Alexa Mendez was named Director of Finance & Risk Management in December 2023. Prior to that, she had simultaneously earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting, with a minor in finance, from California State University, San Bernardino, in 2015.

While working on her master’s, Alexa joined a small certified public accountant’s office in 2014, managing as many as 20 clients as an accountant and preparing tax returns.  In 2018, she joined Sunnylands as a senior accountant. She was promoted to assistant controller in 2020, with oversight of the Finance Department staff. She became responsible for the department’s day-to-day financial operations in 2023, eight months before she was promoted into her current role.

A native of the Coachella Valley, Alexa lives with her three “fur babies” — two huskies and a labradoodle.