George L. Pla is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist whose work spans business and civic activities that hold the common theme of enhancing communities throughout California. He is the Founder, President and CEO of Cordoba Corporation, a statewide full-service engineering, construction management and program management firm specializing in the delivery of infrastructure projects in transportation, education, water, and energy sectors.

 

George L. Pla’s recent philanthropic and civic activities include serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Science Center where he chaired the planning and engineering efforts of Cordoba Corporation’s historic transport of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and ET-94 fuel boosters through the streets of Los Angeles. George is co-founder of the City Club, a premier private business club in Los Angeles that embraces and reflects the diversity and spirit of the city. He is a member and former Co-Chair of the Southern California Leadership Council, a non-partisan, non-profit public policy partnership comprised of business and community leaders. George also served on the Board of Directors of the Catalina Island Conservancy, which stewards approximately 42,000 acres through a balance of conservation, environmental protection, and education.

 

George L. Pla’s financial knowledge and track record has been demonstrated in the founding, development and sale of two banks, First American Bank (OTC: FTAB) and Santa Ana Business Bank (OTC: SABB). He has been named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Latinos in the nation.

 

George L. Pla’s efforts to support academic institutions includes serving as a Regent Emeritus at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and as a Presidential Associate at the University of Southern California (USC). He serves on the Board of Advisors for the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering; the Board of Councilors for USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy; and the Program Advisory Committee for Stanford University’s Construction Institute.

George L. Pla is a graduate of CSULA and holds a Masters of Public Administration degree from USC. He is also the co-author the formative book on Latino politics, Power Shift, How Latinos in California Transformed Politics in America.