Meet the Staff

A blend of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican and Floridian, Gaby Ortigoni has been serving the Central Florida Hispanic community for 20 years. As the President of HCCMO, her duty is to ensure that the Chamber fulfills its responsibilities to its members.Throughout her professional career, Ortigoni has been strongly committed to business development, strategic relationship building, economic development, international business, government affairs, and comprehensive community development.

Ortigoni has received numerous awards, including the Orlando Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award & Women Who Mean Business, Hispanic Women Who Make the Difference Award from La Prensa, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Community Service Award, and the Orlando Police Department’s Good Citizenship Award, among others. Gaby has demonstrated strong leadership skills and community involvement.

Pedro Turushina serves as the Vice President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO), driving the Chamber’s strategic vision across various domains, including membership, investor relations, operational excellence, and overall organizational advancement. With a keen focus on trustee recruitment, engagement, and retention, Mr. Turushina spearheads the development of proactive initiatives to enhance membership involvement. His leadership extends to creating strategic collaborations with the members, community, and government, fostering vital partnerships with key stakeholders.

In this capacity, Pedro Turushina fosters innovation, encourages collaborative endeavors, and positions the HCCMO as a pivotal force for catalyzing business ownership and fortifying the Hispanic community within Central Florida. Originally from Colombia, Pedro’s deep connection to Orlando began at 13. His academic journey led him to the University of Central Florida, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a track in Graphic Arts.

Pedro is a dedicated community advocate who enjoys working with diverse groups, fostering a collaborative ethos that bridges consumers and local enterprises. This transformative approach propels economic growth while nurturing a thriving business landscape. Before his pivotal role at HCCMO, Pedro founded and served as the Creative Director of a well-known marketing agency in Central Florida. In this entrepreneurial capacity, he strategically sought out avenues to engage with programs that provided:

• Tangible business prospects.
• Direct access to procurement decision-makers.
• Invaluable support to the fast-growing entrepreneurial community of Central Florida.

As part of his commitment to strengthening the business community, Pedro is committed to assisting the HCCMO with cultivating strategic partnerships, implementing innovative outreach strategies, and developing robust, targeted communications, all anchored in his high value in exercising authenticity. He is lending his expertise as a creative marketing resource. His involvement encompassed the entire spectrum from conceptualization to execution. His dedication extends to cultivating strategic partnerships, devising innovative outreach strategies, and forging robust, targeted communications for HCCMO.

Pedro Turushina is resolute in his mission to empower HCCMO, fostering growth through purposeful collaborations and championing the values that underlie the Hispanic business community.

Alejandra Escobar is originally from Colombia and relocated to Orlando in 2002. She is a professional in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Management, a Holistic Coach in Emotional Intelligence, and a Meditation Instructor.

She is the founder of Empodera Tu Camino, a brand she created to reach women in leadership positions of the Hispanic community. She has had the opportunity to work and lead teams of different cultures, nationalities, and age groups for the past 13 years. She identifies the individual strengths and uses the best available resources to place them in positions where their skills can best benefit the company and increase its economic growth.

Alejandra combines her knowledge in the professional, personal, and emotional fields so that her community can recognize the magnificent power within and can reach its full potential. She is an expert in storytelling and an advocate believer in bonding, connecting, and creating long-lasting personal and business relationships.

Brenda was born in California to parents from Puerto Rico and El Salvador. She has over 15 years of executive-administrative experience in various industries such as healthcare, wealth management, hospitality, and non-profit. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Central Florida. Her best qualities are that she is a steadfast, organized, self-starter who loves to continuously learn new things. She is a small business owner and a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. She enjoys doing yoga and spending time with her husband and beautiful daughter.

Gricel Valera is the Finance & Office Manager for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO). Responsible for financial statements to conform generally accepted accounting principle; assets are safeguarded; guidelines of grantors and donors are complied with; and finances are managed with accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. She comes with extensive experience in client relations, all aspects of business management and Human resources. She managed multiple teams to achieve positive results in metrics, budgets, financial forecasting, planning, and modelling tools within the channels. 

She was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York at a young age. Proud daughter of a single mom who showed her the importance of being a hard worker to achieve her goals. She is a mother of 3 who enjoys family time, cooking and everything Disney. Her favorite quote is “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen”. 

Andrea Bracho is the Event Coordinator for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO). She is in charge of planning and executing our events, contacting vendors, organizing deadlines, and managing guest lists. Andrea is also responsible for the budgets for each event. In addition, she is responsible for coordinating the event venues, managing the invoices, collecting payments, and solving any possible problems that may arise before, during, and after each event.

She is Venezuelan and has lived in Orlando since 2019.

Andrea loves the beach and the outdoors. She also likes to travel and meet new places and people. During her free time, she enjoys Crossfit and creates abstract paintings. Currently, Andrea is embarking on the journey of developing her brand of handmade handbags and accessories made in Colombia, with which she will help small entrepreneurs who seek to grow and promote their crafts.

She identifies with HCCMO because she knows how important it is to encourage people to move forward despite adversity while motivating them to grow professionally and personally. Andrea says that a small act can make us better and help us grow. All dreams are possible if you set your goals and work for them.

Isabella Morales was born in Cali, Colombia. She moved to Nashville, TN when she was 1 and then to Orlando, FL when she was 16.

Isabella fell in love with film at a very young age which eventually led her to study film production at Valencia College. During her time there she was able to Direct, Produce, 2^nd AD and act in short films. She has now earned her A.S in film production and likes to film as a hobby.  She is now on her journey as a full-time student to earn her bachelors degree in business management at Rollins College.

Isabella is hoping that in the near future she is able to combine both her film and business degree in order to accomplish her dreams of opening her own film business, where she can help out the community with any film related needs.