FILIPINA

W O M E N ’ S N E T W O R K

3rd Annual Filipina Summit

Filipina First:
Reinventing Ourselves

Filipina Women
Who Could Be President

Celebrating Filipina History

Filipina First in the U.S.

Flying High in Silicon Valley Evelyn Dilsaver:

A Woman For All Nations
The Face of the New Filipina
MOTHER • CEO • WOMEN’S ADVOCATE

PREMIERE ISSUE 2005

 Others Message from the Chair of the Board

call it diversity. I recently found an essay that I wrote in

We call it collaborating for a healthier world.
For over 29 years, Genentech has been at the
forefront of the biotechnology industry, using
human genetic information to discover, develop,
commercialize and manufacture biotherapeutics
that address significant unmet medical needs.
Genentech named to Fortune’s
list of “100 Best Companies
To Work For ” (2005)
Genentech named #1 by
The Scientist on its “Top 10
Best Places to Work
in Industry” list (2005)
As we work to deliver the next generation of
breakthrough biotherapeutics for cancer and other
serious diseases, our commitment to diversity
remains fundamental to everything we do and
everything we are.
Diversity. It's in our DNA.
www.gene.com/careers
1992 for a social work class. It is reprinted
here because the questions I asked 13 years
ago still resonate with me today.
WHY I AM WHERE I AM TODAY
I don’t really know why I left the
Philippines. In 1969 my parents traveled
abroad without taking me; I was enrolled
in a “not-of-my-choice university; and I was
learning western sociology/psychology. I
guess I just wanted to get away.
The turning point in my life was when I
was accepted at the University of California,
Berkeley, to continue my undergraduate
studies. Upon looking back, after 25
years, I realized that the decision to leave
the Philippines was made solely on that
admission. Coming to the United States was
not really a change. In fact, it seems to be
a logical continuum – a product of colonial
education.
Knowledge of western culture/values
alone cannot shield one from the greatest
cultural shock – alienation. I came to
Berkeley in the midst of the anti-war and
the Third World/ethnic studies/nationalist
movement. I found myself swept in the
Filipino nationalist and the emergent
Filipino-American movement. This
was my introduction to a theoretical
understanding of why change should be
forthcoming; the concepts of imperialism,
colonialism, feudalism, etc. In 1972 I left
for the Philippines, not certain if I was
returning to the U.S. My return to the U.S.
was contingent on my acceptance to the
graduate program at SF State. It was a
difficult stage in my life for I felt alienated
in my own culture that I thought I knew.
I was not fully accepting of the demands
of the Philippine nationalist movement.
As Philippine society was in transition, so
was I. Fortunately, I received word that SF
State accepted my application; and with
no hesitation, went to the U.S. Embassy to
perfect my student visa. I left in August of
1972 – just 3 weeks before martial law was
declared and all travel banned for months.
Upon my return I got involved in the
anti-fascist (anti-Marcos) struggle and the
Filipino-American identity movement. For
almost 15 years I was an activist. Active in
the study of Marxist ideology and active
in the struggle: anti-martial law, anti-war,
anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-housing
demolition, etc. In other words, just
caught up in the turmoil of domestic and
world events; worst of all – in the internal
upheavals of the “organized left”. In the
tumultuous events that led to the downfall
of Marcos, the Filipino community that
turned out in protest of U.S. support was
members of the educated “petit bourgeois”
(burgis) and minimally, the “working class”
that was the target of our 15 years of
organizing.
People in the 60’s grow to enter into
a mid-life crisis of “where have all the
years gone?” It was then I realized that
I was a participant to change. Though
developments and events external to me
were changing and I, a witness to these
changes; the internal motion of my life
remained the same or unknown to myself.
As events change, the people around me
did not change. We were for change and
yet, when one struggles to understand
their situation and in the process begin
to alter their inner motion, a supportive
environment did not exist. People did not
know how to support the changes, only to
struggle for change; the process of change,
which was more important than change
itself, was short-circuited to achieve the
end.
Why was it necessary to relate my
life experience? After 35 years, my life
seemed to be predetermined: the condition
of my birth, the by-product of who I have
become, the historical developments (social
movements) I aligned with. I am a product
of history. And yet, one would argue that I
have actively participated towards change.
– Teresita “Tessie” Zaragoza, 1992
Sometimes we make decisions to
change. Often times, change becomes
inevitable. When we initiate change, we are
in control. When change is unexpected, we
sometimes feel like victims.
Where am I now? I am in career
transition and I’m looking for new
challenges. I am grateful for the upcoming
3rd Annual FWN Summit: Filipina
First: Reinventing Ourselves – an
opportunity to explore, network and build
relationships.
Life is a journey and its twists and turns
provide opportunities to reinvent ourselves.
But the key is to seize the the gifts that
come along.

02 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g

 Message from the Publisher
WE ARE FILIPINA WOMEN submissions was enthusiastically received. We could
feel the pride in every email, document, photo, story
» Are you encouraged as a Filipina when you have a submitted.
network of peers to support you?
» Filipina Who Could Be President – this year, we did
» Would you like to be part of a community of Filipina something different. We asked Filipinas to nominate
Tessie Zaragoza women who dare to succeed and help our community themselves. Not their friends. Not their colleagues.
Chair of the Board members get “seats” at the corporate and political Not their co-workers. Themselves. Self-empowerment.
Filipina Women’s Network tables? You want that job? You have to ask for it. You want
that promotion? You go for it. Toot your own horn...
» Are you the kind of person who likes to be you’re on your way to becoming President. And FWN
challenged and learn from others? will support you all the way.
Marily Mondejar
If you said “yes” to at least one of the questions, the » FWN Magazine – celebrating the old-fashioned way,
President Filipina Summit is the place to be. Our agenda “Filipina getting into print. Launching the premiere issue was
Filipina Women’s Network First: Reinventing Ourselves” promises to be provocative quite challenging. We wanted a magazine worth
and introspective. The sessions will stimulate you as a keeping, treasured forever as a testament to who
woman, a leader, and a female member of the global we are and what we are about. So we wrote about
community. Filipina women and this issue is dedicated to all of you
WHAT’S INSIDE who dare.
We developed four educational tracks to support your
23 About FWN world of life and work: FWN’s Filipina History celebration begins at
28 About V-Day » Breaking the Glass Ceiling the Filipina Summit on October 21-23 in
10 FWN Members » Entrepreneurship San Francisco. This gathering is for all Filipina women.
04 Kapamilya Community Partners » Community & Political Empowerment Come to our annual renewal, a place for rethinking,
04 Filipina Summit Sponsors » Personal Leadership Development and reinventing ourselves. Only as one can we make a
F E AT U R E S difference.
25 Filipina Women Who Could Be President Truly exciting is that our pool of speakers are mostly
05 Filipina First in the U.S. Filipina women. Women mentoring women. Peer-to-peer Here is what one of our new members said would make
12 Irene Natividad
13 Freada Kapor Klein networking. Filipinas sharing life skills, career tools, and her give up “a beautiful weekend to play in the park” and
22 Maryles Casto lessons on how to act decisively, think strategically and attend the Filipina Summit.
influence others using real life and business situations.
FILIPINA SUMMIT
14 Learning Sessions “I am ready to come out of my shell and be
15 Summit Schedule We convene the Filipina Summit in October because the inspired again, network with high impact
ON THE COVER
earliest documented proof of Filipino presence in the Filipina women who are leading the way for all of us. I
20 Evelyn Dilsaver Continental United States was in October 1587 in Morro want to be with women who are committed to what
Bay, California. they do. When I saw the FWN commercial on The Filipino
ADVERTISER LIST
16 ABS-CBN International Channel (TFC) and saw all those Filipinas, I knew I want to
07 Alliant International University So it was important for FWN to create an event that is be around them and renew my spirit once again.”
18 BroadPower Communications meaningful and truly celebrates all Filipina women. An
21 Costless Maintenance Services event that recognizes the contributions and experiences Join us. Tell us your story.
19 Creative i Studio of Filipinas in America. Three significant ways:
21 Edna Murray – Professional Massage Therapist
18 Edward Jones – Meg Roces
07 Fast Easy Divorce » Filipina First – recognizing the contributions and
24 Finance Bureau, Inc. experiences of Filipina women in America. Our call for
02 Genentech
25 Home & Garden Realty
24 Institute for Image Management
18 Manila Bulletin USA

FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK

25 Marsha Golangco Consultants
27 May “K”: The Giovannie Pico Foundation
18 MediaFactory.TV
21 Philippine News
13 Piedmont Piano
25 Pre-Paid Legal Services Filipina Women’s Network is a nonprofit association for women of Philippine ancestry. It enhances public perceptions of Filipina
24 Prudential Realty – Vivian Araullo women’s capacities to lead; changes biases of Filipina women’s leadership abilities; and fosters the entry of Filipina women into
24 RE/Max Realty - Arlene Gaspar positions of leadership in corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors. For more info, visit www.ffwn.org.
07 Robert Half International
07 Syndi Seid’s Advanced Etiquette
24 Tancinco Law Offices How to reach the Filipina Women’s Network • P. O. Box 192143, San Francisco, California 94119 • Phone: 415 / 278. 9410
16 The Philippine Center Fax: 415 / 840. 0655 • www.ffwn.org. The views and opinions of advertisers and contributors expressed in this publication do
not necessarily state or reflect those of Filipina Women’s Network.

3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 03
 “Kapamilya” Community Partners
The FWN Editorial Team
. . . . ♥ . . . .

DeVoted Publisher
M A R I LY M O N D E J A R
O RG A N D O N O R Loving Mother of
R I G H TS NETWORK Bobit and Franklin Ricarte
Angel Art Director
AL S. PEREZ
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Loving Son of Al & Fely Perez
. . . . ♥ . . . .

CALIFORNIA LoVe Writers

WOMEN’S AGENDA
M A R Y K AT E S T I M M L E R
Loving Daughter of
William & Margaret Stimmler
C O N N I E L LO R E N
San Francisco’s Loving wife of Fred Jungmann
DEPARTMENT ON THE
STATUS OF WOMEN FILIPINO AMERICANS COMING TOGETHER SAMANTHA H. FERNANDEZ
@ Genentech Dedicated Volunteer of FWN
TESSIE ZARAGOZA
Loving wife of Rich Carter
Women’s
Loving mother of
Intercultural
Lilla, Danielle & Monique
Network FRANKLIN RICARTE
Loving Rusty and Fernando
R YAN P I SCO V I C H
Friend of FWN
I F Institute for
Image . . . . . . . .
I M Management ♥

FWN Board
TESSIE ZARAGOZA
Chair

Filipina Summit Sponsors

MARILY MONDE JAR
President
DINA GUINGONA
Treasurer
I F Institute for LAARNI SAN JUAN
Image Director
I M Management
CONNIE LLOREN
VP, Member Relations
GENEVIEVE JOPANDA
VP, Youth & Community Advocacy
JESSICA JALLORINA
VP, Communications

© 2005 Filipina Women’s Network.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this
publication may be published without
the expressed written permission
of the publisher.

