Araceli Gonzalez-Burkle

Araceli Gonzalez-Burkle, 43 is the current political director for several Police Officer Associations in California that COPS Legal, LLC represents.   COPS Legal, LLC currently speaks for law enforcement and public safety interests of over 2,000 members of police unions with 100 police and public safety agencies throughout California.  She serves as the primary contact for federal, state and local legislators concerning the interests of the law enforcement and public safety community and serves as the primary contact and treasurer for several Political Action Committees for Police Officer Associations.  COPS Legal, LLC supports the development of these groups by providing legal and labor representation and opportunities for legislative advocacy, community outreach and training programs. 

Before joining COPS Legal, LLC she held the position of Deputy Director of Coalitions on the Meg Whitman for Governor Campaign and previously was Deputy Director and Community Liaison for the Los Angeles Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. While at the Governor’s Office and the Meg Whitman campaign, she played a vital role in increasing the Governor’s and the campaign’s participation in the Hispanic community and other coalitions on both the local and state levels linking important resources.

Gonzalez-Burkle’s dedication to assist working families led her to a career as an employment specialist working to find jobs for hundreds of Central Orange County residents for 4 years with Abigail Abbott Staffing. She was owner of Exceptional Staffing, an Anaheim based employment agency providing human resource solutions and personnel services to Orange County businesses, for 2 years from 2001 to 2003. She was an industry leader serving as board member to the state trade association, California Staffing Professionals and a member of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  In March of 2011, Araceli Gonzalez-Burkle joined the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as its interim executive director and assisted in fundraising over $100k for their 25^th Anniversary Annual Estrella Awards Gala.

Additionally, Gonzalez-Burkle is a former Vice-Mayor and Councilmember for the City of Cudahy where she was elected as the first and youngest Latina to hold office in the city and co-founder of the National Latina Business Women Association (NLBWA) in Los Angeles and Orange County. The book, “Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most out of Their Relationships” co-authored by Ellen Ensher with Claremont faculty member Susan Murphy, in 2005, identifies and highlights Araceli Gonzalez as a protégé and discusses her mentorship relationship with former U.S. Treasurer, Rosario Marin.

As a delegate with the American Council of Young Political Leaders, foreign diplomacy program in Argentina and Uruguay in 2006, she represented the United States abroad with the U.S. State Department, exchanging ideas with other young leaders for economic, political and social progress.

In 2008 she was honored and made the list of the OC Latino 100, as a community hero and one of the most influential Latinos in Orange County.

Gonzalez-Burkle lives in San Bernardino County. In her free time she likes reading, baking cakes and spending time with her husband Scott enjoying many outdoor activities including: cycling, fishing, shooting and camping.  She and her husband Scott are expecting their first born in February 2013.