Meet our leadership team
Deepak joined Oportun as our chief technology officer in 2023 after serving as VP of Engineering at SoFi. Prior, he spent nearly two decades at Microsoft in a variety of technology and executive roles. Deepak has a Masters degree in Computer Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He uses his creative technology and product skills to invent solutions for real problems and people, and he is the inventor on 16 patent applications.
With more than two decades of experience in government relations, community relations, and public affairs, Ezra fills a vital role at Oportun as senior vice president of public affairs and impact. Prior to Oportun, Ezra was vice president and chief sustainability officer at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and on the community relations team at Target. Ezra’s commitment to impact shows through his time on the boards of the Latino Community Foundation and Leadership San Francisco.
Building on extensive experience designing and scaling financial products, Gonzalo serves as Oportun’s Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to Oportun, Gonzalo served as the CMO for a Fenway Summer credit card startup. His experience includes 15 years at Capital One, where he held multiple positions including head of consumer deposit products. Traveling with his family and listening to live music are two of Gonzalo’s favorite pastimes.
With over a quarter century of experience in the consumer finance industry, Jonathan has served in his role at Oportun since 2009. He previously acted as chief financial officer and treasurer at MRU Holdings through the credit crisis of 2007–2009, and also worked at Fortress Investment Group, Goldman Sachs, and Credit Suisse First Boston. In addition to solving financial puzzles, Jonathan proudly completes the New York Times crossword every day.
Kate has provided her legal expertise to Oportun since 2016. Prior to joining Oportun, Kate served as director and senior corporate counsel at ServiceNow and at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and McDermott Will & Emery. Her extensive legal experience makes her a critical asset to the Oportun team. If she’s not working or rowing, you can find Kate cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Patrick has led Oportun’s risk strategy for more than a decade. In prior years, he helped facilitate Metris Companies’ IPO as head of planning and analysis, transitioned into risk management, and after HSBC’s purchase, became senior vice president and managed policy for large credit card portfolios. In addition to driving Oportun’s core intellectual property in risk scoring, Patrick has helped Oportun win two flag football championships as a ferocious pass rusher and a speedy receiver.
Raul Vazquez is the CEO of Oportun, a mission-driven fintech that puts its 2 million members’ financial goals within reach. Under Raul’s leadership, Oportun has been transformed into a publicly traded financial services provider helping members with their daily borrowing, savings, and budgeting needs. Raul joined Oportun in 2012 after having held senior leadership roles at Walmart, including President and CEO of Walmart.com, and EVP and President of Walmart West. Raul holds a BS and MS from Stanford University in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Raul serves on the Board of Directors of Intuit and has previously served as a board member for Staples, and the National Association of Latino Asset Builders (NALCAB). He has also been a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board and served as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board’s Community Advisory Council.
Carlos Minetti has more than 35 years of experience in consumer lending and credit risk. Most recently as President, Consumer Banking, at Discover Financial Services, a position he held from 2010 to 2023. Minetti led the company’s diversification into Consumer Banking, which included personal loans, student loans, home loans and on-line banking. At Discover, he also previously held the role of EVP, Cardmember Services, where he was responsible for firmwide operations, including customer service, collections, statement and payment processing, new accounts underwriting, card authorizations, and fraud prevention. In his prior role as Discover’s Chief Risk and Credit Officer, Minetti managed credit risk and provided enterprise oversight for market, liquidity, and operational risk. Prior to Discover, Minetti spent more than a decade at American Express in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. Minetti holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Ginny Lee recently served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Khan Academy, a globally-recognized non-profit online education technology organization with a mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Prior to Khan Academy, Lee spent more than 17 years at Intuit, where she held multiple senior operational and technical roles, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intuit’s $650M Employee Management Solutions Division, as well as Chief Information Officer. Lee received an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and holds a dual Bachelors degree in Business Economics and Organizational Behavior & Management.
Jo Ann Barefoot is CEO & Co-founder of the nonprofit Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR), host of the global podcast show Barefoot Innovation, and was Senior Fellow Emerita at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business & Government. Barefoot has been Deputy Comptroller of the Currency, partner at KPMG, Co-Chairman of Treliant Risk Advisors, and a staff member at the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. She serves on the boards of Oportun and FinRegLab, and on advisory bodies for FINRA and the Milken Institute. She formerly chaired the board of the Financial Health Network and served on the board of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. She was a co-founder of Hummingbird RegTech.
In 2021, Barefoot was named Fintech Woman of the Year by Finovate and selected to the Forbes list of 50 Over 50. She is also in the Fintech Hall of Fame and is a finalist to be named one of the Most Influential Women in Fintech for 2023 by the American Banker newspaper. She previously served on the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board. She has published a range of whitepapers and nearly 200 articles, and she speaks annually to tens of thousands of people throughout the world.
Louis P. Miramontes has served as a member of Oportun’s board since 2014. He is a financial executive and certified public accountant in the state of California. He previously worked as a senior partner at KPMG, managing partner of its San Francisco office, and senior partner of its Latin American region. Miramontes was also an audit partner providing services to public and private companies with expertise in SEC compliance and Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. He currently serves on the board of directors of Lithia Motors and previously served on the board of directors of Rite Aid Corporation. Miramontes received a BS in business administration from California State University, East Bay.