04 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g

Filipina First in the U.S.
Recognizing the contributions and experiences of Filipina women in America.
THE ARTS
Zen Lopez
First Filipina to be appointed as Arts and
Culture Commissioner, Glendale, CA
In a city with a population of over 30,000
Filipinos, Lopez is the only Filipino in an
appointed or elected position. Lopez is an
Arts Consultant and Curator of Verbal,
Visual and Performing Arts. She chaired
the Philippine Heritage month-long
celebration in Glendale and is a board
member of Search to Involve Pilipino
Americans (SIPA) in historic Filipino town.
As California Arts Council CORO Fellow,
Lopez has received recognitions from
California State Senator Jack Scott and
Assembly member Dario Frommer. A
graduate of Philippine Women’s University,
Lopez is a former international member of
the Bayanihan Philippine National Dance
Company and a Karilagan model who has
traveled extensively to over 60 countries
and continues to explore, discover and
learn from other cultures of the world.
Cristeta Comerford
First Filipina-American to become
Executive Chef at the White House
After an extensive six-month search and
hundreds of applicants, Comerford was
appointed executive chef by First Lady
Laura Bush who is quoted as saying
“[Comerford’s] passion for cooking can
be tasted in every bite of her delicious
creations.” Comerford had been an
assistant chef at the White House for
10 years where she worked under the
former executive chef Walter Scheib III.
A naturalized U.S. citizen from the
Philippines, Comerford is the first woman
and first minority to serve as the White
House’s head chef. As head chef,
Comerford is responsible for designing
and executing menus for state dinners,
social events, holiday functions, recep-
tions and official luncheons hosted by the
president and first lady. Comerford has
been trained in French classical tech-
niques and specializes in ethnic and
American cuisine and has a bachelor’s
degree in Food Technology from the
University of the Philippines.
Faith Rivera
First Filipina to win a Daytime Emmy in
the Outstanding Original Song category
Faith Rivera is the first Filipina to win a
Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding
Original Song category. Rivera was
awarded by the National Television
Academy at the May 10th, 2003 Creative
Arts Presentation held simultaneously in
Los Angeles and New York for her vocal
and songwriting work on “Forever Near,”
which was featured on NBC’s daytime
drama, Passions. Emmy-winning
composer John Henry Kreittler had
approached Rivera about collaborating to
create a song that would be aired on
August 26th, 2002 as a special video
montage in tribute to young actor Josh
Ryan Evans’ character who had been
missed by fans since his death. “Forever
Near” had been up against two songs
from Port Charles and two songs from
All My Children. The Emmy-win for Rivera
and Kreittler had been the first one ever
for Passions.
Elsie B. Hammond
Executive Editor and Co-Founder of
Military Spouse magazine
Elsie B. Hammond is co-founder and
executive editor of the magazine Military
Spouse, which was “created to be the
source of inspiration for military spouses.”
Military Spouse is in its first year of
publication. The magazine acts as a
celebration of military spouses and their
many contributions to the nation. “In the
words of Army Spc. Sean Brown, in a
letter to his wife, ‘Stay strong, stay tough;’
Military Spouse magazine is here to help
military spouses do just that.”
Vangie Canonizado
Buell
“I worked at International House at
UC Berkeley from 1984-1992 as the first
Public Events Manager/Coordinator.
I started and headed the department with
30 students and career employees. We
organized, planned and implemented
over 2,000 events a year. International
House is a multi-cultural residence and
cultural center on the campus. Its mission
is to promote international understanding
and fellowship among peoples of all
nations, races and cultures. Its approxi-
mately 600 resident students and
scholars represent over 80 countries and
close to 50 U.S. states. Notable I-House
alumni include Oakland Mayor Jerry
Brown, former U.S. Secretary of the
Treasury, W. Michael Blumenthal,
economist and former U.S. Ambassador to
India, John Kenneth Galbraith, just to
name a few.”
Consumers Cooperative of Berkeley, Inc.
“Another ‘Filipina First’ was my position
as the Program Coordinator of the
Consumers Coop of Berkeley. I served in
the member services, community
relations, consumer education programs,
training and education areas in a span of
25 years supervising over 20 education
assistants. I wrote a weekly column in
the Co-op News distributed to over
100,000 member families. The Co-op
was a consumer-owned chain of shopping
centers that included nine supermarkets
with annual sales of $82 million with 600
employees.”
City of Berkeley Arts Commissioner,
Alameda County, California
“Mayor Shirley Dean appointed me in
1990 to the City of Berkeley Arts
Commission. I served as Arts Commis- Clockwise from top left: Military Spouse
sioner and Co-Chair of the Commission Magazine, Elsie Hammond, Cristeta
for four years.” Comerford, Faith Rivera and Zen Lopez
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 05

From top: Rosario Lourdes Carrion-Di Ricco
and Rene Nora
E D U C AT I O N
Vilma Helms, Ph.D
Elected to the Jefferson Township Local
School Board in Ohio (2003)
One of Helms’ projects is to recommend
the best and most qualified teachers and
administrators to improve the quality of
education in the district. First Filipina in
the state of Ohio to present papers about
Gifted Education in the World Conference
of the Gifted in Hague, Netherlands;
Toronto, Canada; Taipei, Taiwan and the
Philippines.
Gloria Ysmael Adams,
N.C.C., M.Ed.
» First Filipina American School
Counselor, Seattle, Washington (1969)
» First woman commander of Bataan
Corregidor Survivors Association and
Their Families (2000-2004)
H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
Maria Lourdes F.
Reyes, M.D.
President of the American Cancer Society
for the state of California
As President of the California Division of
the American Cancer Society (2000-2001)
Reyes’ theme was “Bridging the Gaps:
Working to Eliminate the Cancer Burden
Disparities.” Dr. Reyes is a Pathologist
and owner of Community Development
Communications, a company for
community growth development, and is
part of the faculty staff at San Diego State
University Graduate School of Public
Health. Reyes has held many local,
statewide and national healthcare
leadership positions.
Dr. Reyes was born in the Philippines
where she received her M.D. from the
University of Santo Tomas, Manila and
received Pathology training from St. Louis
University Hospital in Missouri with a
research fellowship at Massachusetts
General Hospital, the Harvard Medical
School, and Georgetown University.
Reyes has pursued a masters in Public
Health (2002) and was an outstanding
graduate with an induction into Phi
Kappa Phi National Honors. Reyes has
been awarded the National Achievement
award in Medicine and Education by
Filipinas Magazine and has also received
the “One in a Million” award from the
ACS, California Division.
Rosario Lourdes
Carrion-Di Ricco
Master of Arts in Gerontology, San
Francisco State University
At 50 years old Ricco went back to school
in 1993 to take the Master of Arts in
Gerontology program with an emphasis
in long-term care. At the time there were
only two universities in the Bay Area
offering the Gerontology Program. While
a student at SFSU, Ricco was working full-
time for the California Public Utilities
Commission. On June 30th, 2000 then
Mayor Willie Brown appointed Ricco as a
Commissioner to the City and County of
San Francisco Department of Adult and
Aging Services and re-appointed her on
August 31, 2004. The newly elected
Mayor Gavin Newsom again re-appointed
Ricco for another 4-year term. Ricco is
currently practicing her profession as a
consulting gerontologist.
Maria V. Lazaro-Elemos
Awarded Suma Cum Laude in the Bachelor
of Science in Nursing’s Accelerated Program
at the State University of New York
Melen Gaano Renovilla
McBride, Ph.D., R.N.
Nurse who received a doctoral degree in
philosophy in 1982 from the University of
Michigan School of Nursing.
Melen Gaano Renovilla McBride is an
alumni of the University of Santo Tomas,
School of Nursing. McBride specializes in
gerontology and geriatric nursing and has
been an active educator, researcher, and
practitioner in the field. McBride was
awarded the two-year Robert Wood
Johnson postdoctoral clinical fellowship
from 1989 to 1991; McBride is the first
Filipina to complete this fellowship. In
1991 McBride joined the Stanford
Geriatric Education Center (SGEC) School
of Medicine at Stanford University in Palo
Alto, California as a scholar in residence.
McBride later became the first Filipina to
have the position of associate director of
SGEC. The majority of her scholarly and
professional activities focus on the health,
aging, and cultural practices of ethnic
minority elders, especially Filipino-
American elders.
M I L I TA RY
Dr. Yolanda B.
Truckenbrodt, Major,
USAF (Ret)
» First minority woman to graduate as
Weather Equipment Repairman, a
traditionally male-dominated field.
» First military female assigned to
Weather Maintenance Detachment,
Dyess Air Force Base, Texas
» First Filipina and American to win the
International Run, Great Wall, China
(1998)
» First minority to win the State of Ohio
Summer Biathlons Championship Cup
(2002)

06 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g

MEDICINE
Jei Africa
Openly gay Filipino-born licensed
psychologist in the Bay Area
Dr. Jei Africa is a licensed clinical
psychologist and a certified addiction
treatment specialist. Currently, Africa
is CORA’s (Community Overcoming
Relationship Abuse) Clinical Director and
head of its Client Services Program. Prior
to CORA, Dr. Africa was a manager at
Asian American Recovery Services where
she provided overall programmatic,
administrative and financial oversight
to youth treatment services.
Africa has been involved with a number
of different Filipino-based and commu-
nity based organizations:
» Filipino Task Force on AIDS
(as a Board Member and now their
Clinical Consultant)
» KAPAG (an informal group of Filipino
mental health and social service
providers in San Mateo county)
Africa was born in Pasay City, grew up
in Quezon City, and received her BA
in Social Sciences in 1992 from the
University of the Philippines. Africa
received her Doctorate in Clinical
Psychology from California School of
Professional Psychology, Alameda,
California in June 2002.
Rena M. Nora, M.D.
» Chief of Psychiatry Service at the Lyons
VA Medical Center in New Jersey and
one of the first Asian American Female
Psychiatry Service Chiefs in the VA
system (1975).
» The first Filipina to be appointed as
Commissioner in the Governor’s
Commission for Mental Health and
Developmental Services in Nevada
(2000).
» The first Filipina to receive the Herman
Goldman Award, the highest award
of the National council on Problem
Gambling, given in recognition of
more than 20 years of documented
work with problem gamblers and their
families.
» The first Filipina President of the
Nevada Chapter’s American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Dr. Nora is currently Clinical Professor of
Psychiatry at the University of Nevada’s
School of Medicine and a retired Lt. Col. Fast Easy Divorce
of the U.S. Army Reserve.
582 Market Street, Suite 717
Juliana Sustento
Seneriches, M.D. San Francisco, CA 94104
Admitted to the Harvard School of 415. 822-2222
Medicine Psychiatry Residency Program Email: help@fasteasydivorce.com
(1966)
www.fasteasydivorce.com
» Diplomate, American Board of
LDA# 38-000017 (Exp. 07/2006)
Psychiatry and Philippine Board of
Psychiatry
» Fellow, American Psychiatric
A
Association and Philippine Psychiatric
Association
» Founding Fellow, Pacific Rim College of
ALLIANT
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Psychiatrists
Rebecca Turner, Ph.D.
» Visiting Consultant, West Visayas State Organizational Consulting and Executive Coaching
University-West Visayas Medical Professor, California School of Professional Psychology
Center, Dept. of Psychiatry Consortium, Alliant International University
Iloilo City, ILoilo, Philippines
Visit the Alliant website for information about the master’s and doctoral
» Lecturer, U. C. Davis School of Medicine, programs we offer in clinical psychology, organizational psychology, and
Department of Psychiatry educational leadership at the San Francisco campus.
“In 1966 when 80% of my University www.alliant.edu
of the Philippines School of Medicine
graduating class availed of the Tydings-
McDuffy immigration restrictions,
I had stayed behind fired by the youthful
wish “to serve my countrymen.” Later,
I was recommended to The Harvard
School of Medicine and was accepted as Y O U C A N O N LY
a second year resident and a teaching
fellow. I became the first Filipino to be in STRETCH
© Robert Half International. EOE
a Harvard School of Medicine Psychiatry YO U R F I N A N C E A N D
residency program. AC C O U N T I N G S TA F F
When I arrived at Boston City Hospital
campus, I was ushered to the Nurses SO FAR.
Quarters. When I asserted that I was a 800-803-8367 • rhi.com
doctor and wanted to be in the doctors’
quarters, they put me up in the upper-
most floor. The next year, I was chosen to
be the chief resident of the Psychiatry
Out-Patient Department. The rest of my
colleagues were men and were much
older than me. That same year, the
department head published the Lange’s
Series handbook of Psychiatry and I
authored a chapter. In the 80’s, I
co-authored the first book on psychiatry
about Filipino-Americans.”
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 07
MEDIA, POLITICS AND
GOVERNMENT
Jacqueline Lingad-Ricci
Appointed to become Vice President and
later President of the San Francisco
Juvenile Probation Commission.
Lingad-Ricci was first appointed by former
Mayor Willie Brown and was given a
second term to serve another four years
by Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Recently Lingad-Ricci has been co-hosting
at a Filipino-American radio talk show
called “Filipina First and Foremost”
produced by Caroline Suleiman Ocampo.
Rozita Villanueva Lee
» First Filipina producer and on-camera
co-host of television program,
“SPECTRUM” on Channel 10-TV, PBS
in Las Vegas, NV. The program was a
half-hour segment each week during
the years of 1981-1983.
» First Filipina elected president of the
Women’s Democratic Club of Clark
County (1995); one of the oldest
women’s organizations.
» First Filipina appointed special
assistant to Governor of Nevada,
Bob Miller from 1989-1991.
» First Filipina and founding chairwoman
of the Asian Chamber of Commerce
Board in Las Vegas (1994-1996)
» First Filipina producer of Polynesian
Revue at a Las Vegas Strip Hotel,
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino,
which is in its 14th year.
Charito Benipayo
» First woman president of United
Pilipinos of Alameda (UPA) who co-
founded the Battered Women Shelter
» First Woman President of Pilipino
American Political Association (PAPA)
who registered hundreds of voters and
received a Votingest Award (1976)
from the former mayor of Alameda
County, Chuck Corica.
» First president of FilAm Council of
Alameda County – now NAFAAA.
08 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
» First Filipina woman appointee to
Alameda Police Department to assess
racial climate in the county
» First Filipina president of Business
Professional Women (Alameda)
» First Filipina to serve on the Children’s
Interest Commission (Alameda)
» First Filipina to serve as member of the
Health Board Commission (Alameda)
» First Filipina to serve on the Human
Relations Board (Alameda)
Elena Gonzales
Elena Gonzales was the first Filipina
Deputy District Attorney in California
(1978). Gonzales is now an Administra-
tive Law Judge with the California
Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
Prior to that Gonzales had been assistant
chief trial counsel of the state bar, the first
Filipina in that position as well.
Marie-Lorraine Mallare
Maria-Lorraine Mallare is the first Filipina
appointed to the Immigrant Rights
Commission S.F. (1998), the first Filipina
member on the S.F. Sunshine Ordinance
Task Force (1999), and the first Filipina
Associated Students Vice President at San
Francisco State University (1997).
Eleanor Nisperos
First Filipina admitted to the California
Bar (1971). First Filipina Deputy Attorney
General in California.
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
Thelma Garcia
Buchholdt
Member of the Alaska Bar Association
and elected to a state legislature in
the U.S.
An attorney, Thelma Garcia Buchholdt is
the first and only Philippine-born member
of the Alaska Bar Association and the first
Filipina-American woman elected to a
state legislature in the United States.
Buchholdt has been a member of the
Board of Trustees of the Filipino American
National Historical Society (FANHS) since
1987, and is currently the national
president of FANHS. Buchholdt is also
the author of Filipinos in Alaska: 1788 –
1958, an identification of Alaska’s Filipino
pioneers.
Buccholdt was born in Claveria, Cagayan
province, northern Philippines. Buchholdt
earned her Juris Doctor degree from
the District of Columbia School of Law,
renamed David Clarke School of Law,
which is now part of the University of the
District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
In 1974, Buchholdt was elected to the
Alaska State House of Representatives in
a predominantly white working class
district in Anchorage. She was re-elected
three times, serving her constituents
for a total of eight years. Since 1972,
Buchholdt has been the only Filipina on
the Alaska State Advisory Committee of
the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights; and
since 2002, the only Filipina on the
Alaska Supreme Court Judicial Outreach
Commission.
In 1980, Buchholdt initiated the
formation of the Asian Alaskan Cultural
Center, a nonprofit, tax exempt organiza-
tion that nurtures, promotes, and shares
Filipino and other Asian music and dance,
customs and traditions with the people of
Alaska. Elected president of the Filipino
Community of Anchorage, Alaska, Inc. in
1973, Buchholdt became the first female
president of this organization and
remains an active member to this day.
Cheryl B. Moss
» First Filipina and first Asian American
elected to the Judicial District Court
Family Division in Nevada ( 2000).
» Moss was elected in 2000 and re-elect-
ed in 2002 to the 8th Judicial District
Court Family Division and is currently
serving a six-year term.
» Moss is the first judge in Nevada to
institute a pilot program in the 8th
Judicial District Court, referring parents
in child custody cases for problem
gambling assessments.
» Moss is an active community leader,
working with organizations such as the
Task Force on Gang Prevention, the
Nevada Council on Problem Gambling,
UNLV Boyd Law School, the Clark
County Bar Association, the Clark
County Library District, and many
Filipino organizations.
» Judge Moss was elected in November
2000 defeating her opponent by a
nearly 60% to 40% margin and she
was re-elected in November 2002 for
6 more years.

