Founder, CEO and Chairwoman
Joni Rogers-Kante is the visionary and driving force behind SeneGence®. Her dream of developing a company that gave women an opportunity to build their own business regardless of age, background, or education has become a phenomenal success, with offices in five countries and hundreds of thousands of Independent Distributors across the globe.
Joni began her career at 16 years old, working for the Sav-On Corporation. By 23, she was the Assistant Manager of the highest-performing store in the Sav-On chain. Having learned from high-level management, buyers, and operations experts, she knew the corporate structure was not for her. Joni was introduced to a direct sales cosmetic company, and her 13-year career produced jewelry, cars, awards, trips, and recognition, and most importantly, a burning desire to create her own company. Armed with a plan and her business experience, Joni pursued her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. In 1999, SeneGence and its flagship product, LipSense®, were born. Joni’s guiding principle for the company every step of the way has been, “Choose to Live Life in Love and Abundance, and Then Work for It!”
In the early days of the company, Joni traveled around the world with a team of scientists and botanists to find ingredients for SeneGence’s unique skin care and cosmetic formulas. Currently, Joni oversees the company’s overall vision and more than hundreds of employees in SeneGence’s U.S. offices, and she is actively involved with trips, events, and the development and marketing of new products and training programs.
In 2020 alone, Joni was installed as a Board Member of the Direct Selling Education Foundation, and The Orange County Business Journal named her one of the area’s most influential business leaders and the owner of the largest woman-owned business in the county. In 2018, she received Direct Selling News’ Bravo Award and the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award by the Orange County Business Journal. Joni is the Founder of SeneGence’s nonprofit organization, The Make Sense Foundation®, and is an active member of the Orange and Creek County communities. She is also the author of Million Dollar Lips.
Founder, CEO and Chairwoman
Ben Kante
Chief Strategy Officer
Mr. Kante utilizes his vast knowledge in Business Information Systems, Quantitative Analysis and Digital Media Art to fill the role of Chief Strategy Officer for SeneGence. Ben designed the seamless international Distributor accounting methodology, many of the internal operation systems and he completely re-organized the media department, creating printed materials, training videos and a new website. Mr. Kante maintains the daily role of CSO for all of SeneGence’s daily multi-faceted operations and internal and external media and production facilities.
Mr. Kante’s varied life experiences include a United States Coast Guard Master’s License for 100 ton vessels, proven skills at successfully managing resort and dive fleets around the world, and as an internationally published writer, photographer and award winning videographer and film maker, Mr. Kante’s works can be found around the world. He attended Mississippi State University, Orange Coast College, NAUI SCUBA Instructor College and is an Eagle Scout.
Chief Strategy Officer
General Counsel
Owner/CXO, Chief Experience Officer
Alan joins SeneGence from the University of California, where he received degrees in Philosophy and Psychology [with an emphasis in Industrial Psychology]. His position remains flexible, as he engages in the cultural development at the SeneGence corporate headquarters in California and offices internationally. His skills help with development of long and short-term strategic planning, the sculpting of modern social decisions, research and analysis, and the acquisition of new personnel. Feel free to get to know him on any Sene-trip as your aide and liaison!
Owner/CXO, Chief Experience Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Dean Hong joined SeneGence in 2017 and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for overseeing finance, accounting, tax, and treasury functions. Dean brings over 20 years of experience from the public and private financial sectors. Prior to SeneGence, he held leadership roles at Oakley, Irvine Company, and CIBC Capital Markets. Dean and his wife live in Orange County with their two daughters. He has an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC) and a bachelor’s from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Chief Financial Officer
Executive VP of Global Marketing
With over 20 years of experience in the direct sales and beauty industries, Kirsten Aguilar has spearheaded numerous successful marketing and international growth initiatives and contributed to companies’ overall growth with her extensive marketing, public relations, management, and international relations skills.
Kirsten joined SeneGence in May 2009 with a focus on leading marketing and brand strategies. As the Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and SeneCare, her priorities include new product launches, promotions, events, and print and web collateral. She currently focuses on the sales and international growth goals of the company, manages SeneCare teams across all global locations, and oversees the Marketing, Graphic Design, and Public Relations teams.