Mohit Daswani is the Chief Financial Officer of SimplePractice, a web-based electronic health record solution. Prior to joining SimplePractice, Daswani was the Chief Financial Officer of ThoughtSpot, Inc. an A.I.-powered analytics company, where he led the finance and accounting, people, legal, corporate development, IT and real estate teams. He has also served as Head of Strategy and Finance at Square (now Block) during a period of rapid revenue growth, and was CFO of Payments, Platform and Risk at PayPal as the company was decoupling from eBay. A veteran of the investment banking and private equity industries, Daswani developed vertical expertise in financial services, healthcare, and IT, as a Principal at JMI Equity, a Principal at FTV Capital, and previously as a long-tenured private equity professional at J.P. Morgan. Daswani earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Columbia University.
R. Neil Williams has served on Oportun’s board since 2017. He previously was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Intuit and held similar executive positions at Visa. Williams also served a dual role as Chief Financial Officer for Inovant, Visa’s global IT organization. He is an independent director of RingCentral and previously served on the board of directors of Amyris. He has also held numerous senior financial positions at commercial banks, and is a certified public accountant. He received his BA in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Raul Vazquez is the CEO of Oportun, a mission-driven fintech that puts its 2 million members’ financial goals within reach. Under Raul’s leadership, Oportun has been transformed into a publicly traded financial services provider helping members with their daily borrowing, savings, and budgeting needs. Raul joined Oportun in 2012 after having held senior leadership roles at Walmart, including President and CEO of Walmart.com, and EVP and President of Walmart West. Raul holds a BS and MS from Stanford University in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Raul serves on the Board of Directors of Intuit and has previously served as a board member for Staples, and the National Association of Latino Asset Builders (NALCAB). He has also been a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board and served as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board’s Community Advisory Council.
Richard Tambor has served as a member of Oportun’s Board since June 2024. He previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at OneMain Holdings, Inc. Prior to OneMain, Tambor was the Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Retail Financial Services at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He also served as the Managing Director at Novantas LLC, and was a Senior Advisor at Inductis, Inc. Tambor began his career at American Express Travel Related Services Co., Inc. (parent organization of American Express), where he rose to Chief Risk Officer of Small Business Services and served as President and General Manager of American Express Business Finance Corp. Tambor received a B.A. in Economics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an M.A. in Economics from New York University.
Sandra (Sandy) Smith previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Segment, which was acquired by Twilio. Prior to Segment, Smith was the Vice President of Finance at Twilio, helping to lead the company through a successful IPO. Smith has also held senior financial roles at Akamai Technologies and has practiced as outside corporate counsel for multiple public and venture-back companies. Smith received a JD and MBA from the Boston College. She holds a Bachelors degree in Photography from the University of Michigan.
Scott Parker has served as a member of Oportun’s Board since April 2024. He currently serves as Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer of NationsBenefits, LLC and he previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ryder System, Inc. Prior to Ryder, Parker served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of OneMain and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CIT Group Inc., which was acquired by First Citizens BancShares, Inc. Since October 2022, Parker has served on the board of directors of DailyPay, Inc., where he is also the Chairman of its Audit and Risk Committee. He also served on the board of directors of Feeding South Florida, a non-profit organization, where was Treasurer and as a member of the Finance Committee. Parker earned a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.
Profiles
We’re proud that so many talented professionals have chosen Oportun as their workplace—and even prouder of all they accomplish. Together, our team members bring a wealth of expertise to shaping Oportun’s financial services, from personal loans and credit cards to savings, investment, and money management products.
We’re not alone in our appreciation. Several publications have recently profiled the team members listed below.
Pamela Lujan,
Modern Counsel,
Silicon Valley Business Journal
Rising legal star Pamela Lujan has been honored by both Modern Counsel and the Silicon Valley Business Journal for her exceptional leadership. As Senior Director and Senior Corporate Counsel, Pamela played a major role in Oportun’s successful IPO and other strategic transactions. She’s also deeply involved in several diversity and inclusion efforts internally and externally. Her best advice to those she mentors? “Speak up, ask questions, and go for it.”
Kate Layton,
Silicon Valley Business Journal
Congratulations to Kate Layton, Oportun’s Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, on being named one of 100 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. In this online interview she discusses teamwork during the pandemic, the challenges facing women in leadership, and her love of corny jokes. Who does Kate admire most? She’s “in awe of” media icon Oprah Winfrey.
Chandra Bradley,
Profile Magazine
Chandra Bradley relishes the complexity of her job as Oportun’s Senior Director of Enterprise Risk Management, weighing risk factors from multiple perspectives. To encourage and build community with her colleagues that identify as Black, Chandra founded the Black Life, Opportunities, Culture and Connection (BLOCC) Employee Resources Group. She recently spoke with Profile Magazine about the importance of authenticity and empathy in the workplace, and her own path to career success.
Gonzalo Palacio,
Hispanic Executive
Like so many of our executives, Gonzalo Palacio is passionate about making a positive contribution through his work. Prior to leading our marketing organization, Gonzalo led the development and launch of Oportun’s credit card business, calling on skills honed in banking services and the values instilled in him by his extended family in Colombia. Gonzalo has been featured in Hispanic Executive.
Raul Vazquez, CEO,
Hispanic Executive
Our CEO, Raul Vazquez, operates with a servant style of leadership that sets the tone for our corporate culture and day-to-day operations. Under his guidance, Oportun has revitalized its technology and streamlined its loans, credit cards, and savings, and money management services. Raul is known for his hands-on approach, dedication to excellence, and willingness to listen. Hispanic Executive profiled him in January of 2020.