Judge Cheryl B. Moss attended college
at George Washington University in
Washington, D.C., then went on to law
school at Catholic University, where she
was a student at night and working
full-time by day. Moss graduated Magna
Cum Laude in the top 25% of her law
school class in 1994.
Moss does 24-hour fax duty for Tempo-
rary Protective Orders in cases of
domestic violence and is a member
of the National Council of Juvenile and
Family Court Judges, the American
Judges Association, and the Nevada
District Judges Association.
Teresita Bautista
» 1964 – First Filipina at Notre Dame
High School in Alameda, CA to be
elected Senior Class President, MVP of
the varsity volleyball team, and “Most
Likely To Succeed” at graduation.
» 1971 – First Filipina to organize and
build a community institution, Filipinos
for Affirmative Action, now an essential
community-based organization for
services and advocacy to the
San Francisco Bay Area community.
» 1972 – First Filipina to receive
UC Berkeley Minority Scholarship in
Education.
» 1973-78 – First Filipina to serve the
Oakland Public Schools as the District
Filipino Liaison. Organized the Filipino
Youth Development Council, the first
Filipino Bilingual program in Oakland,
Oakland Public Schools’ Filipino
Teachers Association with over 50
members, and created “Asians Now”
for KTVU (FOX), a first-time bilingual
news and magazine program with a
Filipino segment. In addition, Bautista
served on the board of the Asian
Library, Filipinos for Affirmative Action,
Oakland Museum Cultural Guild,
and the Filipino Peoples Far West
Convention.
» 1990-04 – Appointed Community
Relations Director and Director of
Medical Interpreter Services of a large
county hospital. In addition, founded
the California Healthcare Interpreting
Association (CHIA).
Lorna Dietz
Lorna Dietz became the president of the
San Francisco Rotary club in 1999-2000.
Dietz is the first Filipina American to have
become the president of a Rotary club in
the Bay Area.
From far left: Rosario Lourdes
Teresita Bautista, Lorna Dietz,
Cheryl Moss, the “Patemm Pad,”
Grace Rodriguez Welch and
Chris Robertson
Vida Benavides Chris Robertson
» First Filipina to serve as a political The first Filipina, or more importantly –
and finance strategist by consulting woman, hired as a cablesplicer for utility
National Democratic Presidential company PG&E in the state of California.
campaigns.
» First Filipina to consult any presidential
BUSINESS
campaign – Democrat and or
Republican.
Grace Rodriguez Welch
» First Filipina to serve at a senior level First Filipina Mom Inventor, founder and
position at the Democratic National president of Patemm & Company
Committee- Director of Public Liaison.
Grace Rodriguez Welch is the inventor of
» First Filipina to establish national the award-winning patented round diaper
public service campaigns in the area of changing pad called the Patemm Pad –
civic engagement such as Get-Out-The named after her two children: Patrick and
Vote and Day of Remembrance PSA’s- Emma. Parents across the country are
Japanese Internment Experience. raving about Welch’s Patemm Pads,
including “Friends” actress Courteney
» First Filipina to intern on Capitol Hill;
interned in mid-80s for Senator Carl Cox-Arquette. Welch’s Patemm Pads have
been featured in People, Parents,
Levin (D-Michigan).
Parenting, Real Simple magazine, the
Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the
UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY San Francisco Chronicle, and the Seattle
Times. The Patemm Pads were also named
2005 Product of the Year by Fit Pregnancy
Dittas A. Formoso
President of the Philippine Computer magazine and most recently iParenting
Media Awards recently recognized
Society. Formoso was the first Filipina
Patemm™ Pads as an Outstanding
president of the Filipino computer society
Product of 2005.
who organized the first IT Professional’s
Congress in 1996 where the Code of
Ethics of IT Professionals were presented
to then President Fidel Ramos. Formoso
also organized the first Philippine Summit
on Women and Technology in July 2005
along with the Women’s Business Council
of the Philippines.
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 09
{A}
Abad, Debbie
Accountant
USS Hornet Museum
P.O. Box 460
FWN Members
Pier 3, Alameda Point
Alameda, CA 94501
510.749.4168
debbie.abad@
uss.hornet.org
Abriam, Rosie
Engineering Applications
Manager
New Focus, Inc.
2584 Junction Avenue
San Jose, CA 95134
408.919.1536 work
rabriam@newfocus.com
Kali guru, engineer
Afan, Susan
Regional Vice President
Robert Half International
50 California St., 10th flr
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.434.1900 phone
susan.afan@rhi.com
Human resource recruitment
Aglipay, Elaine Yan
Harvard Business School
Kennedy School of Gov.
eaglipay@mba2003.hbs.edu
617.230.6877
Alegre, Jossie
Vice President,
External Affairs
HeartBridge International
Foundation
510.590.2028 phone
joealegre@aol.com
Accounting & Finance,
non-profit, management
Alikpala M.D., Agnes
1580 Valencia St. #601
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.285.6210 work
ayalikpala@aol.com
Araullo, Vivian Z.
Realtor
Prudential Realty
180 El Camino Real
San Bruno, CA 94066
650.892.1863
Vivian.araullo@prurealty.com
Real estate, video production,
public relations
Aroy, Marissa
Producer
The Media Factory /
Wide Angle Pictures
372 Euclid Ave, Ste 105
Oakland, CA 94610
510.295.4305 phone
10 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
510.368.0580 cell
marissa_aroy@hotmail.com
Media, documentary film and
television, journalism
Ashley, Ruthy Catolico
Member, Board of Governors;
State Bar of California
Assistant Dean, Career &
Professional Development
University of the Pacific
McGeorge School of Law
3200 5th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95817
916.739.7099 phone
rashley@pacific.edu
Atanacio, Shelene
Actor
www.sheleneatanacio.com
shelene.atanacio@
sbcglobal.net
415.572.2474 phone
{B}
Barton, Babe
Recreation Therapist
Center for Elders
babebarton@sbcglobal.net
510.653.4946 phone
Bautista, Terry
Principal
TCB Consultants
510.533.8781 phone
tcbautista@yahoo.com
Borromeo, Linda P.
Director
International Museum
of Women
323 Geary St., Ste. 317
San Francisco, CA 94102
plantacion_asia@ sbcglobal.net
www.imow.org
Brion, Lilian Alcantara
Vice President
Labco Inc.
Regulatory Economist
Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission
6310 Stillwater Blvd.
Oakdale, MN 55128
651.297.7864 phone
lillianbrion@comcast.net
Briones-Ubalde, Agnes
Executive Director
San Francisco Small Business
Commission; Office of Small
Business Affairs
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett
Place, Room 448
San Francisco, CA 94131
415.554.6134 phone
agnes.briones@sfgov.org
www.sfgov.org/sbc
Public policy; management,
small business services;
community and economic
development
Buell, Vangie
International House
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
510.528.8177
vangiec@uclink.berkeley.edu
510.528.8177 phone
Author, speaker, performer
Bueno-Johnson, Beverly
District Public Records
Act Coordinator
Dept. of Transportation
111 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94623
510.604.9419 phone
bevwood98@yahoo.com
Public outreach, event
coordination, public relations
Bustos MPA, Ana Marie
Guinto
4617 Country Hills Drive
Antioch, CA 94531
925.777.0757 phone
agbustos2@msn.com
{C}
Calub, Vicky Servillon
CFO
Hyatt Regency Subway
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.986.4622 phone
Casteel, Edna Mabanes
Fiscal Officer & Pre-Award
Manager (Former Director
and Manager)
California Pacific Medical
Center Research Institute
123 Farallones Street
San Francisco, CA 94112
415.585.7927
marcasteel@aol.com
Accounting and Finance
Federal, State, Private,
Grant Management –
Pre and Post Award
Carrion-Di Ricco M.A.,
Rosario L “Puchi”
President / Owner
Operation Wishing Star
PO Box 460176
San Francisco, CA 94146
415.370.9448 phone
puchicd@pacbell.net
Gerontology, community
relations, public relations/
fund raising
Choy, Carmen
Executive Director
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
Filipino Bar Association
of Northern California
268 Bush Street, #2928
San Francisco, CA 94104
carmen.choy@doj.ca.gov
www.fbanc.org
Cortez, Polly S
Regional QA Manager
Department of Treasury
West Region
925.876.7695 phone
pscortez@aol.com
{D}
De Castro, Socorro “Kit”
Musical Director
Landsberg Productions
Piedmont Piano Company
4382 Piedmont Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
510.547.8188 phone
lamp88@earthlink.com
www.piedmontpiano.com
De Jesus, Melinda
Professor, Asian Pacific Asian
Pacific American Studies
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-4603
480.727.7340 work
Delen, Sonia
Principal
Bank of America Leasing
415.203.8111 cell
415.765.7372 work
soniadelen@yahoo.com
www.bankofamerica.com
Devis, Sony
Financial Consultant
Lau Financial Services
650.401.4672 work
sdevis@sbcglobal.net
www.laufinancial.com
Dietz, Lorna Lardizabal
Strategic Business Consultant
RadiantView.com
2390 Powell Street, Ste 402
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.235.9884 cell
lornadietz@gmail.com
www.radiantview.com
Public relations, marketing
communications, strategic
business consulting
Dunham, Christina
Associate Publisher
Filipinas Magazine
1580 Bryant Street
Daly City, CA 94015
415.341.5812 cell
contact@christina
dunham.com
Marketing strategy, business
development/sales, loyalty
marketing
Dwyer, Genevieve
President
Genevieve’s Corporation
1
582 Market Street, Ste 717
San Francisco, CA 94104
415.822.2222
genevieves@sbcglobal.net
www.fasteasydivorce.com
Alternative medicine,
real estate, paralegal
{E}
Edralin, Stella M.
Attorney at Law
Law Office of
Stella M. Edralin
220 Montgomery, Ste 1109
San Francisco, CA 94104
415.399.9900 phone
stella@edralinlaw.com
Estate planning, employee
benefits law, ERISA and
HIPAA compliance.
{F}
4
Fernandez, Nerissa
Marketing Services
ABS-CBN International
859 Cowan Road
Burlingame, CA 94010
650.652.6691 office
650.921.7002 mobile
650.697.1736 cell
zazenportal1808@aol.com
{G}
Garcia, Charina P.
Principal
Cornerstone Law Group
595 Market St., Ste 2360
San Francisco, CA 94105
415.357.2096 phone
cgarcia@cornerlaw.com
www.cornerlaw.com
ghi
Immigration law
Gaspar, Arlene C
Realtor
RE/MAX Accord
Danville Branch
111 Provence Road
Danville, CA 94506
650.465.0393 cell
800.519.3001 office
925.838.4100 RE/MAX
925.736.3066 phone
arlenegaspar865@msn.com
Real estate, mortgage loans
and business management
Gibson, Kathleen Prado
Office Manager
Real Estate Services
7
UC San Francisco
415.353.4750 work
Kathleengibson999@
yahoo.com
Golangco, Marsha
President
MG Consultants
P.O. Box 1088
Alamo, CA 94507
925.946.1006 phone
fengshu888@aol.com
www.golangco-global.com
Guillermo, Tessie
President and CEO
Community Technology
Foundation of California
One Rincon Center
101 Spear St., Suite 218
San Francisco, CA 94105
415.371.8808 work
tessie@zerodivide.org
Guingona, Dina
Accountant
dinaguingona@
gmail.com
Corporate accounting,
human resources
Guingona M.A.,
Teresa Ferrer
kmgsmom@aol.com
{H}
Hipolito-Estilo, Eileen
V/P, Manager Projects
Banking Group Support
Northern California-Nevada
Bank of America
415.436.3456
Hipolitoestilo4@comcast.net
www.bankofamerica.com
Hondrada, Maria
President
Island Huts, Inc
3377 Veer Valley Rd #308
Antioch, CA 94531
925.754.3580 phone
Islandhuts2@comcast.net
{J}
Jallorina, Jessica
Account Manager
Telogy, Inc.
3200 Whipple Road
Union City, CA 94587
510.675.9500 phone
jessicaj@ffwn.org
www.telogyinc.com
Sales and marketing,
telecommunications, wireless
and electronic test equipment
Jopanda, Genevieve
Operations Manager
Hertz Corporation
510 #D E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
genevieve@
atlanticbancorpsr.com
{K}
Kagawan-Lucas, Anne
Sales Representative,
VWR International
Vice President – Internal
Affairs, JMDIAA
1482 7th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
aflucas@lycos.com
Kerwick, Christina
Ocampo
President
Asean International
767 Pradera Way
San Ramon, CA 94583
925.550.5409
2
abc
Christina@asean-intl.com
www.asean-intl.com
{L}
Leano, Christina
Executive Director
Ayala Foundation, USA
255 Shoreline Dr., Ste 128
Redwood City, CA 95065
650.598.3126 phone
Christina@
ayalafoundation.org
www.ayalafoundation.org
Legaspi, Liza
5 6
Account Executive
Intertrend Communication
555 East Ocean Blvd. 9th Flr
Long Beach, CA 90802
562.733.1852 phone
liza@intertrend.com
www.intertrend.com
Lingad-Ricci, Jacquie
President, HeartBridge
International Foundation
charity@HeartBridgeIntl.org
www.heartbridgeintl.org
Commissioner,
San Francisco Juvenile
Probation Commission
President & Managing
Director, Travel Industry
jkl
Professional Services, LLC
dba CruiseTipsLLC
445 Washington Street
San Francisco CA 94111
415.956.0228 phone
Jacquie@CruiseTipsLLC.com
Cruise travel, juvenile issues,
non-profit foundation
Lloren, Connie
Staff Accountant and Stock
Plan Administrator
Willis Lease Finance
Corporation
2320 Marinship Way, Ste 300
Sausalito, CA 94964
conniel@ffwn.org
www.willislease.com
Accounting, financial
8 9
analysis, stock plan
administration
Luluquisen, Evelyn
Human Resources Manager,
Communications &
Network Services
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
ilocanavagabond@
yahoo.com
510.642.1159 phone
{M}
Macababayao, Imelda
General Manager
5th Avenue Financial
1553 Bennington Court
Stockton, CA 95209
866.587.2719 phone
imee30@yahoo.com
Residential, commercial, &
equipment leasing loans
Malay MFT, Paulita L.
Psychotherapist
Mills Park Plaza
715 El Camino Real #211
San Bruno, CA 94406
650.548.0468
Paulita_malay@
sbcglobal.net
Mangahas, Elena
Co-Chairperson
Little Manila Foundation
www.littlemanila.net
209.351.2428 phone
emangaha@sjcworknet.org
Marania, Vilma
426 27th Street, Suite 204B
Oakland, CA 94612
415.262.2093 work phone
415.760.9612 cell
Vilma.marania@rreef.com
Acquisition, disposition and
development commercial
real estate transactions;
residential investments
Marilla, Lovejoy
Information Services and
Data Processing Services
121 Lindbergh Street
San Mateo, CA 94401
650.580.9505 cell
lovejoysweet@yahoo.com
