Corissa Hernandez

Corissa Hernandez is the co-founder and visionary of Legacy Full Circle Financial & Insurance Services, The Empire Tavern, House of Xelas, and  Nativo HLP.  The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Corissabegan her career as a middle school teacher after earning degrees at Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA.  Working as a Los Angeles public school teacher during the height of the great recession inspired Corissa to launch her first mission-driven company.  In 2007, Corissa and her partners opened Legacy Full Circle, a company dedicated to educating low to middle-income families about financial literacy and planning.  Inspired to fill gaps for her community, she then opened three craft beer & cocktail businesses over the next four years, establishing herself as one of the few female forces in a predominantly male industry.  Her bars have been featured prominently in print and online publications, including the Los Angeles Times, ABC VistaLA, LA Mag, EaterLA, Telemundo and UCLA Magazine.

Never losing sight of the importance of giving back, Corissa has partnered with over a hundred aspiring chefs and restaurateurs of color.  Drawing from her own experience as a first-generation college student and Latina entrepreneur, she takes pride in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities unfamiliar with the competitive landscape of business ownership.