate, performing software engineering and R&D management duties. José Luis has also made significant contributions to the community as a bilingual business specialist for the City of Fort Collins. He helped establish communication channels between minority-owned businesses and the government, creating the Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center. In addition, he founded the NoCo Latino Chamber of Commerce, supporting over 90 new companies in his two years with the City. He has also worked as a business consultant for the Minority Business Office and the Larimer Small Business Development Center, assisting various businesses in all business processes. In addition, he helped create the technical foundations program offered by the Minority Business Office. José Luis has owned a consulting company helping small businesses in Fort Collins for the last 19 years and has owned a restaurant for over ten years. He oversees the Sustainable Business Program (SBP) for the City of Longmont, where he works with several partners to help underserved businesses achieve their sustainability goals.
Cristhian Hernandez
Data Analysis and Report Specialist
Cristhian Hernandez would be working as a Field Specialist with the CGBN and NoCO Biz Connect in the city of ForthCollins, supporting different sorts of businesses and organizations, in the implementation of environmental practices to reduce emissions across industry in the state of Colorado. Cristhian is from Colombia. He is a manufacturing engineer with studies in energy at UBA (Universidad de Buenos Aires) and Project Management at UTN (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional de Buenos Aires). His main academy goal is to study a master in renewable energy. He loves Colorado, in this state he found a profound connection with nature, just as he was used to have back in his home country. He believes in change and he's really excited to belong to this program and be able to contribute to make a better world.
Astrid Villalobos
Creative & Inclusive Design Lead
Astrid Villalobos is a Communications & Outreach specialist with over four years of experience in sustainability, culturally relevant marketing, and community engagement. She grew up as an undocumented student until 2017, when she became a U.S. citizen. Astrid is currently studying Political Science at the University of Colorado in Denver. Throughout her academic and professional career, she has sought to assist others in navigating systems and comprehending
information that impacts their everyday lives. She believes that low-income, minority, and underserved communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and other disasters. Astrid hopes that through her knowledge and lived experiences, she will be able to continue connecting and serving the underserved community and help advance climate action goals through sustainability programming.
Lorraine D Hynds
Events Coordinator
Lorraine was born and raised in Honduras, growing up on a small island in the Caribbean has given her a heart for protecting the environment and natural resources. She got her Bachelor’s degree in Colorado and moved back to Honduras where she got her MBA and worked in different industries: banking, tourism and education. She returned to CO with her family in 2017 and has been serving her community in any way she can. Some volunteer work has been: teaching English as a second language to immigrants, mom groups, picking up bagels for food banks during COVID, Latino events in Erie and more.
She has a heart to serve those around her, especially underserved groups. She has been a Compassion International sponsor and advocate for over 20 years.
Event planning has always been a part of her different endeavors from planning family functions to planning the launch of new bank branches in Honduras.
Lorraine’s vast experience in different fields has enabled her to think on her feet, find creative solutions to problems, be flexible and open minded to different situations. Having lived and traveled to different parts of the world has given her an ample view and understanding of the world around her.
Ron Bambrila
Strategic Advisor
Ron Brambila is an accomplished, semi-retired entrepreneur, business, and management consultant with over 50 years of experience in small business development, workforce, economic and community development with numerous business organizations, local, state, federal, indigenous tribal governments, and nonprofit entities. Additionally, he has provided international project management for U.S. companies and foundations doing business in Mexico. Before his business ownership and consulting ventures, Mr. Brambila's previous employment experience included involvement with nonprofit executive management with a rural council of governments, minority businesses, and nonprofit economic development efforts. He has also served as a managing principal for two national training and technical assistance firms on federal government contracts of national significance.