Sales & Marketing, retail
sales & merchandising,
broadcasting
Maristela, Tricia
CEO
Futurity, Inc.
California
t.maristela@comcast.net
Financial services, community
development
Mathias, Peachy
TV Reporter
ABS-CBN International
The Filipino Channel
150 Shoreline Drive
Redwood City, CA 94065
650.580.3443
peachymathias@yahoo.com
News gathering, news
production, public relations
Mausisa, Victoria
Project Manager
Kaiser Permanente
34 Sonia Street
Oakland, CA 94618
510.316.8543 phone
vic822@yahoo.com
Megino, Baylan
Independent Associate
Pre-paid Legal Services, Inc.
3020 El Cerrito Plaza #183
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510.526.1575 phone
877.767.6966
baylan@sbcglobal.net
www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/
megino
Access to legal services, small
business consulting, and
employee benefits
Mendoza, Tisa
President
Being Real Media, Inc.
650.483.9757 cell
Tisa@beingrealmedia.com
www.beingrealmedia.com
Mesina, Charmaine
Attorney; Managing Director,
Corporate Legal Services
Applied Materials
2881 Scott Blvd. M/S 2062
P.O. Box 58039
Santa Clara, CA 95054
408.463.2153 work
charmaine_mesina@
amat.com
www.appliedmaterials.com
Mondejar, Marily
Executive Director
Institute for Image
Management
PO Box 190007
San Francisco, CA 94119
415.863.2573 phone
marily@image360.com
www.image360.com
Organizational development,
executive career coaching,
change management
Murray, Edna Biscocho
Clerk, Alameda County
Professional Massage
Therapist
510.261.2265 phone
murray@
bhcs.mail.co.alameda.ca.us
{O}
Ocampo, Blesilda
Child Support Officer
San Francisco Department of
Child Support Services
415.867.2544 phone
blesilda_ocampo@
yahoo.com
Ordonio-Dixon, Linda
Senior Trial Attorney
Equal Employent Opportunity
Commission (EEOC)
350 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
415.625.5654 phone
linda4490@hotmail.com
Civil Rights – Employment
Discrimination
{P}
Pallas, Consuelo “Chelo”
SEC and GAAP Compliance
Manager
URS Corporation
2440 Bush Street, Unit #C
San Francisco CA 94115
415.744.2758 work phone
415.716.7280 cell
chelopallas@aol.com
Accounting and Finance,
human resources,
management information
systems
Parina, June Frances
Manager, Media Relations
The Blueshirt Group
415.217.4968 phone
jfparina@gmail.com
www.blueshirtgroup.com
Parmelee-Cabrera, Pearl
Community Relations &
Development
Philippine Childrens Fund
510.858.4215
pearlparmelee@yahoo.com
www.philippinechildrensfund.org
Pico, Giovannie
Actor
429 Elm Avenue
San Bruno, CA 94066
310.869.4993 cell
giovannie@sbcglobal.net
www.giovannie.com
mno
Acting, voice over
Puno-Juliana, Rachel
Attorney at Law
1135 Park Pacifica Avenue
Pacifica, CA 94044
408.563.9098 work
raepuno@yahoo.com
Contract and Intellectual
Property Law
{R}
Remigio, Lorraine
Asst. Vice President
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
1350 Carlback Ave. Ste 200
Walnut Creek, CA 94956
925.295.2569
lorrainer@heffgroup.com
www.heffgroup.com
Robertson, Chris L.
Electrical Systems Operator,
PG&E
President, JMDIAA
4801 Oakport
Oakland, CA 94609
510.653.4946 phone
lordrobertson@yahoo.com
Rodis, Edna Austria
Registered Nurse
Kaiser Medical Center
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T
3
415.334.4547 phone
ednarodis@yahoo.com
{S}
def
Sáles, Evelie Delfino
Founder
Babaylan Emerging
Apprenticeship & Mentoring
Program
510.233.1343 phone
aumahal@aol.com
Sanchez, Maria Rowena
Christina@iploft.com
www.iploft.com
{V}
Villahermosa De Guzman,
Anne Marie
Office Manager, Dixon
Landing Family Dental Care
1786 Milmont Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
408.942.7791 phone
angelicadg@sbcglobal.net
Office management, dental
Mendoza
care operations, customer
Consul General SF service
447 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94108 Villavicencio Schmid,
415.433.6666 phone Rita
rmsanchez@ VP, Sales & Marketing
philippinecentersf.com The Lodge at Blue Lakes
www.philippinecentersf.com 5135 West Highway 20
Upper Lake, CA 95485-9513
San Juan-Geronimo,
707.275.2181 phone
Laarni ritavny@yahoo.com
Public Health Nurse
www.thelodgeatbluelakes.com
San Mateo County Public Sales & marketing, public relations
Health Department
107 Huron Avenue Villena, Maria
San Francisco, CA 94112 Personal Banker
415.608.9979 phone Wells Fargo Bank
laarnis@yahoo.com 1800 Solano Ave.
Maternal child health, Richmond, CA 94804
parenting workshops 510. 558.2800 work
mariavillena@hotmail.com
Schmid, Maryann www.wellsfargo.com
Owner
The Lodge at Blue Lakes {Y}
5135 West Highway 20 Yap, Bettina Santos
Upper Lake, CA 95485-9513 Marketing Consultant
707.275.2181 phone Sun Microsystems
maryann@thelodgeatbluelakes.com 408.276.6239 work
www.thelodgeatbluelakes.com BSYap@aol.com
hospitality management, real estate www.sun.com
{T} Yuchengco, Mona Lisa
Tancinco, Lourdes Founder, Chair and
Attorney, Partner Executive Director
Tancinco Law Offices Philippine International Aid
One Hallidie Plaza, Ste. 818 5226 Diamond Heights Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94102 San Francisco, CA 94131
415.397.0808 phone 415.401.7157 phone
lou@tancinco.com myuchengco@aol.com
www.tancincolaw.com www.phil.aid.org
Ethnic Media, Non-Profit
Tintiangco, Virna
Director, Business {Z}
Development Zaragoza, Teresita
Jeeba Solutions “Tessie”
virna@mac.com Community Advocate
Organ Donor Rights
Tursi, Carmelita M. Network
Associate State Director
510.229.8216 phone
AARP California tvz970@hotmail.com
200 Pine Street, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94104 Zenarosa, Carmela
415.986.3324 work Architect, Interior Designer
ctursi@aarp.org Ted Moudis Associates
305 East 46th Stree
{U} New York, NY 10017
Uichanco, Christina
212.308.4000 x142 work
Fernandez & Associates, LLP czenarosa@tedmoudis.com
1047 El Camino Real, Ste 201
www.tedmoudis.com
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650.325.4999 phone
11
I RENE N ATIVIDAD
A Woman for
All Nations
M
Margaret Thatcher once said, “In
politics, if you want something
said, ask a man; if you want
something done, ask a woman.”
She should have added that if you
want something done, the woman
to ask is Irene Natividad, whose
life’s work is empowering women
politically and economically.
“I’m not into whining,” Natividad
said. “That really bores me. You
have to look at problems head on
and be part of the solution. You
have to have a positive attitude.
In other words, you must not only
envision change, but you must see
yourself as the agent of change.”
Natividad, who is a native of
the Philippines, has acted on her
belief that the key to political
progress is the empowerment
of women. She served as the
first Asian American president of
the National Women’s Political
Caucus, a national bipartisan
organization dedicated to electing
and appointing more women to
public office. Before heading that
organization from 1985 to 1989,
she was the Deputy Vice Chair
of the Democratic Party’s Asian
Caucus.
“Women have not had access
to leadership roles because their
work is devalued and stereotypes
abound as to what women can
or cannot do,” she said. “I
12 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
can’t believe there has been
such a brouhaha lately about
an American woman serving
as president on television. The
Philippines, Bangladesh, United
Kingdom, India, Sri Lanka and
many other countries have been
led by women, but not the United
States. Women haven’t been
considered for the presidency in
this country because we haven’t
had role models in women’s
political leadership. If we look
around the world, we see the
stereotype is wrong.”
Natividad knows the struggle for
women’s equality is global and
has traveled the world speaking
and organizing women’s groups.
She is the president of the Global
Summit for Women – now referred
to as “the Davos for Women
by past participants – which
brings together women from
around the world to share best
practices in advancing women’s
economic status worldwide. The
most recent Summit, which took
place in Mexico, was visited by
Mexican President Vicente Fox
and international leaders from
75 nations. Previous summits
have been held in Seoul,
Marrakesh, Barcelona, Hong Kong,
Johannesburg, Buenos Aires,
London, Miami, Taiwan, Dublin
and Montreal.
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
Natividad’s Filipino heritage has into politics, at the very least, to
guided her toward international exercise their right to vote; or at
work. “Filipinos have a strong most, to run for office.
desire for community and I have
As Chair of WomenVote USA,
tried to bring people together
Natividad has also worked to
from around the world,” she
increase American women’s
said. “I don’t look like a typical
participation at the voting booth.
American. I have a Latino
Currently, only half of American
sounding name and look dark
women vote. Natividad bemoans
– all of which makes it easier for
structural barriers that prevent
me to be accepted abroad as a
all voters, male and female, from
global citizen.”
casting their ballot because of
conflicts with work and family
Natividad has often worked
schedules. “Whose idea was it to
for political progress through
schedule voting on a workday?
economic advancement. “It’s
Because it’s on a Tuesday, women
politics that drives me,” she said,
are sometimes faced with the
“but politics and economics are
choice of going to work, picking
very much intertwined. When a
up the kids after school or voting.
woman brings money home to
Often voting doesn’t come first.”
her family, she acquires power.
Studies have shown that when a
Natividad also co-chairs Corporate
woman’s earning power increases,
Women Directors International,
the family’s welfare improves
which promotes the participation
as well. Having her own income
of women on corporate boards
also allows women to venture
around the world. “The budget
of some corporations,” she said,
“is larger than that of some
countries. Corporations make
decisions that affect thousands
of lives, so it’s important to know
the composition of corporate
boards and whether women’s
voices have been included.
Women are the majority of
consumers in products ranging
from cars to health care. Their
presence on boards can provide
valuable insight into this
important market.” That is why
CWDI has issued reports on
women directors in the largest
companies in Australia, Canada,
Japan, Spain, and South Africa.
It also released in 2005 the first-
ever report on women directors
of the largest companies in
Latin America. In CWDI’s 2004
report on Women Directors in the
Fortune Global 200 Companies,
it found that only 10.8% of board
seats are held by women in
the 200 largest companies in
the world.
Given the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and U.S. economic
doldrums, Natividad admits
that keeping a positive outlook
while being an activist and
confronting inequalities everyday
can be a challenge. “However,
I have infinite faith in women’s
creativity,” she said. “No matter
what barriers women face, they
find a way to manage. They
become entrepreneurs even
without access to credit from
banks worldwide. They are now
almost half of the workforce
all over the world, even when
discriminatory practices are still
in place even in the U.S. They
have run for political office in
increasing numbers, even when
financial support still lags for
most women candidates. Women
have remarkable courage and
persistence and they use it to
survive and thrive. I’m very proud
of them and they are what keeps
me going.”
Natividad has been awarded
several honors including two
honorary doctorates from Long
Island University and Marymount
College for her work on behalf
of women. She has also been
recognized by the media and
has been named Women’s
eNews “21 Leaders for the 21st
Century” in 2004; one of Working
Mother Magazine’s “25 Most
Influential Working Mothers;”
and one of Campaigns and
Elections Magazine’s “74 Women
Changing American Politics.” In
1988 she was named as one of
Ladies Home Journal’s “100 Most
Powerful Women in America.”
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T
FREADA
KAPOR KLEIN
A Level Playing Field
Looking to the
Future: A Level
Playing Field will
be the keynote
address given
by Freada Kapor
Klein, Ph.D., Founder and
Board Chair of Level Playing
Field Institute as the closing
message to the “Filipina First:
Reinventing Ourselves” –
3rd Annual Filipina Summit on
Sunday morning, October 23.
Her special presentation will
use a powerful combination
of film, song, story and
critical thinking about
workplace equity, strategies
on reinvention, and ways
Filipina women can fully
participate in the workplace by
understanding the processes
and attitudes in business
environments.
A level playing field is the
American dream – individuals
advancing in the workplace
based on their capabilities: no
hidden barriers, no obstacles,
no unfair advantages. It should
be about what you know, not
whom you know, or where you
grew up. Sadly, it’s more myth
than reality.
With this in mind, Freada
Kapor Klein and Mitchell Kapor,
both serial entrepreneurs and
both highly committed to
work-life quality, decided to
do something about it. Freada
founded the Level Playing Field
Institute. Mitchell Kapor is
best known for creating Lotus
Development Corporation and
the designer of Lotus 1-2-3.
In 1976 Freada co-founded the
first organization in the United
States to offer training and
consultation on the topic of
sexual harassment and became
the leading expert witness and
sexual harassment/diversity
consultant for Fortune 500
companies and professional
services firms.
Freada has been interviewed
for numerous publications,
including: Business Week,
the Chicago Tribune, Forbes,
Fortune, the Harvard Business
Review, the Los Angeles
Times, the National Law
Journal, Newsweek, the New
York Times, the Wall Street
Journal, and the Washington
Post. Television appearances
include: “The Today Show,”
“NBC Nightly News” with Tom
Brokaw, “Prime Time Live,”
“Nightline,” “The MacNeil-
Lehrer Newshour,” “20/20,”
“CBS This Morning,” and
“Good Morning, America.”
13
 Filipina Women’s Network
Third Annual
FILIPINA SUMMIT
F I L I P I N A F I R S T: R E I N V E N T I N G O U R S E LV E S

