The UCON Team

Emily Cohen is the Chief Executive Officer of United Contractors (UCON), where she leads one of California’s most influential construction trade organizations representing union signatory contractors statewide. With more than 16 years of experience driving policy, advocacy, and organizational growth, Emily is known for delivering results — securing billions in infrastructure funding, advancing landmark legislation, and strengthening the economic and regulatory environment for the construction industry and UCON’s 800+ members.

Clay is the Chief Operating Officer and leads the Southern California office. He is dedicated to cultivating genuine relationships and improving the business environment for UCON’s members. 

Overseeing Finance, Human Resources, IT, and advising on organizational development and strategic planning, Melissa leads a team focused on supporting UCON staff,  members, and infrastructure. Melissa ensures that UCON remains fiscally healthy, GAAP and HR compliant, and provides insight on organizational goals and strategy, helping to drive UCON forward as a healthy, innovative organization dedicated to serving our members and elevating the industry.

Victor ensures our 525+ members are getting the most out of UCON's labor relations, government relations, professional development, and other support and networking services across the state. By also providing labor, operations, and human resources consulting to our members, Victor is satisfied with resolving people’s problems, connecting contractors to opportunities, and improving contractors’ abilities to get more work and stay competitive.

Derek Borghi has dedicated over a decade to the construction industry, developing skills and knowledge that he now brings to his role as the Director of Labor Relations at UCON.

Derek is grateful to the UCON team for their confidence in him, especially those who have supported his transition into this role. The UCON motto of “relentless service” aligns with Derek’s own values, as he has seen firsthand how this principle drives the organization. He is committed to maintaining this standard, working diligently to earn the trust and respect of the entire team.

Gus Flores serves as the Director of Government Relations at United Contractors . Before joining UCON, Gus worked at a prominent public affairs firm, where he managed legislative, regulatory and ballot measure campaigns. He brings extensive expertise in policy research, message development, strategic communications, coalition building, grassroots advocacy, and paid media.

Ray Baca, formerly of Engineering Contractors’ Association where he served as Executive Director, has extensive experience in the construction industry, and oversees Government and Agency Relations in Southern California. Ray’s commitment to the construction industry is unwavering, and he strives to make a significant and proactive impact by aligning industry, organization, and community needs through the improvement of public policies and the strategic advancement of the construction sector.

Jennifer Galenti is the Director of Executive Affairs at United Contractors (UCON), where she partners closely with the CEO to drive organizational execution, alignment, and impact across the association.

Jennifer previously served as Director of Operations for the California Alliance for Jobs, where she functioned as the central operational leader, overseeing executive operations, internal systems, strategic initiatives for one of the most influential labor-management organizations in the nation. 

As Director of Member Experience, Angelica curates and produces UCON’s professional development and leadership courses to help members build strong leadership skills while advancing their careers and themselves. She enjoys bringing people together and watching them connect, learn, and succeed.

As the Associate Director of Operations at UCON, Denise supports research, discovery, implementation, testing, and maintenance of all internal and external member information platforms. She works directly to enhance the member experience and keep UCON’s processes both streamlined and effective for staff and our members.