Katty Ibarra is the Director of the San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center, hosted by Southwestern College. Katty is a bilingual small business owner excited to empower entrepreneurs by leading the WBC, creating programs, providing business advising, and training to secure entrepreneurial opportunities. Katty holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from the Universidad del Valle de Mexico and a Master’s of Science in Marketing from National University, with extensive branding, marketing, and social media experience. Katty owns a binational marketing firm and has more than 15 years of experience in small business and marketing strategies.

Spanish and English

Marketing, Email Marketing

Rafael Rodriguez has a BA in English, with an emphasis in creative writing. Rafael has over 15 years of marketing experience and has worked with clients all over the world.  As the marketing communications associate in the Center for Business Advancement at Southwestern College, he coordinates and manages marketing efforts for the San Diego, Orange, and Imperial PTAC, San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, South San Diego SBDC, and the Women’s Business Center.  Rafael’s responsibilities include website management, social media planning, newsletters, graphic design, and media writing.

English and Spanish

Marketing and Communications

Esther Carrillo is a Small Business Advisor for the San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center. She has over 25 years of experience assisting small business clients in the San Diego market.

English and Spanish

New Business Start-up, Strategy, Access to Capital, Credit, Business Planning and Projections

Sandra is one of the first business advisors of the Women’s Business Center in San Diego. She has been helping small business owners start and grow their businesses for over 10 years, a passion she developed in her native country of Mexico.

Being an immigrant herself, has helped Sandra be more understanding and empathetic towards her clients who have come to this country seeking to achieve their dreams. Sandra works with her clients and their businesses in a holistic way, so they can integrate their values into their businesses and stay committed for the long haul.

As a business advisor, Sandra helps clients in various areas of entrepreneurship including required permits and licenses, business plans, access to capital, and how to resolve internal conflicts. Additionally Sandra has designed and launched an innovative childcare business accelerator program in collaboration with the Women’s Business Center and Southwestern College.

Spanish and English

Small Business Start-up, Childcare