DAVID OCHOA

Principal, NuAlliance, LLC &
The Resource Group, Inc

BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

In writing "I am honored to accept the Networking Magazine 2004 David Award," David Ochoa congratulates publisher Christine Conniff Sheahan and her husband "for your work supporting nonprofits and charities." Ochoa, a native Californian who moved to Long Island 12 years ago, notes that by effectively supporting and advancing women's issues, Networking helps identify community issues, and he adds that "through philanthropy and a spirit of diversity and openness, we all share in community building" - a major thrust in Ochoa's life.

The ninth of 15 children born into a migrant farm family, Ochoa credits his parents with teaching the value of community activism and entrepreneurship. He was the first in his family to go on to higher education, saying his mom and two sisters cleaned homes to support his undergraduate career at Whittier College and the pursuit of his Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law. He proudly states that members of his family were devoted to public service, including positions on the staffs of President Jimmy Carter, several governors and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Ochoa says that he tries to "replicate his parents" in his business profession, and describes his three areas of interest as business ownership, education and church work.

Ochoa's communication and community building skills took shape at an early age when he helped organize farm workers with Cesar Chavez and participated in student anti-war protests. Later applying his skills in the business world, he co-founded and was CEO of Buena Vision Cable Company of Los Angeles, the nation's second largest minority owned telecommunications company. He moved on to become executive producer for programming at WNBC-TV in New York, and co-founded and served as senior executive of Bilingual Children's Television.

Dovetailing his business acumen with his support for education, Ochoa served for 17 years in the field of development for higher education institutions. His communication and fundraising expertise benefited Alaska Pacific University, Chicago State University and Long Island's Dowling College.

Ochoa and his wife Myrka Gonzalez, a lawyer and educator, understand the value of education. He says he would like to see "equal access to education, a leveling of the playing field," and together with Myrka they have set up scholarship opportunities, including the Myrka Gonzalez and David Ochoa Latino Students Scholarship Fund, an endowment in excess of $1 million at Dowling; a scholarship at Hofstra University, Myrka's alma mater, for Hispanic law students; and a scholarship at the Metropolitan College in New York City. Continuing to help others achieve a well-rounded life, Ochoa volunteers his time with the Long Island Masterworks Chamber Choir, and as the Long Island Urban League's number one volunteer fundraiser, he supports and encourages others to support its work.

"It's all about giving of one's self," remarks Ochoa, who is quietly active in supporting Long Island's day laborers, its Latino community and nonprofit organizations. Tapping his experience in production, Ochoa has appeared on a one-hour Telecare show discussing Long Island's critical issues, and has also been a guest on a half-hour Spanish language program. He's an ardent supporter of the Hispanic Counseling Center, the Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre and Adelente of Suffolk County.

More recently, Ochoa left the field of higher education and returned to the private sector, where he says he "looks for vehicles to create business and create change." He adds that he is looking to promote his message in new ways, to new audiences and provide new opportunities.

Ochoa's professional service includes a seat on the board of directors of Doral Bank. Headquartered in Puerto Rico, Doral entered the New York market four years ago and currently has four branches in the metropolitan area. The seven-billion-dollar bank hopes to increase its retail lending presence, and through his seat on the audit committee, Ochoa sees an opportunity to interact with management and affect policy. He promotes an investment strategy that matches good ideas and people with wise investments.

Interested in supporting a cleaner environment, Ochoa has a managing interest in Big Apple Energy, a four-year-old business that sells natural gas to utilities and larger retail outlets, like corporations and shopping centers. Ochoa's newest ventures include his work at NuAlliance, a management consulting and business investment company, and The Resource Group, where he specializes in government relations, and fundraising and development services for the nonprofit sector.

Outgoing and energetic, Ochoa has worked with the Long Island Choral Society, bringing children and adults the opportunity to study and perform the great works in choral music and literature. He receives great satisfaction in volunteering at his church, the Congregational Church in Patchogue, where he serves as chairman of the board of trustees.

"Long Island must realize that it's not a collection of villages and communities any more, it's one community," says Ochoa, whose philosophy pervades his work within the community. Ochoa continues, "We've got to work together. It's the same brains that will be tackling gridlock and the energy crisis that will be providing access to our parks. We've got to find solutions."

Ochoa received the humanitarian of the year award from the National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers in 2001 and was a co-honoree at the 34th annual Hispanic Day Parade on Long Island in 2000. On two separate occasions, Hispanic Business Magazine included David Ochoa on their list of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America.

Ochoa models his "working together" theme in real life. In much of his community service, he partners with his wife Myrka. The Association of Fundraising Professionals honored the couple for their philanthropic work in 2002, and they are welcomed guests at many nonprofit events.

Ochoa has two children by a previous marriage: son David Jr., his wife Robin and their two children Reynaldo, 10, and Nicholas, 2, live in Anchorage, AK; and his daughter Chemen, her husband Mauro Rivera and three-year-old daughter Angelica live in New Mexico.