Kirsten is a board member of The MakeSense Foundation®, SeneGence’s nonprofit organization. She has a bachelor’s in Communication with a certificate in Public Relations as well as an Executive Education Certificate in Marketing from The Wharton School.
Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and SeneCare
Chief Operations Officer
Charlie joined the company in July 2017, and was recently promoted to Chief Operations Officer. Charlie is responsible for overseeing construction and manufacturing operations in SeneGence’s California and Oklahoma offices. With over 30 years of extensive experience working in Fortune 500 companies, including Unilever, Coty US, and the Marietta® Corporation, across the US and abroad, Charlie has delivered end-to-end supply chain results within the consumer-packaged goods industry. Charlie is an accomplished Supply Chain Operations Executive with a proven track record in focusing on zero-loss performance management and a KPI-driven culture to deliver continuous improvements through personnel, processes, and tools. His operating philosophy includes a combination of the following principles: leadership & communication, strategy development, in-depth knowledge of TPM techniques (JIPM methodology), health-check auditing, and technical expertise. Charlie was born and raised on a small farm in North Carolina by parents Myrtle McMillan Miller and Charlie Miller, Sr. According to Charlie, Jr., they were the “best parents that have ever lived.” He loves all things outdoors, including fishing, cycling, tennis, and, of course—car racing of any type. “A Carolina Tar Heel fan to the bone!”
Chief Operations Officer
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Alix Orza serves as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, bringing over 10 years of HR experience in areas such as leadership and strategic partnership, employee development, HR administration, and organizational growth. Prior to joining SeneGence, she’s acted as a trusted business partner and managed the Human Resources function in mid to large-size companies in industries including financial technology, energy, and retail services.
Alix is a board member for STLR Employer Advisory Board and OSU HR Advisory Board. She has her MBA from Oklahoma City University is a certified Senior HR Professional, enjoys traveling and is an art lover.
Senior Vice President – Human Resources
Senior Vice President of Information Technology
Brian has been programming since the age of ten and has spent most of his career on the cutting edge of technology. He boasts 20 years of experience in software development. From creating and developing programs, such as the Pick & Pack System, to managing information security teams, Brian’s love of the technology industry drives him to deliver the best to SeneGence’s Distributors. He originally joined SeneGence as the Vice President of Lean Management, and, in his new role, returns to his roots. He looks forward to providing solutions for Distributors in the digital space. Brian’s vision for the department is to empower Distributors by building solutions that propel their businesses to the next level.
Brian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from California State Polytechnic University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Senior Vice President of Information Technology
Senior Vice President of Global Events
Melanie has a multifaceted career in events management, organization, and production. Working across a wide variety of industries, with extensive experience in both association and private sector, Melanie has led teams to organize business events for up to 35,000 attendees in over 25 countries.
Melanie began her event career at Oral Roberts University, where she managed a team of 43, and oversaw all campus event and venue operations. From there, Melanie joined PennWell Corporation, as a Senior Event Operations Manager, where she managed a multi-million-dollar event budget, and produced events across the US, Europe, and Asia. Next, Melanie joined the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, as their Director of Global Event Operations and Global Engagement, where she managed all event operations teamsin the US, Dubai, UAE, and Beijing, China.
In her current role as Sr. Vice President of Global Field Development for SeneGence, Melanie has used the challenges of 2020+ to transform SeneGence’s largest international live events and recognition programsto virtual and hybrid experiences for thousands of global attendees.
Senior Vice President of Global Events
Vice President of R&D, Quality, and Regulatory
Barry Gilmore, our Advisory Board Technology Expert, is an innovative IT Business Executive who has transformed organizations on a global scale. He has directed the achievement of business goals and revenue growth through leadership, business comprehension and consistent solution delivery.
John Gleason, our Advisory Board Marketing Expert, is a Lecturer & Keynote with an education that includes Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame. John comes to us from Proctor & Gamble.
Vincent Serpico, our Advisory Board Operations Expert whose education includes a Master of Business Administration from Cornell, comes to us with experience from L'Oreal North America.