Yolanda has more than 15 years of Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate Finance execution and strategic advisory experience completing domestic and cross‐border sell side, buy side, merger consulting, debt and equity capital raising and strategic advisory assignments for public and private companies primarily in the Fashion and Retail industry sectors. Since joining Avalon Securities, Ltd. in 2007, Yolanda has advised and executed M&A and capital raising transactions for lower to middle market companies.
 
Prior to joining Avalon Securities, Ltd., Yolanda was a Vice President in J.P. Morgan’s M&A/Corporate Finance group, completing divestitures, acquisitions and private placements for clients primarily in the Consumer Products and Apparel/Retail sectors. She also served as an advisor to J.P. Morgan’s corporate office M&A group, where she advised the Corporate Office and the Board of Directors on potential mergers, acquisitions and equity capital investments in foreign banks. Yolanda has also held senior positions at Ernst & Young Capital Advisors and 94th Street Capital where she focused exclusively on the small to middle market segment, completing sell sides, divestitures, joint ventures, private
equity placements and capital restructurings, and strategic and valuation assignments for middle market sized businesses and entrepreneurs.
 
Since 2000, Yolanda has been actively involved with early stage Consumer Technology and Internet Retail companies advising entrepreneurs and small businesses on their growth strategy, capital needs and operations, and positioning them for a successful Angel/Seed or Series A and B financing rounds.
 
Yolanda is an Advisory Board Director for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) Graduate Global Fashion Management School. She is also a Business Advisor to CFDA {Fashion Incubator}, FashInvest, Astia, The Tory Burch Foundation, Springboard Enterprises and Fashion Fellows. Yolanda is a frequent speaker, panelist and guest lecturer at various industry events, at FIT conferences and classes, and with Design Entrepreneurs NYC (DENYC), an economic initiative funded by New York City Economic Development Corp. where she leads Workshops for emerging Fashion Designers. She is a member of the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for Plum Perfect, Bambeco, Frontier Innovations Foundation and the NYC Dean’s Advisory Council for WLU. Yolanda holds an Honors B.A. degree in Finance/Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. She holds dual citizenship (USA and Canada) and currently resides in New York City.