who are we?

The Young Professionals of the Coastal Bend (YPCB) is a 501(c) 6 organization dedicated to serving our community through leadership, education, volunteerism, and the recruitment and retention of young professionals in the Coastal Bend area. As a new generation of emerging leaders, our organization seeks to foster opportunities for improving the local workforce by promoting professional success and advancement. Through community service, partnerships with local businesses, and mentorships with established professionals, members of the YP can give back to the community while building lasting business relationships.

The YPCB, formally Young Business Professionals of the Coastal Bend, was founded in 2009 by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in partnership with the City of Corpus Christi, the Port of Corpus Christi, all of which have a shared vision of retaining young professionals in the area to generate opportunities for the development of South Texas.

Our mission.

The mission of YPCB is to connect young professionals to the community by enriching members’ knowledge about the importance of social responsibility while providing opportunities for networking, community service and professional development.

In order to achieve these goals, YP hosts community service projects, networking mixers and speaker series events. These events give young professionals the opportunity to build relationships with each other as well as with established professionals in the Coastal Bend. YP also works closely with major businesses in town to ensure the needs of their young professionals are being met.


ypcb 2025 Board members

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
D’Anne Buquet and Lexi Buquet
Bucket Works

SECRETARY
Jamie Solis
Equitable Advisors Private Wealth Group

PRESIDENT
Angie Romero
Select Rehabilitation

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Bela Huerta
State Representative Todd Hunter

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Lucy Nix
Texas State Aquarium

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Lacey Guzman
Corpus Christi International Airport

TREASURER & SERVICE CHAIR
Alissa Ramirez
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

MARKETING CHAIR
Tania Shumaker
Del Mar College

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
& SPEAKERS SERIES CHAIR
Melanie Granado-Brown
Oak View Group/American Bank Center

SOCIAL CHAIR
Sonni K. Nye
eXp Realty &
The Quad Fitness Studio

 

2025 BOARD ADVISORS

Amy Polasek
Port of Corpus Christi

Michael Bussell

Bonnie Buckley
Nexstar Media