Celebrating Filipino Filipina Summit C. Community & Political E. Celebrating Filipina

History Month in Learning Sessions Empowerment Women Artists at
October! FWN Theatre
C1. Filipino Pop Culture: the (fundraiser to benefit Filipina
A. Breaking the Glass Development of the Filipino Women Against Violence)
The Filipina Women’s Network (FWN)
Ceiling” Image in America (truths, lies,
brings together Filipina women, corporate
secrets and legacies) E1. Special performance by
America’s untapped source of leadership
A1. Opening Keynote by Irene Faith Rivera
at a time when economic, social and
Natividad: “Filipina First: C2. Run, Filipina Run:
political challenges demand new levels of
Re-inventing Ourselves” Campaigning to Win E2. A special presentation from
talent and innovation.
The Vagina Monologues
A2. Remarkable Filipina Women: C3. YouthSpeak: Growing Up
FWN strives to meet this demand by
Developing Organizational Bi-Cultural in the U. S. E3. Underneath the Smile
providing Filipina women the knowledge
and resources and by building a network Savvy
C4. Developing Our Community E4. Dead Woman Home
of women who dares to change the
A3. Own Your Future: Strategic of Influence
landscape of the leadership in today’s
workplace. This year’s theme “Filipina Mentoring (how to leverage
First: Re-inventing Ourselves is about the power of mentoring F. Career Fair @ the
fostering new thinking, stimulating new circles) D. Personal Leadership FWN Expo
actions, and creating new results. Development Featuring resume critiques,
A4. How to Get Published for career coaching, conducting
Instant Credibility D1. Kali, Filipino Martial Art of a job search and corporate
At this three-day gathering, Filipina
Self Defense: Calm in the recruiters will be on hand to
women will articulate a progressive
A5. Business Dining Etiquette Storm attract Filipina women into
agenda to develop new strategies,
(tutorial lunch) joining their organizations.
expand and enhance current personal
D2. Clear Eye for a Filipina Style: Bring a batch of your
and professional situations, and share
A6. Filipinas in Motion What Your Image Says resumes!
ideas about re- invention as a vehicle for
Roundtable Discussions About You
social change.
(Mirror, Mirror on
the Wall) D3. Emotional Intelligence
The following learning and development
tracks will take a holistic approach to “People get trapped
D4. Closing Keynote by Freada
examining the different factors affecting
Klein - Looking to the Future: into thinking
the Filipina woman’s ability to lead B. Entrepreneurship
productive and meaningful lives: A Level Playing Field about just one way
» Personal Leadership Development B1. Coming Home: Doing Business in
D5. The Power of Feng Shui:
of doing things.”
» “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” the Philippines
Achieving Fulfillment and
» Entrepreneurship
B2. Road to Entrepreneurship Success in Your Life
» Community & Political Empowerment
ERIK WEIHENMAYER,
B3. Smart Financing for You and Blind Rock Climber
Your Future

14 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g

 F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 2 1 – 2 3 , 2 0 0 5
Crowne Plaza Union Square, 480 Sutter St. @ Powell St., San Francisco

D AY O N E : F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 2 1 D AY T W O : S AT U R D AY, O C T O B E R 2 2 D AY T H R E E : S U N D AY, O C T O B E R 2 3

8:00 am – Check-in / Registration 7:30 am – Check-in / Registration 8:00 am – Check-in / Registration

9:00 am 8:30 am 9:00 am
9:00 am – Concurrent Sessions 8:30 am – Full Gathering 9:00 am – Full Gathering
12:00 pm Clear Eye for a Filipina Style 12:15 pm Welcome 1:00 pm
(Summit Weavers) Filipinas-in-Motion
Kali, Filipino Martial Art of Roundtable Discussions
Self Defense: Calm in the Storm Panel Discussions @ Sunday Brunch
Remarkable Filipina Women:
12:00 pm – Career Fair @ the FWN Expo Developing Organizational Savvy Panel Discussions
1:50 pm Visit exhibits. Bring your brown bag YouthSpeak: Growing Up Bi-cultural
lunch to the Career Fair Strategic Mentoring: How to Leverage in the U.S.
the Power of Mentoring Circles
Business Dining Etiquette Developing our Community of Influence
(tutorial lunch, additional fee) 12:15 pm – FWN Expo
1:15 pm Visit exhibits and Career Fair @ Lunch Keynote
2:00 pm – Concurrent Sessions Looking to the Future: A Level
3:30 pm Smart Financing for You and Your Future Playing Field
1:15 pm – Full Gathering (Summit Weavers) Freada Kapor Klein, Ph.D.
Getting Published: Authors, Agents 6:00 pm Panel Discussions
and Publishers Road to Entrepreneurship Closing Remarks
Marily Mondejar, President FWN
3:30 pm Break Run, Filipina, Run: Campaigning to Win
2:30 pm – Audition Call
3:45 pm – Concurrent Sessions Coming Home: Doing Business 5:00 pm V-Day San Francisco
5:15 pm Emotional Intelligence in the Philippines The Vagina Monologues
Spotlight 2006: Justice to Comfort Women
The Power of Feng Shui 6:00 pm – FWN Expo
7:00 pm FWN Members Reception
5:15 pm Break
7:00 pm – Filipina Women Who Could be As a special celebration of our Filipino heritage, we will
5:30 pm – Full Gathering 9:00 pm President Awards honor the rich tradition of the T’boli tribe with a special
7:00 pm FWN Expo exhibition of rare and beautiful handwoven T’nalak
Sponsor & Exhibitor Reception Celebrating Filipina Women Artists
@ FWN Theatre fabrics. These fabrics are sacred weaves passed from
generation to generation of skilled weavers with many
7:00 pm – Celebrating Filipino History in the U.S. A special performance by Faith Rivera meanings and spiritual uses. The principal task of
9:00 pm (Summit Weavers) My Vagina was My Village from weaving are performed by women of royal blood,
supported by the entire community from extracting the
Featuring Faith Rivera “The Vagina Monologues” raw abaca fibers, to the dyeing and final ironing of the
Launch Filipina Womens Network Magazine by Giovannie Pico and Edna Rodis finished T’nalak. T’Boli weavers are guided and inspired
“Dead Woman Home” by dreams. The colors used coincide with the elements
Opening Remarks from the afterlife as designated in T’boli cosmology:
Marily Mondejar, President FWN by May Nazareno, of the
Pamana Theatre Project red symbolizes hulo, the land where the souls of the
Keynote murdered rest; black symbolizes hitem, the destination
Filipina First: Reinventing Ouselves of the souls who died of natural causes; white
Irene Natividad represents bukay, the repository of suicide victims.

