Citlalli Rojas
Managing Partner
Citlalli Rojas was born and raised in Chiapas, Mexico. At the age of 18, she moved to South Texas to fulfill her passion for finance with a degree at the University of Texas-Pan American (now University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). She started her career with New York Life as a College-intern agent in the South Texas General Office. Citlalli was offered a full-time position after completing her studies in Business Administration with major in Finance in December 2008. She qualified for three consecutive councils . In January 2013, she was promoted to become not only one of the youngest Partners at New York Life but also the first Latina Partner in her General Office. In September 2016, she got promoted as a Senior Partner and immediately became the Managing Partner of the Inland Empire General Office, making her the only Latina in this role at the time.
Being a Partner, Citlalli received various recognitions including Partner of the Year in the South Texas General Office (2013, 2014, 2015), Partner Commitment Award (2013, 2014, 2015), Partner View from the Top (2013, 2014, 2015), Gathering of Eagles (2013, 2014, 2015), West Central Zone Rookie Partner of the Year (2013), West Central Zone Partner of the Year (2014, 2015), and Top Leading Partner (2015). In her role as Managing Partner, Citlalli led the Inland Empire General Office to the Long-Term Care Trophy (2017), the Senior Vice President's Trophy – Management Development (2017 and 2018), Senior Vice President's Trophy – Life Award of Excellence (2018), and the President’s Trophy (2019) She qualified for the prestigious Partners Round Table in in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Citlalli is committed to expanding the New York Life organization in the Inland Empire by making an impact in the community and providing more career opportunities to qualified and determined individuals.
Hermann Rojas
Partner
Hermann Rojas migrated to the United States at the age of ten with his mom and two older sisters in search of the American Dream. Coming from a low-income environment, Hermann dedicated his early years to his studies in Southern California as a way to open opportunities for him and his family. Hermann has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from San Diego State University. Professionally, Hermann has been part of the leadership team to three top 500 companies. His passion for helping others and contributing to his community has opened up this tremendous opportunity to match his talents with one of the strongest, most financially secure companies in the industry. Hermann is involved in the community through different organizations working together with others to make the community a better place for future generations. Today, Hermann is living that dream; married to his beautiful wife Leilani and father to his two sons Franco and Cazador. After joining us in December 2017 and being a succesful agent, Hermann became a Partner in 2020. He went on to be recognized as Partner of the Year in his first year.
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Maria Ruiz
Associate Partner
Maria Ruiz immigrated to the United States at the age of 3, growing up in Ramona, California. As the first in her family to earn a degree, she has always been driven by a deep passion for helping others, particularly within her community.
Maria's professional journey began in the hospitality industry, but her desire to make a more profound impact led her to transition into the insurance industry in 2002, after moving to the Inland Empire. Her bilingual background and personal experiences of navigating complex systems in a second language fuel her commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, understands the importance of financial protection.
In 2010, Maria became a licensed Property & Casualty agent, and it was during this time that she discovered her true calling in life insurance. Joining New York Life in March 2020, Maria quickly established herself as a trusted advisor, helping countless families and small business owners protect their hard-earned assets and plan for the future.
Maria's achievements are a testament to her dedication and expertise. Among her numerous accolades are the Career Life Success Award, Career Life Producer Award, and Career Life Achiever Award. She has consistently been recognized as a top performer, earning honors such as Executive Council1 (2021, 2022, 2023) and Quality Council (2024). She was named the Inland Empire New Org Agent of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
Maria takes great pride in mentoring others, guiding many to achieve their own success as licensed agents. This desire to help others in their professional growth has led to her transition to Associate Partner in 2024.
Outside of her professional life, Maria is a proud mother of four children and the devoted owner of Mochi, a French Bulldog rescue. She remains passionate about continuing her mission to help others and is eager to share the opportunities she has been blessed with at New York Life.
Jakob Braun
Director of Recruiting
Born in Kazakhstan Jakob’s family moved to Germany when he was seven years old. Consequently, he grew up in the Hamburg metro area, where he attended college and made his first steps in the financial services industry. Following a study abroad program, which marked his first ever visit to the United States, he was captivated be the American way of life and soon decided to return to further his education. He came to the United States in 2011 and never left.
Before joining New York Life in 2017, Jakob worked in consulting and taught college courses while working on his Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Being around the company for roughly a decade through family ties has allowed him to build relationships with agents and managers nationwide and has taught him what it takes to be successful in the company and industry. His primary responsibilities focus on growing the New York Life family in the Inland Empire by working closely with our Managing Partner in the selection and development of new agents.
Patricia Rudd
Development Manager
Born and raised in Riverside, Patricia is an Inland Empire native. She graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from California State University, San Bernardino in 2002. Patricia has held various positions in Sales and Business Development before coming to New York Life in 2015. She achieved Executive Council1 in 2017 and became a Registered Representative and Established Agent in 2018. In addition to her own professional career with New York Life, Patricia has been around the NYL family all her life as her father has held different roles as a development manager, product consultant and recently as a Senior NYLIC since 1974. Patricia lives in Riverside with her husband Michael and their two children, Logan and Madelyn. She is excited to help develop the careers of new agents as well as support the Inland Empire Office as a whole.
Jason Presley
Operations Manager
Jason started his career with New York Life as an Agent in the Los Angeles General Office. In 2012 he was hired as an Administrative Manager Trainee in the Greater Pasadena General Office and was appointed to the Inland Empire General Office as the Administrative Manager (now Operations Manager) in 2013. Jason graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. Jason has earned designations as a Registered Operations Professional, Associate Customer Service (ASC), and the Associate Life Management Institute (ALMI). He currently oversees a staff of 4 and supervises all administrative functions in the General Office, including the handling of all new business, contracting and licensing and agent services. Jason is a Southern California native and currently resides in Lake Elsinore with his wife Julie and daughter Regan. He enjoys spending time with his family, going to sporting events, hiking, and doing service in the community.
Brian Molinatti
Director of Agency Standards
Brian Molinatti began his career in the financial services industry prospecting and opening new accounts at a New York Stock Exchange member firm. He went on to handle customer service and the review of new account applications for a leading online brokerage firm. Thereafter, Brian began his career in the compliance department as the compliance officer for a boutique brokerage firm. He joined New York Life in 2002 reviewing advertising and sales material in the corporate compliance department where he worked until December of 2016. In January of 2017, Brian joined the agency standard department of New York Life where he currently is the Director of Agency Standards for the Inland Empire and San Diego offices. Brian has an MBA in General Management and holds the FINRA series 4, 7, 24, 55 and 63 securities licenses.
1Council is an annual Company recognition program based on agent productions from July 1 to June 30.
2MDRT (The Million Dollar Round Table), The Premier Association of Financial Professionals, is recognized globally as the standard of excellence for life insurance sales performance in the insurance and financial services industry.