Meet Our Executive Team
Eli Hernandez, President CEO Artistic Director
Eli Hernandez, founder and owner at Events by Eli, and mother of 2 beautiful children, was born on December 1st, 1983 under the sign of Sagittarius. Traits of this zodiac sign are intellectual, adventurous, straight-forward, and optimistic, all of which have made her an acclaimed Artistic Director, MC and Choreographer of social and corporate productions, among other venues.
As a child, she attended St. Michael the Archangel School where she distinguished herself from the rest in varied sports. Every year she won many awards and prizes for her prowesses in each sport, finally earning the MVP award on her final year. During this time, she also attended modeling school at Maxine's Models Clique, where she graduated with a modeling degree and had the honor of modeling in Miami's best runway shows. It is safe to say she had her hand in everything, including dance. Little known to her friends, she attended daily dance lessons, among everything else, with none other than master ballet legend Alita Cabrera for 10 years. She continued to be a prominent athlete in high school where she was recruited as a freshman to play varsity level sports, eventually selected as Captain for each team. As a senior she was awarded Most Athletic and was given the Sportsmanship Award of the Year, as well as the Coach's Award. To culminate her slew of high school awards and recognitions she was voted as Prom Queen. She went on to spend her college years at FIU juggling between a career in sports management ,nursing, dance and business.
Throughout her career, which started at a very young age, she has been blessed to experience and immerse herself in different cultures through the art of dance. Among the styles of dance are Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Mambo, Samba, Reggaeton, Jazz, Modern, African, Ballet, Flamenco, Tap, Riverdance, Hip Hop, Ballroom, and the list goes on. Her passion for dance led her to volunteer her expertise to her friends. At the tender age of 16, she choreographed her first Quince with the aide of her best friend. At the time, it was just a favor she was doing for a classmate that could not afford high-end choreographers. The Quinces were a hit, and shortly thereafter, she began to receive offers for more Quince choreographies. She foretold the beginning of something great and Eli's Custom Choreography was born. Back then, the Quince world was very traditional and straight-forward with simple choreographies. She began to add different aspects and layers to a Quince party making it more than just a party, but an event production. Therefore, she changed the company's name to Events by Eli. Eli, being a youthful, aspiring, and very creative entrepreneur transformed the world of Quinceanera parties into the Quince production masterpieces of today.
Eli has been highly recognized by her peers in the entertainment industry. She has been invited for exclusive interviews for Telemundo, Univision, America TV, Azteca TV, Mega TV, MTV and MTV3. She has appeared as choreographer and event producer for the glamorous and extravagant quince productions on “My Super Sweet 16” on MTV and “Quiero Mis Quince” on Mega TV; all of which have given her a five-star rating as a distinguished event producer in this market. She has also been honored to direct the most ostentatious, jaw-dropping, VIP events in Miami; including, but not limited to those of celebrities, athletes, politicians, TV personalities and recognized Corporate clients like Goya, Comcast, Mc Donalds, Fed Ex, Boys and Girls Club, Leadership Broward, Dunkin Donuts, Adidas, Irina Shabayeva-Project Runway , just to name a few.
Paola Rodriguez,
Executive Advisor
Paola Rodriguez was born and raised in Miami, FL to Cuban parents. Her first dancing lessons came from her father who would have her dance with him on his feet while she was still a small child. By age four, she began her ballet training and continued through her teenage years. During this time, she expanded her knowledge and skills to other forms of dance such as jazz and Spanish folk-dancing (salsa, merengue, cha cha cha, guaguanco, rumba, etc), as well as belly dance. She participated in many local shows and festivals. It was during one of these shows that she realized she could advance her knowledge much more by polishing her artistic attributes with modeling. She decided to attend Alicia Faccio Modeling School where she learned and acquired the necessary prowess needed in this industry. Shortly after high school, she became the Senior Event Coordinator at Events by Eli. She attended FIU where she earned two Bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Liberal Studies. She also learned two languages during this time, making her a polyglot and fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian. Finally, she attended graduate school at Nova Southeastern University where she received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Soon thereafter she shifted her focus to a more behind-the-scenes role by becoming our Director of Sales/Executive Advisor. Aside from being an integral part of our Events by Eli family, she currently holds a position at the City of Miami. Paola’s versatility, knowledge, and business acumen allow her to not only coordinate our events and make last-minute decisions when the need arises, but also allows for growth and advancement in the ever-changing entertainment industry.