Panel Discussion Lovingly curated by Fides Enriquez and Rafael Musni

Filipino Pop Culture: The Development of of the Pacific Ethnographic Research Society
the Filipino Image in America (Truths, www.persociety.org
Lies, Secrets and Legacies)

3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 15
 The Philippine Center in San Francisco is
composed of two adjoining buildings located on
Sutter Street, a block away from prestigious
Union Square and within a mile of San Francisco’s
financial district.
Because of their extensive history, the City of
San Francisco has defined the Philippine Center
San Francisco Buildings as historical landmarks. The buildings were
purchased by the Philippine government in 1974 and
are managed by the Philippine Center Management
Board. It is the mission of the Center to:
• Nurture, promote and propagate
Philippine culture
• Promote investments to the Philippines
• Expand the foreign market for
Philippine products
• Encourage foreign tourists to visit
the Philippines
• Enhance the image of the Philippines
16 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g
The Center is an intelligent building venue that
showcases the best in the Filipino. Improvements
include a fully renovated and modern Consulate
lobby, a Business Center, Executive Suites for Lease,
a Dynamic Website, Art and Culture Exchange
Galleries, A Movie and Screening Room, Upscale
Filipino Restaurant and Café and ultimately the
conversion of the 447 Lobby into the Cultural
Center of the Philippines in San Francisco. Wealth
of information about the Center can already be
accessed at www.philippinecentersf.com.
For more information about the center please contact:
The Business Office
The Philippine Center
447 Sutter Street, Suite 518
San Francisco CA 94108
Email: info@philippinecentersf.com
Telephone: (415) 982-6153
Fax: (415) 982 1232

OPENING KEYNOTE
Irene Natividad
President
Global Summit of Women
Irene Natividad will talk about how
Filipina women can create a
demand for their leadership abilities
and talents by seizing opportunities
within their organizations and by
calling for a revolutionary shift on
how Filipinas live and work,
manage their careers, and create a
competitive advantage in the
workplace.
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Freada Kapor Klein, Ph.D.,
Founder and Board Chair
The Level Playing Field Institute
Freda will talk about workplace
equity, strategies on reinvention
and ways Filipina women can fully
participate in the workplace by
understanding the processes and
attitudes in business environments.
Filipina Summit Learning Sessions
(A) BREAKING THE GLASS
CEILING
A1 Opening Keynote – Filipina
First: Reinventing Ourselves
Irene Natividad, President,
Global Summit of Women
A2 Remarkable Filipina
Women: Developing
Organizational Savvy
Evelyn Dilsaver, President
and CEO, Charles Schwab
Investment Management
Charmaine Mesina, Esq.,
Managing Director, Corporate
Legal Services, Applied
Materials
Agnes Strandberg, National
Vice President, Product
Development & Network
Strategy, Senior Products
Division, Health Net, Inc.
(invited)
Margaret Lapiz, Vice
President, Strategy and
Implementation, The
Permanente Medical Group
M O D E R ATO R :
Sonia Delen, Principal,
Banc of America Leasing
A3 Own Your Future: Strategic
Mentoring
Bev Strand, Business
Manager, Supplier Diversity
Program; Chair of Mentoring
Circles, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Denielle Palomares, Quality
Assurance, Genentech; Filipino
Americans Coming Together
(FACT) @ Genentech
Erica Javier Samoranos,
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Ruth Asmundson Ph.D.,
Mayor of Davis, California
Susan Afan, Regional Vice-
President, Professional Staffing
Services, Northern California,
Robert Half International
M O D E R ATO R :
Evelyn Luluquisen,
Human Resources Manager,
Communication & Network
Services, U.C. Berkeley
A4 How to Get Published for
Instant Credibility
Martin Delahoussaye,
Senior Editor, Pfeiffer
Rena Down, screenwriter and
Emmy Award-winning director;
Faculty, New School University
M O D E R ATO R :
Terry Bautista,
TLB Consultants, Educator,
Advocate, Activist
A5 Business Dining Etiquette
(tutorial lunch)
Syndi Seid, Founder &
Director, Advanced Etiquette
A6 Filipinas in Motion
Roundtable Discussions
(Mirror, Mirror on the Wall)
Attendees will join small
discussion groups of Filipina
women in similar fields and
professional areas of expertise.
(B) ENTREPRENEURSHIP
B1 Coming Home: Doing
Business in the Philippines.
Clara Lapuz, Founder,
Marigold Commodities
(Mama Sita brand)
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T
Casimira Gorce, Owner,
XOX Truffles
Alice Ignacio, U.S. food
importer and distributor
Tricia Garcia, Marketing
Manager, LBC Mundial
M O D E R ATO R :
Nini Alvero, Philippine Trade
Commissioner, U.S.Western
Region
B2 Road to Entrepreneurship
Al S. Perez, Principal,
Creative i Studio
Maria Honrada, President,
Island Huts, Inc.
Norma Edar, Owner, Costless
Maintenance Services Co., Inc.
Elaine Villamin, Wine Gypsy
(Winemaker, Thirsty Traveler,
Vineyard Pixie) Eden Canyon
Vineyards
M O D E R ATO R :
Agnes Briones Ubalde,
Executive Director, Small
Business Commission, City and
County of San Francisco
B3 Smart Financing
Kathy Fettke, President,
International Wealth Builders,
East Bay Chapter
Meg Roces Finones,
Investment Representative,
Edward Jones
M O D E R ATO R :
Jessica Jallorina,
Vice President,Communications
@ FWN; Account Manager,
Telogy Inc.
17
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18 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK | w w w. f f w n . o r g


