Phone: 213.431.6424
Who We Are
At Vanguard Strategic Resources we pride ourselves in the Experience, Knowledge, Quality & Professionalism of our advisors and consultants.
Our vision sets us apart from other firms because our primary objective is to bring value to your institution. As former Executive Bankers we understand the meaning of value and have been disappointed with consulting firms who were very costly and brought no real value to the table.
As Compliance and Regulatory experts, we have the experience, expertise, and the knowledge your institution requires to obtain success. We hope to build long term professional relationships with financial institutions on a face to face level. Our Advisors & Consultants are meticulously selected with the skillset and experience that best suits your institution.
Company Partners and Team Members have real financial institution experience having served as Federal & State Bank Regulators, Bank Chief Compliance Officers, BSA Officers, Chief Risk Officers, Chief Underwriters, Chief Credit Officers, Compliance Officers, FDIC Approved Contractors, Attorneys, as well as Federal and State Regulator liaisons. We are experienced with Business Banks, Money Service Businesses, Credit Card Companies, Private Banking, Trade Finance, Fintech, Cryptocurrency, E-Payments, International Banking, Model Validation and much more.
Finally, we believe our team is our biggest strength. We believe it is the quality of our team members that makes our firm unique.
"Individually, we are a drop. Together, we are an ocean". - Ryunosuke Satoro
Executive Management
Bob Flores, CCI
Managing Partner
Bob Flores heads Vanguard Strategic Resources' BSA/AML & Regulatory Compliance practice.
A Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator with over 25 years of financial investigations experience. As our BSA/AML Subject Matter Expert, Mr. Flores is highly experienced with FDIC, OCC, and California DBO in matters of bank operations, with expertise emphasis in Memorandums of Understanding, Consent Orders and Cease and Desist Orders of BSA Safety-Soundness and Compliance. Experienced in bank-wide oversight of Federal and State Bank Examinations in areas of BSA and General Compliance.
Bob has the experience imperative to financial institutions, having successfully managed and negotiated the lifting of Joint CA DBO and FDIC Cease and Desist Order related to BSA and Operational weakness.
Mr. Flores is a regulatory compliance professional who truly cares about the integrity of his team’s work and the well being of his clients. He lends his experience in regulatory matters and remediation with a hands on approach who is always available to meet with clients to ensure their needs are being heard and executed.
Previous Experience
Bob Flores has served as Chief Compliance Officer, BSA Officer, Board Member and Corporate Secretary of publicly-traded financial institutions. Mr. Flores has also managed bank merger & acquisition campaigns and legal matters for a publicly traded bank.
Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Flores has significant International Banking & MSB experience providing advisory service to International Banks and MSBs in Taiwan, Japan, China, Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica as well as Central Banks of three Latin American countries.
Maxine McKenley, J.D.
Managing Director
Maxine McKenley heads Vanguard Strategic Resources' Anti-Money Laundering & Banking Law Practice.
With over 20 years of banking experience, Ms. McKenley is a Anti-Money Laundering Subject Matter Expert with experience in managing consent order remediation projects for large International Financial Institutions.
Ms. McKenley has significant International Banking Experience, specifically in the area of Anti-Money Laundering and Correspondent Banking. Maxine has worked with banks in Latin America, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and her birth country of Jamaica.
Maxine has in depth knowledge of banking, having started her career over 20 years ago as a Bank Teller and moved her way up the banking ranks. She eventually went on to obtain an MBA in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate in Law.
Previous Experience
Maxine McKenley has held Senior Management positions at Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Maxine is also a former Adjunct Professor of Law & Banking at International American University.
Robert Villapando, CAMS
Managing Director
Robert Villapando heads Vanguard Strategic Resources' Mortgage Compliance & Solutions practice.
With over 35 years of experience in financial services, Mr. Villapando is our Mortgage Banking Subject Matter Expert. Mr. Villapando has held executive positions at top tier institutions such as Credit Suisse and Provident Bank.
Robert has been instrumental in successfully re-mediating Mortgage related Cease & Desist orders as well as Licensing approval from HUD to create a Mortgage Division for a Bank. His commercial and credit banking experience allow him to manage large teams in the area of Lending compliance; where he is considered by many as the premier subject matter expert in the industry.
Beyond his Integrity, true professionals like Robert understand that knowledge is meant to be gained and shared. His decades of experience in banking lend great wisdom to projects and is someone who is truly respected in financial service industry.
Mr. Villapando is CAMS certified, a California Licensed BRE Broker, and FDIC Approved Consultant.
Previous Experience
Mr. Villapando has served as Chief Credit Officer and Chief Underwriter for retail and wholesale/correspondent Mortgage Banks. He has extensive experience in regulatory and compliance issues including FACTA, CFPB analysis, Reg X (RESPA). Reg C (Home Mortgage Disclosures) Reg Z (TILA/HOEPA/HMDA) and has performed regulatory due diligence under FACTA and CDOT, CCAR.