| Senior Staff

The members of the Board of Directors and Staff of the Minority Business Development Institute share an energy and passion for the goals of the organization. Each has experienced or witnessed the struggles of minority socio-economic inequality, whether on the shores of Haiti or as first or second generation family members of European immigrants. Many credit the perseverance, vision and fortitude of their parents and grandparents with providing them with a road to a better life, with wealth generation and the opportunity for growth. The deeply-rooted importance and value of education and training in providing positive change has woven a commitment to serve others into the mission of the Minority Business Development Institute. MBDI’s leadership team is comprised of individuals who are experts in their respective fields, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the organization. These individuals have been carefully chosen to provide value and perspective in the following areas:
    • Insurance
    • Surety Bonding
    • Law
    • Banking
    • Community Development

Jose De La Cruz | National Program Administrator

Jose De La Cruz is the National Program Administrator at Minority Business Development Institute. Jose supports assists members of diverse and underrepresented communities to develop socio-economic parity by helping them overcome barriers to success. Jose helps diverse business owners to achieve sustainable, and profitable growth in the public and commercial sectors by positioning them to access affordable capital and bonding and completes financial analyses on firms looking to get bonded. Jose is always looking forward to supporting the betterment of the MBE, WBE and SDVOB communities. Mr. De La Cruz majored in Economics, with a concentration in Finance, at the Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Irizarry | Program Coordinator

Elizabeth is a Program Coordinator at Minority Business Development Institute. Elizabeth joined the Cayemitte Family of Companies in 2021 as an executive assistant to David Cayemitte; a year later she was promoted to also join the Minority Business Development Institute (MBDI), where she is currently working as an Administrator of all the programs. At MBDI, Elizabeth prepares and monitors the program calendar to schedule one – on – one sessions for the program participants, resolving any issues to keep the program running smoothly. At the same time, Elizabeth maintains comprehensive occurrence records, as well as keeps communication flowing for all participants in an organized manner. Prior to joining the Cayemitte Family of Companies and the Minority Business Development Institute, Elizabeth took on many roles, such as being a licensed realtor, an operations manager, a leasing consultant, and an administrative assistant. Elizabeth is excellent at getting and keeping projects organized and moving smoothly. She prides herself on her approachability, excellent communications skills, problem solving and trustworthiness. Elizabeth is bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English with fluency.

Gaylene F. Santos | Compliance and Communication Specialist

Gaylene has over twenty (20) years of experience as a professional technical writer in New York City and believes strongly in MBDI’s mission to align corporate America to bridge the gaps of inequality. Her role is to craft proposals to convey MBDI’s strengths and qualifications to potential clients, as well as ensure content is accurate and competitive by working collaboratively with Senior Management and business development teams. Gaylene earned a law degree from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in the Village, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from City College of New York in Harlem.