Natalie Laguna
Executive Assistant to Director
Natalie Laguna joined the Events by Eli team since the year of 2015 but not only has she worked for this impeccable company, but she has known Eli Hernandez since she first walked into her office at only the age of 14 with nothing more than the expectation to have her quinceanera production planned impeccably. Once executed, Natalie realized Events by Eli was a company dedicated to making dreams come true. She participated in many local fashion shows and pageants including Miss Miami VIP. By being crowned Miss Miami VIP Top Model, Natalie was able to get an insight into our Company’s CEO, Eli Hernandez, who was the director and coordinator of the pageant. Having experience from working at Help at Home care as a human resource specialist, she has been able to meet her responsibilities with Events by Eli flawlessly. Being born and raised in Miami Florida with a Colombian background allows Natalie to easily manage operations with diverse types of clientele. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Marking at Florida International University and hopes to finish in 2020. Her perseverance and commitment have allowed her to become an irreplaceable part from Events by Eli.
Keny Flores
Senior Event Coordinator
Keny Flores joined Events by Eli in mid-2015 and has helped shape the company’s success with her background and focus on key details. Coming from a Guatemalan background Keny understands how important it is for events to be prepared and customized to the client’s expectations and cultural preferences. Keny brings her hospitality background and customer service orientated experience when preparing and organizing events since she has had the opportunity to gain wisdom in the field by working for several years for companies like David’s Bridal and WTS International at Trump National Doral. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at Florida International University and hopes to conclude in 2020. Her eloquence in English and Spanish has been essential to the company, considering it assists in the progress of communication with clients. Her reliability and vision make her a stellar addition to the company.
Veronica Orozco
Creative Producer
Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Moved to Miami to pursue my passion for media and content creation. Graduated Cum Laude in both my Marketing Management and Advertising degrees. Became a member of the school board for Art Direction at the Art Institute Miami from 2012-2015. Passionate about media and storytelling. Recently expanded my studies to include both Story Seminars with Robert McKee and Digital Marketing at NYU. Have worked for the past 4 years in the TV industry as a freelance producer to include Premios Billboard and Premios Tú Mundo as well as other international series. A fan of everything media and advertising; currently working in the TV and Digital Marketing industry.
Alan Rodriguez
Chief Tec Director
Alan graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1982. He later attended MDCC and obtained an Engineering degree. In 1986, he was proud to start working as a sound engineer. From the years 1986-2000, Alan was the lighting and sound tech for Arthur Murray. Shortly after, Alan was recognized for his outstanding performance and knowledge in the industry and became the Chief broadcasting engineer for the Miami Heat organization until present day. He is now the chief tech director for Events By Eli and is responsible for all audio/ visual productions.
Rolly Villaverde
Assistant Choreographer
Rolly Villaverde originally from Miami, Florida began his training at a local dance school called Pepe Bronce dance academy. He went on from there to work under the direction of Manuel and Lory Castro, where he specialized in Latin Ballroom and went on to compete professionally as well. In 2009, Rolly appeared on the hit show "So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox dancing with Janette Manara (top 8) and soon after went on to perform in many other television network shows like Paula Abdul's "Live to Dance", and "Americas Got Talent". He has also danced and worked for many celebrities including Thalia, Elvis Crespo, Laura Pausini, and Antony Santos known as "El Rey de la Salsa". As well as dancing, Rolly has also had the privilege to choreograph for many local and world renown artists like Omi (cheerleader), Lady M, Amara la Negra, and Xyleen Pacheco. He currently resides in Miami and is continuing to work rigorously both dancing and choreographing. Rolly is assistant choreographer at Events By Eli, where he plays a significant role in bringing to life our production choreographies.
Yessenia Cossio
Talent Captain
Yessenia Cossio was born and raised in Miami, FL. She is the youngest daughter of cuban immigrant parents. Cossio, is a certified Parkour/Freerunning instructor and an active member of the Screen Actors Guild union as an Actor & Stunt performer. Yessenia has had the opportunity to work with reputable networks such as NBC/Telemundo as a Stuntwoman & Actress for different tv series & as a competitor for tv show EXATLON Nickelodeon such as tv shows “I Am Frankie” & “EveryWitch Way”, Discovery Channel “Dark Waters”, NETFLIX Marvel tv show “Punisher” and FOX WARNER BROS tv show “Ultimate TAG” to name a few. Yessenia has had a significant impact on her community as she does surprise visits for children’s hospitals, homeless shelters and elderly homes. With her expertise in such a wide spectrum in the industry, Yessenia is the Talent Captain for Events By Eli and has been for over 15 years.
Luis Molina, Jr.
Set Designer
Born and raised in Miami, FL, youngest child of Cuban immigrant parents. Luis was exposed to the event world at a young age with his parents owning a linen and chair the cover company, which then expanded to a full event decor services. Following in his fathers’ footsteps, Luis Molina Jr. took over the company after Luis Sr. decided that
his sons’ ideas and innovations would lead into bigger & better things. With being in business for over 30 years, Luis specializes in many aspects of events is considered a legend in Miami and around the nation. With events ranging
from the corporate world all the way to the social world, Luis continues to grow and is constantly producing new props and ideas to keep up with today’s trends. He works hand-in-hand with our Artistic Director to create breathtaking and unforgettable events.