Editor’s Note: This article has been translated into Spanish by El Eco Copy Editor Margarita Lievanos. You can find the Spanish version here.
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, California Lutheran University’s School of Management hosted its newest installment of its “Executive Fireside Chat” series, this time featuring Joel Silva, chief financial officer of Vallarta Supermarkets.
Vallarta Supermarkets is one of the top Latino-owned grocery chains in California with over 60 locations statewide as of May 2025, including five locations in Ventura County. Silva has served as CFO of the chain since 2022, according to his LinkedIn.
Rosie Baker, communications coordinator for the SOM, said Dean Gerhard Apfelthaler has been hosting the event for “many years,” inviting professionals from his network to share their career journeys with students aspiring to break into similar fields.
“It’s just a really unique opportunity for students of all ages to meet someone from the top of a business,” Baker said. “Not only do they get to hear from them, but they get to ask questions in the group setting. Also, they get to network with [Silva] after, which is just an incredible opportunity.”
Baker said Apfelthaler invited Silva after he was recently appointed to the Dean’s Executive Council. The council is composed of “C-level executives in companies that are leaders in their industries,” according to the SOM’s website. Council members advise and support Apfelthaler directly on matters relating to the SOM’s vision and strategy.
Apfelthaler said aside from Silva’s recent appointment, Vallarta Supermarkets specifically caters to the Cal Lutheran community.
“Joel Silva was a natural for this event,” Apfelthaler said. “The company he works for caters to the Hispanic population which, of course, is immensely important to Cal Lutheran, but also the California economy.”
Silva opened his talk sharing early life experiences before his time as CFO of the grocery chain. Previously, he served as an auditor at Arthur Andersen, an accounting firm, for 15 years, five of those in Mexico City.
Silva said the move to Mexico was a pivotal moment of his career, and it allowed him to reconnect with his cultural roots.
“Getting the call from a partner at Arthur Andersen asking me to move to Mexico probably was the single most defining moment of my career,” Silva said. “For many reasons, it was a cultural experience; it was, you know, getting back in touch with my Hispanic roots.”
Silva said there was a stark learning curve when he arrived in Mexico because of the change in accounting standards, and that it took “about a year and a half” for him to get the hang of it.
“That was my only client,” Silva said. “All I did was work with them to get an offering circular together to get three years of converted financial statements into U.S. principles, and then to convince the Securities and Exchange Commission that our filing was properly prepared.”
In addition to Silva’s international experience with Arthur Andersen, his expertise spans roles in the corporate sector across a variety of industries, including Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Jafra Cosmetics and Calavo Growers, according to the Cal Lutheran website.
Silva said his time as senior vice president at Universal Music Latin Entertainment taught him about negotiating deals and managing people, particularly because of his “fabulous” boss who was a Spaniard and worked in business all his life.
“He started out as a mail clerk at Columbia Records and then ended up as the head of Universal Music Group for all of Latin America,” Silva said. “He was a terrific boss, and I learned a lot from him.”
Apfelthaler said Silva’s “approachable” nature allowed for students to ask more accounting or finance-specific questions and get answers they might not learn in the classroom.
“What impressed me a lot about Joel was that he was very open about struggles that he has,” Apfelthaler said. “He was very open in talking about that being a CFO was a very stressful job … because you are holding the purse strings and people’s livelihoods depend on it.”
Peter Vlaskovits, a sophomore majoring in data science, attended the event. Vlaskovits said the talk reinforced the importance of networking to him and just how beneficial it can be.
“I am a student and looking for opportunities to expand,” Vlaskovits said. “I’m a little nervous about [networking], but I mean, it’s nice to be a little reassured about relationships and keeping contact with others.”
Silva also gave advice to those at the start of their careers and encouraged students to never stop learning.
“Don’t ever stop learning,” Silva said. “Never feel like you achieved it all. You always have to continue challenging yourself.”