(C) COMMUNITY & POLITICAL
EMPOWERMENT
C1 Filipino Pop Culture:
the Development of the
Filipino Image in America
Bambi Francisco, Editor,
Columnist, Correspondent,
MarketWatch, CBS Radio
Benny Evangelista, Host,
Chronicle Podcasts; Staff Writer,
San Francisco Chronicle
May Briosos, General
Manager, Prime Image
Media Group
Regina Reyes, North America
News Bureau Chief, ABS-CBN
International
M O D E R ATO R :
Tessie Zaragoza, Organ
Donor Rights Network; Chair of
the Board @ FWN
C2 Run, Filipina Run:
Campaigning to Win
Alice Lai-Bitker, Supervisor,
District 3, Alameda County
Gloria Megino Ochoa,
Assistant Chief Counsel, Senate
Judiciary Committee; former
California State Senator; former
candidate for U.S.
Representative (against
Michael Huffington)
Janet Reilly, Democratic
Candidate for the State
Assembly, District 12
Rachel Puno Juliana,
Attorney; Trustee, Jefferson
Union High School District
Rozanna Verder-Aliga,
Board Member, Vallejo City
Unified School District, CA;
Filipina Summit Learning Sessions
candidate for Vallejo City
Council
M O D E R ATO R :
Stella Edralin, Esq.,
Law Office of Stella Edralin
C3 YouthSpeak: Growing Up
Bi-Cultural in the U. S.
Nikki Santiago, President,
Pilipino Student Union, Skyline
College
Kristein Delen Briones,
Student, City College of
San Francisco
M O D E R ATO R :
Genevieve Jopanda, District
Operations Manager, Hertz
Corporation; Vice President,
Youth & Community Advocacy
@ FWN
C4 Developing Our
Community of Influence
Marilyn H. Fowler, Founder
& President, Women’s
Intercultural Network
Vida Benavides, Political
and Public Affairs Consultant
(expert on Asian Pacific
American electoral politics);
Member, Democratic Party
Presidential Primary Timing and
Scheduling Commission
(D) PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
D1 Kali, Filipino Martial Art of
Self Defense – Calm in the
Storm
Rosie Abriam, Gura,
Kamatauuran School of Kali;
Engineering Applications
Manager, New Focus Inc.
D2 Clear Eye for a Filipina (E) CELEBRATING FILIPINA
Style: What Your Wardrobe WOMEN ARTISTS @
Says About You FWN THEATRE
Suzie Woodward Morris, Fundraiser to launch V-Day
CIO, Strategic Imaging, Inc., San Francisco: Spotlight 2006 –
nationally known author, Justice to ‘Comfort Women’
wardrobe and image
Beneficiaries:
consultant
Filipina Women Against
Violence, Pamana Theatre
D3 Emotional Intelligence
Project, Bindlestiff Studios
Rebecca Turner, Ph.D.,
» About “The Vagina
Professor, California School of
Monologues” Intro by
Professional Psychology, Alliant
Lourdes Santos Tancinco,
International University and
Esq. Perfomed by Giovannie
Organizational Consultant
Pico and Edna Rodis
D4 Closing Keynote – » “Dead Woman Home”
Looking to the Future:
Written and performed by
A Level Playing Field
May Nazareno, The Pamana
Theatre Project
Freada Kapor Klein, Ph.D.,
Founder and Board Chair, » “Women of the World,”
Level Playing Field Institute; a musical presentation by
President, Klein Associates, Inc. Faith Rivera, a pop
songwriter, 2003 Daytime
D5 The Power of Feng Shui: Emmy Award winner
Achieving Fulfillment and
Success in Your Life FWN Theatre Host: Bettina
Santos Yap, Marketing
Marsha Cheung Golangco,
Consultant, Sun Microsystems
President, MG Consultants
MARKETING MATERIALS
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i NNOVATIVE, i NTELLIGENT AND i MPACTFUL DESIGN SOLUTIONS
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 19
E VELYN D ILSAVER :
The Face of the
New Filipina
BY MARY KATE STIMMLER
E
velyn Dilsaver has gotten far for a
woman who claims she “fell in”
to her career. Although she says, “I
didn’t have a clue what I wanted
to do,” Dilsaver, a Filipina native to
San Francisco, has worked her way
to the top of her career path to become
executive vice president of Charles
Schwab, a member of the Executive
Policy Committee and president and
CEO of Charles Schwab Investments, a
position which gives her considerable
sway over Schwab’s $145 billion portfolio
of proprietary funds. Her career journey
began when she took an internship after
college with Ernst and Ernst (now Ernst
and Young), which put her on the track to
accounting.
Dilsaver’s path was not always straight.
“Too many people,” she said, “get hung
up trying to achieve certain goals at
certain times. I hear young women say
they want to be married by the time they
are 21, have kids by the time they are
24, and be president of their companies
by the time they are 30. It doesn’t work
like that.” Dilsaver’s career has often
required her to make lateral changes to
different roles or new companies, rather
than simply stepping up the ladder. “This
has been key for me,” she said. “At times,
I even moved backwards, but the changes
allowed me to learn more and see what
20 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
was happening in other departments. My
knowledge became broader and broader
and eventually this helped me have a
sense of my company and industry as a
whole.”
Prior to her current position at Charles
Schwab, Dilsaver was chief financial
officer and chief administrative officer at
U.S. Trust, controller at 1st National Bank
and controller at Schwab. Her ability to
accept change is rooted in her childhood.
Growing up in a military family, she was
often shuffled around to new homes,
states and countries. “I learned to make
new friends quickly,” she said. “I have
done the same in business. It is the
relationships that make a team work.”
Dilsaver brings her ability to build
relationships to her community
commitments as well as her work. She
coached volleyball at Assumption School,
her three sons’ school, and co-chaired the
Oakland Diocese Sand Volleyball League.
“In sports, building a team is almost as
vital as athletic capability,” she said.
“Being able to coach girls at a young age
is especially rewarding because sports
gives them self-esteem. When they win
a game or practice, it teaches them to
take pride of themselves and to take care
of themselves at a very difficult stage in
growing up.”
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
Dilsaver has overcome several challenges
in her career, but balancing her personal
life with her career has been the greatest.
“How are you supposed to make time
for yourself when the only hour you
have free each week is spent grocery
shopping?” she asked. Nevertheless, her
commitment to her family has shined
through. “My children are my greatest
accomplishment,” she said. “I have
raised three amazing, well-rounded boys
who treat others with respect and that
gives me so much pride. Being there
for them as they grow up has brought
me incomparable joy.” Dilsaver said her
family also works as a team and she is
grateful for the support of her husband,
who has not resented her success.
D
ilsaver admits that her indepen-
dence and ability to take risks
has enabled her to excel at both
work and home. At one point in
her career, when she was the
chief financial officer and chief
administrative officer at U.S. Trust, she
was required to spend one week each
month in New York. When she was
routinely asked to stay longer and spend
more time away from home, she had the
courage to make a career change in order
to balance her family commitments.
Dilsaver returned to Charles Schwab to be
head of product development and
distribution for mutual funds at Schwab.
At the time, taking this risk, seemed like a
backward step in her career, but it gave
her the opportunity to gain insights into
another function of the business. This
knowledge was instrumental in preparing
her for her executive position. “My
Filipino heritage has sometimes been an
obstacle,” she said, referring to the
culture’s aversion to risk.
Being a Filipina at the top ranks of
portfolio management, Dilsaver says
she does not feel like a pioneer. Instead,
she points to several other women who
had led companies and forged a path
for her. “I haven’t thought of myself that
way,” she said. “Instead I look at what
my job has enabled me to do. I am in the
business of helping people achieve their
dreams financially.”
Dilsaver also chairs the board of
directors for the Women’s Initiative for
Self-Empowerment (WISE). Over 750
women have graduated from the center’s
entrepreneurship training and started
their own businesses. Of the graduates
75 percent double their income within
18 months of completing training. “It’s
inspiring to see women take the lead and
change their lives,” Dilsaver said. “It’s
great for them and for their community.”
Email Mary Kate at mkstimmler@lpfi.org.
W E A S K E D E V E LY N :
FWN: How has mentoring been
a factor in your personal life or
career? Have there been certain
people who have guided you in
your development? If so, how did
they help you? What did you learn?
I’ve had many mentors who have taught
me how to approach business problems,
who trusted me enough to give me a
chance at a new job that I had never
done before. Even if one doesn’t have a
mentor, observing the behavior of other
managers and leaders you admire is very
instructional. Also, observing behaviors
that help you understand what you
should never do (if you really want to
lead) is just as important. At a personal
level, I have many couples as friends who
are older, so I got a chance to see how
they fostered a healthy relationship with
their children as they became teenagers
and adults.
FWN: You mentioned many ways
that you have given back to your
community, but what role has
community played in your life?
What kinds of community do you
connect with most?
Community is very important in my life.
I get rejuvenated by my circle of friends,
business and church, non-profit and
sports. I don’t have just one that I
connect with the most – in fact, many
areinterconnected. My business friends
become personal friends, become sports
and non-profit friends. Having exposure
to people from different walks of life
gives me such tremendous perspective
that I can apply to business and complex
situations.
FWN: You mentioned that being
a Filipina has been a challenge. Can
you think of one specific example
of a time you felt hindered or
judged because of your identity?
How did you resolve it?
I was the senior manager on the audit
job (when I was with a big-eight
accounting firm) and had several men
working for me at the time. The CFO
of the company walked in and started
addressing his concerns to the men in the
room. His bias was that women and
certainly a Filipina could not be in charge.
The guys turned to me and said, “Evelyn’s
in charge... she can answer your concerns.”
If that hadn’t happened, I would have
stepped in and said the same thing.
F W N : In the next ten years,
there will be many changes to the
role of women and Filpinas. What
trends do you see?
I believe there will always be the issue of
balancing a career with family, primarily
because men can’t have babies (though
I’d love to see that happen!). I am
starting to see the pendulum swing
where many college educated women
are deciding they will stay home for 5–6
years during their children’s early life and
then return to work, rather than try to
achieve it all at once. That means it will
be harder to get women into positions
of power (the board room or members
of executive decision making teams)
because of that time lag. Having said
that, I believe we will have a president
who is a woman and more
entrepreneurial businesses will be
women owned, since they can fit
that into the life of their family.
F W N : What has been a source
of inspiration for you?
Early in my career and raising a young
family, I read the book “How to talk so
your kids will listen & listen so your kids
will talk” by Adele Faber and Elain Edna Murray
Mazlish and a subsequent book, “Sibling Professional Massage
Rivalry.” They are fabulous books that
have great applicability in the corporate Therapist & Health Educator
world when it comes to understanding
behavior. As for business books, I enjoy
those that help me understand what Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Reflexology
happened (such as Conspiracy of Fools,
(Stress Reduction, Pain Relief, Relaxation,
the Enron story).
(510) 261-2265 Body & Mind Awareness)
F W N : If you could have lunch
with one person, dead or alive,
who would it be?
Leonardo DaVinci. He was so ahead of
his time and very creative.
F W N : If you weren’t in the
financial industry, what other job Costless Maintenance Services Co., Inc.
would you most like to have? What
did you want to be as a child? P.O. Box 884823
I’d probably be in design. I’m an avid
The definition of clean. San Francisco, CA 94188-4823
Tel: (415) 550-8819
knitter (it’s my form of relaxation) and
I like designing. As a child, I wanted to
Fax: (415) 550-8831
HRC / SFRA Certified as WBE / MBE / LBE
be a nun (that lasted a year) and then
I thought I’d marry someone in the Navy
SERVICES: JANITORIAL / MAINTENANCE / FLOOR CARE
(since my dad was a Navy man).
STEAM / PRESSURE WASH / CONSTRUCTION CLEAN-UP
POWER SWEEPING / SHOPPING MALLS / PARKING GARAGES
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 21
 M ARYLES C ASTO :
Flying High
in Silicon Valley
BY MARY KATE STIMMLER
M
Maryles Casto is Chairman and CEO
of Casto – The Travel Company, the
second largest woman-owned business
in the Silicon Valley based on a survey
conducted by the San Jose Business Times.
She began her career as a flight attendant
for Philippine Airlines. After moving to
California and marrying, she managed a
major travel agency in San Jose. In 1974,
she and a friend each invested $1,500
and founded Casto Travel. Within two
years the company became a $1-million-
dollar business. Today Casto Travel has
annual revenues of over $120 million.
FWN spoke with Casto about how she
does it all.
FWN: How did you come to start
your own travel business?
Casto: I moved to this country after I
got married. I was a stewardess in the
Philippines, but at the time airlines didn’t
allow flight attendants to be married,
so I needed to find a new job. I worked
with a travel agency for a while and
had a lot of ideas as to what a company
should do, what it should look like. This
was in Silicon Valley, but before Silicon
Valley was Silicon Valley. My friend and
I each invested $1,500 to start our own
company. We were in the right place at
the right time. Our first customers were
22 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
Gordon Moore and Andy Grove, the
founders of Intel. At the time Intel only
had 100 customers. The second month
Apple became a customer. And so it
went for the first year, when we made
$500,000. We made $1 million dollars
the second year. I believe in providing the
highest level of customer service and am
committed to excellence. It makes all the
difference.
At that time everything was happening so
fast. I didn’t have time to ask, “What if?”
I never asked myself what would happen
if it didn’t work out. I love change and
risk. It keeps you on your toes and gives
you a fresh perspective.
FWN: How did you learn to take
risks?
Casto: I had no other option. I never
think of failure. I really don’t. Failure
never occurred to me. I never even
thought about my success. I was in the
business ten years before it sank in for
me. I was driving up to the office on a day
they were installing a new sign. I knew
they were putting up a new sign, but
it still shocked me when I saw the sign
that said, “Casto Travel.” Then I realized,
“That’s my name.” I realized what I had
created and what I had done.
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
FWN: Did you ever have a moment
when you were unsure whether the
business would make it through?
Casto: After 9/11 the travel business
stood still. There was no business for a
extension of their home. It is important to
be nurturing.
FWN: According to the census,
women are starting businesses at
twice the national rate and people
month. I knew there had to be a way
of color are starting businesses at
to make the business work and that the
four-times the national rate. Why
downturn was a business opportunity.
do you think entrepreneurship is
So I decided to move some functions of
growing?
my business to the Philippines where we
had offices. Casto: I think people are frustrated
with the corporate ladder. You can only
FWN: What role has your Filipino climb up so far. When we start our own
heritage had on your career? businesses, we are able to manage our
own destinies. People want to be able to
Casto: It has taught me patience. I’m not
see the impact of what they do. In large
a reactive person. I think things through
corporations your impact is quite small.
and don’t rush toward specific goals.
But as a business owner I am able to see
My international background has also
the impact of what I do everyday. It’s so
taught me how to be sensitive to different
rewarding.
cultures and different ideas, so I can
adapt more quickly.
FWN: How have you managed
to balance your career and your
FWN: Do you think being a woman
personal life?
has been a factor?
Casto: Being in my own business, I could
Casto: Women tend to be detail-oriented.
manage that a little better. I made sure
In the travel business, I work with details
my son always came first. I always spent
everyday. There is also the maternal
the morning with him. If I had to work
instinct to take care of people, which is
late, that was okay. There are doors in my
important in travel. I have customers who
brain. When one opens, the other closes.
have been with me since the beginning
I am very focused. When I am with my
because I try to make their travel like an
family, I’m not thinking about work. When
I am at work, I am only thinking about
work. A friend once taught me to take
time everyday to ask myself, “What have
I done for my family today? What have
I done for my business? And what have I
done for my community?” Everyday I try
to do all three.
FWN: How often do the three work
together?
Casto: All the time. My business is
part of my community. There is so much
excitement in my work. I love being
able to watch people grow. Sometimes
people start as a receptionist and become
managers. I love to see them work their
way up. People take pride in what they
do and enjoy doing it. Sometimes we
hire people who eventually leave and
that’s okay too, because I know they have
learned from their time in my business
and are ready to move on.
FWN: In what ways have you
been able to give back to your
community outside of your
business?
Casto: I’m on so many boards. I’m
on the board of Junior Achievement,
Commonwealth Club, and Parkinson’s
Institute and a member of the Committee
of 200. If have some knowledge in an
