VELA - Key Persons
David Montoya is a native New Mexican and combat veteran who has served multiple tours and deployments as an intelligence officer in the US Air Force. After his Air Force career, David attended Georgetown University's prestigious McDonough School of Business where he earned an MBA in International Business Strategy. During that time, David served as National Security Adviser to US Senator Jeff Bingaman where he worked to save Cannon, Holloman and Kirtland AFB during multiple BRACs and advised the Senator on issues such as the continued Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the treatment of enemy non-combatants. Upon returning to New Mexico, David served as Chief of Staff for the Nuclear Weapons program at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he managed the administration of a 2.6-billion-dollar budget and 4,000 plus employees. David soon returned to Washington and served as Obama's Deputy Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs leading several initiatives at the VA including Rural healthcare, ending veteran homelessness and Native American Veteran Issues.
Most importantly, David devotes his time to his family; Soleille, and kids; Megan, Marlo, Ben, Avenicio and their four dogs and one cat. He is a charter member of the Corrales Tractor Club, has earned Air Assault Badge and military parachutist wings. Airborne!
John is a seasoned executive offering years of cross-government and cross-industry experience in both the private and public sectors. He possesses hands-on expertise in business development, capture management, and small and large-scale operations, personnel management and mentoring, as well as profit and loss experience. Throughout his tenure in multiple, high profile roles, Mr. Dankowski has formed and maintains close relationships with stakeholders throughout many government departments and agencies.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- CEO of MoeVela
Moe Vela's diverse career and experience uniquely position him at the epicenter of where law, politics, business, and finance intersect.
Moe Vela is the CEO of MoeVela, LLC, a strategic business advisory firm, with business partnerships and ventures that span the globe across a diversity of sectors and industries. He is also the Founder of The Vela Group, LLC, a global business development consulting firm. In addition to running his firms, he is Of Counsel/Senior Advisor at the law firm of Stein Mitchell Beato and Missner. Mr. Vela is also Chief Transparency Officer and on the Board of Directors at TransparentBusiness, a leading SaaS company providing remote workforce management technology, and the Board of Directors of TruConnect, one of the nation's premier Lifeline companies.
Moe's most recent entrepreneurial endeavor is as the co-creator, co-producer, and co-star of the hottest new business reality streaming series. Mr. Vela stars alongside the likes of Steve Wozniak, Lance Bass, Rosie Rios, and several other business titans and luminaries.
Vela is a long-time Washington insider, and his leadership & counsel have been sought by some of the country's top political and business leaders. Mr. Vela served as the Director of Administration and Senior Advisor for then-Vice President Joe Biden. The stint was his second White House appointment as he also served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. Vela holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic-American to serve twice in the White House in a senior executive role.
Moe's most recent entrepreneurial endeavor is as the co-creator, co-producer, and co-star of the hottest new business reality streaming series. Mr. Vela stars alongside the likes of Steve Wozniak, Lance Bass, Rosie Rios, and several other business titans and luminaries.
Vela is a long-time Washington insider, and his leadership & counsel have been sought by some of the country's top political and business leaders. Mr. Vela served as the Director of Administration and Senior Advisor for then-Vice President Joe Biden. The stint was his second White House appointment as he also served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. Vela holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic-American to serve twice in the White House in a senior executive role.
Vela is often heard as a keynote speaker and is a frequent contributor or quoted in articles in the Associated Press, Fortune, Forbes, The Guardian, The Hill, INC magazine, Yahoo Finance, and The Daily Mail, to name a few. Moe is often seen on Fox, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance TV, BBC, among other national and global news outlets. He has been named one of the "Top 100 Hispanics in America" by "Hispanic Business" magazine and was twice named as one of the "101 Most Influential Latinos" by "Latino Leaders" magazine, as well as, one of Washington's Top 300 Insiders by the "National Journal," as well as, named to the Powermeter 100 -the Washington area's most influential individuals for Hispanic communities by "El Tiempo Latino," a Washington Post publication.
A proud fourth-generation Texan, Mr. Vela earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law. Vela hails from a pioneer south Texas family that has served the community as a former U.S. Federal District Judge and a former Cameron County Judge. That service continues today through his cousin, Filemon Vela, Jr., the current Congressman from Texas' 34th District.
Mr. Vela's entrepreneurial tenacity and organizational and political prowess have been well-established throughout his career. Mr. Vela is highly respected for his 35+ years of business and political experience/knowledge and has advised numerous candidates and corporate executives on grassroots organizing, marketing, messaging, management, and communications, as well as, national campaign and business development strategies.
Mr. Vela is frequently invited to be the keynote speaker at events and serve on panels. He has been featured in several national publications and has been named one of the "Top 100 Hispanics in America" by "Hispanic Business" magazine and was twice named as one of the "101 Most Influential Latinos" by "Latino Leaders" magazine, as well as, one of Washington's Top 300 Insiders by the "National Journal." He is the author of "Little Secrets. Big Dreams" - a tale of his life's journey.
Most recently, Mr. Vela has been featured or quoted in publications, such as The Associated Press, Fortune, Forbes, The Guardian, The Hill, The Daily Mail, to name a few, and appeared on Fox, Fox Business, NewsMax. Yahoo Finance TV, and Cheddar, among others.
Nelufar Mohajeri is an accomplished executive with more than 25 years experience in strategic planning, organizational leadership design, and stakeholder/partner engagement for prominent global institutions in the not-for-profit sector. She has extensive experience in developing innovative solutions while limiting risk, navigating teams through changing business environments, providing creative strategies for optimizing internal operations, and developing global programs, products, and services.
Prior to joining The Vela Group, she was Head of Global Stakeholder Engagement at the US Pharmacopeia and was head of industry relations at the American Chemical Society. She has also worked globally in Chad, Cameroon, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Israel.
Ms. Mohajeri holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Virginia, a masters degree in international affairs from the George Washington University and a masters certificate in international human rights law from the University of Oxford.