area, I want to be able to share it and
give back. I love being involved in Junior
Achievement and working with youth.
The Commonwealth Club is a great public
forum for issues of government and
economic development. At the Parkinson’s
Institute we cover issues of science,
stems cells, and research. In all of these
positions I learn so much.
FWN: If you had to choose only one
place to travel to where would it be?
Casto: Buenos Aires. I love the people,
the culture, and the food.
FWN: What is one place that you
haven’t been to that you would like
to see?
Casto: Russia. I just haven’t had the time
to go there but have always wanted to
see St. Petersburg.
Email Mary Kate at mkstimmler@lpfi.org
Filipina
Women’s Network
Mission Statement
FWN’s mission is to enhance public
perceptions of Filipina women’s
capacities to lead, change biases
against Filipina women’s leadership
abilities and promote the entry of
Filipina women into positions of
leadership in corporate, government,
and nonprofit sectors.
FWN achieves its mission through
public education forums that heighten
Filipina women’s visibility, research on
Filipina women’s issues, leadership,
skill building and career development
programs for Filipina women, and
influencing popular culture.
Goals 2006-07
Increase financial assistance
capabilities to ensure that FWN
educational programs and events are
accessible to Filipina women of all
socio-economic backgrounds.
Increase FWN’s network of Filipina
women business owners and those
employed in corporations, government
and nonprofit organizations and
utilize the database as a pipeline for
opportunities for corporate visibility
and professional development.
Endow the Filipina Leadership
Development and Mentoring Program
Generate operating funds for
the establishment of a national
headquarters and research library
to house our historical collection
documenting the achievements of
Filipina women in the U. S.
Year Established: 2001
Organization service area: National
FUNDRAISING EVENTS, CORPORATE
SPONSORSHIPS AND NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
Partner with the Filipina Women’s Network and
support Filipina women, America’s untapped
source for leadership and talent.
P. O. Box 192143 | San Francisco, CA 94119 | Website: www.ffwn.org
Phone: 415.278.9410 | Fax: 415.840.0655 | E-mail: filipina@ffwn.org
FILIPINA WOMEN
AGAINST VIOLENCE
Campaign to stop abuse against
Filipina women and girls.
V-Day San Francisco Spotlight 2006:
Justice to ‘Comfort Women’
All-Filipina women production
of Eve Ensler’s
“The Vagina Monologues”
performed in Taglish.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Sunday, 6:00 p.m.
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Tickets (after Dec. 1)
(415) 392-4400
www.cityboxoffice.com
Call (415) 278-9410 for sponsorships
FILIPINA WOMEN WHO
COULD BE PRESIDENT
Leadership program for Filipina women.
Building the Filipina community’s
pipeline of qualified leaders, to increase
the odds that some will rise to the
president position in all sectors.
Call (415) 278-9410 to sponsor a
presidential candidate.”
“V-DIARIES”
ANTI-VIOLENCE RESOURCE GUIDE
Annual publication designed to provide
a voice for domestic violence survivors
and Filipina women and girls in abusive
situations including a resource list of
domestic violence agencies, shelters,
legal and counseling services and law
enforcement offices. Publication date:
March 2006. Call (415) 278-9410 to
place an ad.
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T
4th ANNUAL FILIPINA SUMMIT
October 27-29, 2006
San Francisco
Attention Corporations:
Plan Your Participation Now! Send your
Filipina employees to the Summit.
Call (415) 278-9410
The Filipina Summit is convened
in October because the earliest
documented proof of Filipino presence
in the Continental United States was in
October 1587 in Morro Bay, California.
COUNCIL OF REMARKABLE
FILIPINA WOMEN
Mentoring Circles – creating a
community of Filipinas helping each
other succeed and cultivating future
community leaders.
Call (415) 278-9410 to sponsor a
mentoring circle.
FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
MAGAZINE
Annual publication about the nuances
of Filipina culture, empowerment
articles, career strategies, and
highlighting the accomplishments
of Filipina women in the U. S.
Publication date: October 2006.
Call (415) 278-9410 to place an ad.
KAPAMILYA COMMUNITY
PARTNER FUND
Endow research projects and
educational programs about the
Filipina American Experience.
Call (415) 278-9410 for naming
opportunities and sponsorships.
23
Image Builds
Business
CAPABILITIES OVERVIEW
The Institute for Image Management has
developed a unique approach to helping
indviduals and organizations define
themselves and commmunicate with
relevance and credibility to important
internal and external audiences.
The Institute for Doing Business in the
U.S. was formed to address the lack of
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affecting international executives
and teams operating in the U.S., and
international businesses wanting to
expand operations in the U.S.
Call for a career image consultation
www.image360.com | 415. 863. 2573
Arlene Gaspar, Realtor
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Email: arlenegaspar865@msn.com
24 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Prudential California Realty
» Corporate Savvy
» Dressing to Influence
» Seven Aspects of Image
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I M Management
Direct: (650) 465-0393
Office: (925) 838-4100
Fax: (925) 736-3066
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
 Filipina Women Who Could be President 2005
S TEPHANIE M ARIE R OMANA
Stephanie Marie Romana Velasco, Ed.M.
Director, CAPAS (Center for Asian Pacific
American Students) Pitzer College,
A Member of the Claremont College
Consortium
WHY I SHOULD BE PRESIDENT
I, Stephanie Marie Romana Velasco,
should be president because I am a
servant leader with a passion for serv-
ing the global community rooted in a
commitment to the Pilipino community.
Through my education, work and com-
munity involvements, I believe I am the
visionary with the heart and skills to
work with others to achieve a common
goal for the greater good.
LEADERSHIP
From my undergraduate years at
University of California Irvine where I
held several positions, most notably two
of which my peers elected me include:
Vice President of Student Services and
Homecoming Queen for a campus of
over 17,000 students. During my gradu-
ate studies, I was elected Vice President
of Diversity for my class. As a young
professional, I was elected as Staff
Council Representatives for all staff
in my college and am an appointed
member of an Asian American Advisory
Board for the five Claremont Colleges.
Within the community, I serve as on the
Board of Directors for our Kababayan
Alumni Chapter of the UCI Alumni As-
Velasco
sociation. I was also chosen as a team
leader to oversee a team of six profes-
sionals to serve people in Kyrgyzstan,
a former Soviet Republic. This past
summer, I was chosen as one of ten
fellows as ambassadors for the Pilipino
Youth American Leader Program for a
hands-on experience to imagine all the
possibilities for a better Philippines.
PASSION FOR SERVING THE
GLOBAL COMMUNITY
In 1997, I was invited to join a team to
teach English in China. Later, I joined Ernie T. Jopanda
Realtor / Loan Consultant
a team in 2000 from Azusa Pacific
University to Japan to share in drama
Tel: 925. 973. 0923 3223 Crow Canyon Road, Suite 130
and music. In 2002, I participated with Fax: 925. 355. 1262 San Ramon, CA 94583
a team to Trinidad where we visited Cell: 510. 209. 4207 www.homeandgardenrealty.net
homeless shelters, elementary schools, ernie@atlanticbancorpsr.com
jails and other places to serve. In 2004,
I led a team from Newsong Community
Church to partner with a Kyrgyz-Russian-
Uzbek team in Kyrgyzstan to serve the
college students. This summer, I commit-
ted two months to a fellowship to serve
the Philippines.
COMMITMENT TO PILIPINO
COMMUNITY
Since high school, I have been involved
with a Pilipino organization. My interest
began with my membership in the
Maharlika Pilipino club in Cerritos. In
college, I participated in numerous
activities such as student government,
residential life, intramural sports and
religious fellowships, but the one activ-
ity that remained consistent throughout
my five years was my involvement with
the Kababayan Pilipino Organization.
It was here where I committed much
of my time and energy to serving and
building the “once largest Pilipino
American student organization” in the
United States.
(continued on page 26)
3 R D A N N UA L F W N S U M M I T: F I L I P I N A F I R S T 25
 Filipina Women Who Could be President 2005
E DNA M ABANES
Casteel
Edna Mabanes Casteel is a dynamic
woman who since childhood has always
exhibited great leadership capabilities
though her passion, her achievements,
her take charge attitude and her ability
to balance the important things in life.
Edna was only 11-1⁄2 when her mother
died. Her mother’s death forced Edna to
assume the role of a mother to her
younger siblings and deprived her of a
real childhood. Regardless of all her
adversities, Edna always managed
(Stephanie Marie Romana Velasco)
As an alumnus, I continue to serve and
connect with the younger generation as
one of the Board of Directors. Beyond
that, I have spoken on various occasions
with different Pilipino associations and
strive to stay connected through my
involvement with other Pilipino-based
networks.
STRONG EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
I obtained my Masters in Higher
Education Administration from Harvard
Graduate School of Education in less
than a year while serving as the Vice
President of Diversity for my graduat-
ing class. I completed two bachelor’s
26 FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK
to remain at the top of her class. A
master of multi-tasking, her biggest
accomplishment was simultaneously
completing a Master’s degree while
raising her young son and successfully
landing a Director’s role at her company.
Inspired by her grandmother’s
philanthropic activities and never
forgetting her humble roots, Edna
established a foundation in which she
has provided her own resources as well
as successfully fundraise to in order to
raise money for scholarships to provide
to indigent children. Edna best
summarized her achievements and
goals in her statement, “Nothing is
impossible when your heart is in it.”
“Why I want to be the President
of the United States.”
Could I be President of the United
States? Yes I think so! I think the United
States is ready to have a Filipina
President! It is about time that the
women’s leadership in this country is
recognized. In fact, the results of a
national poll released in May of 2005
proved that most voters are ready for a
woman in the Oval Office.
In the past, women have stood
behind their men to take care of
business. I feel that things have changed
and it is now time for women to take
degrees (B.A. Asian American Studies &
B.A. Social Sciences) where I graduated
with cum laude in both disciplines. My
knowledge expertise and network from
each of these areas could assist during
both hands-on experience and work-
shops where critical thinking, decision-
making and inquiry are needed.
WORK EXPERIENCE IN MULTI-ETHNIC
CONTEXT / ABILITY TO WORK WITH
DIVERSE GROUPS
At U.C. Irvine, I was involved and
interned at our Cross Cultural Center.
This led to my interest in a multi-ethnic
programs where I worked with students
of color to promote diversity across
cultures. In my graduate experience,
| w w w. f f w n . o r g
care of our country and to stand up on
important issues. We need to get away
from the antiquated phrase that a
woman is the strength behind every
successful husband or manager. Women
deserve credit for their accomplishments
and to be in the frontline. We need to
have a smart, competent woman
president who operates on a proactive
rather than a reactive mode.
My name is Edna Mabanes Casteel
and based on my leadership
accomplishments achieved during my
educational years and in my career, I
believe I could be President. I earned a
BA in Accounting from Golden Gate
University and an MA in Non-Profit
Administration from the University of
San Francisco. While attending Golden
Gate University, I served as Vice
President of the Business Club. At Heald
Business School, I made the dean’s list
and was the student speaker during our
graduation ceremony. I currently serve
as an executive member of the
Nonprofit Management Alumni Society
Board of the University of San Francisco.
The board consists of elected officials
who oversee the activities of over 500
graduates.
I proudly work for the Research
Institute Division of the California Pacific
Medical Center, one of the largest
I interned at an International Center
where I hosted and coordinated the
annual multicultural festival for the
Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Presently, I am the Director for the Cen-
ter for Asian Pacific American Students
(CAPAS) at Pitzer College, advocating,
celebrating and serving the students
of diverse pan-ethnic Asian American
identity, including Pilipino Americans.
One of my greatest strengths and joys
includes public speaking and people.
I’ve been invited to speak on topics such
as the Pilipino American experience,
Asian Americans, and Higher Educa-
tion. My most unforgettable experience
private, not-for-profit, academic medical
centers in California. I was hired as an
Accounting Manager and then
subsequently promoted to the Director
of Research in Finance. I currently serve
as a Fiscal Officer and focus my efforts
on Pre-Award Management / Research
Budget Development.
Dear to my heart is my investment
in philanthropic activities including the
inception of Panday Corporation, a
Subchapter-S-Corporation based in
San Francisco and a minority owned
business focus on construction
development and consulting and
a business partner of Marcasteel
Enterprise. Resources earned for these
businesses help support scholars for
underprivileged children on their
educational tuition, uniforms and other
school expenses.
Through the years, I have learned
that “power” doesn’t necessarily mean
being a president of a company or a
country but what you can do as an
individual. I am the first Filipina, who
has held the highest position at
California Pacific Medical Center
Research Institute. I am the first Filipina
elected as president of the Society of
Research Administration. I, Edna
Mabanes Casteel, could be President.
included the time I was requested as
the keynote alumni speaker for the
Kababayan Pilipino graduation at my
alma mater where I received a stand-
ing ovation from the graduates with
my speech to be published in our KAC
newsletter. My networking skills are
attributed to my membership in ten
organizations, three career-related, three
community-related, and four academic-
related which I remained involved with.
My public speaking ability and network-
ing bridges could serve as places to
advocate in a common vision for the
greater good.
 May “K”: The Giovannie Pico Foundation
When Giovannie Pico, Hollywood actor of the
multi-awarded television series E.R., returned to
her homeland in July 2005, she held a two day
medical mission and gift giving in her home-
town of Tondo, Manila with the help of Manila
City Mayor Lito Atienza, the Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office, the GMA Network Inc.
and Gaitor Ideas. Hundreds of families who
would not have had access to medical care were
seen by a group of doctors, nurses, dentists, and
eye specialists.
But it still wasn’t enough. The children’s
antibiotics were the first to run out. There were
still families who needed on-going care. And
MAY
there were also the neglected streetchildren
that didn’t have families to care for them.
Pico, who is also a young mother with a 5-year-
old son of her own, confides: “I can’t imagine
my son being in that same situation…It’s so
common here, people forget it’s a problem.
Sometimes apathy is worse than hate.”
K
Pico is a woman whose personal life endears
her to street children and victims of domestic
violence. Her sense of advocacy is built on
these life experiences. “I admire Angelina Jolie,
not because she’s got Brad Pitt, but because
she gives back so much. As a United Nations
ambassador, she’s a role model,” she gushes. She
believes in doing her part in making the world
a better place – and that each person has an
obligation to help out, even in some small way.
This is why she is laying the groundwork for
The May “K” Foundation.
The “K” stands for many things:
May Karapatan: Everyone has the right
to a better future.
May Katungkulan: We have the obligation
to help those that are less
fortunate.
May Kakayahan: Together, we can make a
difference in this world.
Even though the foundation is still in it’s infant
stages, the May “K”: The Giovannie Pico
Foundation has several projects already in
the works: besides partnering with the CFO in
endorsing its program for street children, the
May “K” Foundation is also in the process
setting up a house in her hometown of Tondo,
where victims of domestic violence can seek
refuge and counseling.
Filipina actor Giovannie Pico earned her
Hollywood merits via her role as medical intern
Ludlow in America’s long-running hospital
drama “E.R.” She has appeared in four “E.R.”
episodes last season. This 26-year-old, Tondo-
born petite morena has also been cast in various
internationally-produced independent films.
Most recently, Giovannie played the female lead
in the movie “American Yearbook” which won
the 2004 Dances With Films Audience Award
and “Counting the Days” which just premiered
at the 2005 SF World Film Festival. For more
information about her acting career and her
foundation, please visit www.giovannie.com.
 20 04 cast and crew with eve ensler
2 005 cast an d crew

F i l i p i n a W o m e n ’ s N e t w o r k & V - D AY p r e s e n t

Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues

Elson Montalbo, Director | Marily Mondejar, Executive Producer

v-day san francisco 2006 | filipina women against violence

spotlight 2006: justice to “comfort women”

Sunday, February 26, 2006 | Herbst Theatre | 401 Van Ness @ McAllister | San Francisco
join our cast and crew! to audition, call 415. 278. 9410 | tvm@ffwn.org
for more information | www.ffwn.org | www.vday.org
tickets on sale beginning Thursday, December 1 | www.CityBoxOffice.com | 415. 392. 4400