Al Perez is the principal and
founder of Creative i Studio,
which specializes in innovative
and impactful design solutions
for marketing campaigns and
corporate identity programs.
He has over 20 years experience
translating marketing objectives
into award-winning creative strategies
for Fortune 500, small business and
nonprofit organizations. Al keeps active
in the Filipino American community
by being involved in various non-profit organizations and community events.
As President of the Filipino American Arts Exposition, he leads a core staff
and an army of volunteers in the planning
and execution of their annual Pistahan
Parade and Festival at the
Yerba Buena Gardens – the international festival of Filipino culture and cuisine.
He also spearheads the Filipino Heritage
Night series with the SF Giants,
Golden State Warriors, Oakland Raiders,
Sacramento Kings and San Jose
Earthquakes. Al is also a member
of steering committees for the
Filipina Women’s Network, Asian
Heritage Street Celebration and
the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign.
Al was appointed to the San Francisco Entertainment Commission by
Mayor Newsom in December 2009,
and he was recently awarded a
Presidential Citation by Her Excellency
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,
President of the Philippines.
Bess Calpotura is the
Outreach Coordinator and Secretary of
Literacy Initiatives International
Foundation, Inc. She is also a Mortgage Banking Manager, Participatory Researcher/Evaluator of Community
Programs, Community Organizer/Trainor, Sociologist, Social Worker.
Butch Baltazar
Edwin Lozada is President
and member of the Board of Directors of PAWA, Inc., a board member of
San Francisco Filipino American Jazz
Festival. He is the author of two books
of poetry and editorof PAWA’s Field of
Mirrors, an anthology of Philippine
American Writers (2008).
Elena Mangahas is a
Journalism graduate of the
University of the Philippines where
she was also active in theatre production
with the University of the Philippines
Repertory Company. From campus theatre
she moved into independent theatre productions until her immigration to the
U.S. She settled in Stockton and
continued theatre work leading to her
V-Day involvement in 2004 to this day.
Social service is her day job and
Elena serves as chair of Little Manila Foundation for historic preservation of
Filipino American history in America
and the Filipina Women Network’s
Board of Directors. Elena was selected
100 Most Influential Filipina Women
in the U.S. by the Filipina Women’s Network
in 2007 and awarded Woman of the Year
for 2009 by the California Legislative
Women’s Caucus President.
Estela L. Manila is a retired librarian from San Francisco
Public Library. Currently, she works
as an adjunct faculty/reference
librarian, part time at
Laney College, Oakland, California.
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Gemma Nemenzo is a journalist, editor, book author and a
professional Tagalog and Cebuano
interpreter. She was the Managing Editor
of Filipinas Magazine,
where she wrote a popular
monthly column for more than a decade.
Her first book, Heart In Two Places:
An Immigrant's Journey, came out
in 2007. She set up the
Literacy Initiatives International Foundation (LIIF) last year to promote
Philippine culture and the arts,
with FilBookFest as its initial project.
Gwenn Jessica Galvez
is Vice-President of the Philippine
Marketing Association’s Youth and
Academe Committee, remains confident
about the robust future of the marketing industry, given that there are many
bright and analytical young minds
who continue to participate in the
prestigious Agora Youth competitions,
Irwin Ver is an IT specialist
working for a San Francisco utility
company. He is also a professional
Tagalog and Ilocano interpreter/translator
who handles the Tagalog page
of the Oakland Raiders website.
Karina Africa Bolasco has been in the book publishing business
for thirty-one years now-ten years
at National Bookstore and twenty-one
years at Anvil Publishing Inc.,
which she founded and grew into
the biggest and most prestigious
publishing house in the Philippines
today. Anvil has been cited Publisher
of the Year nine times and close to
131 of its titles have been given the
National Book Award in different categories
by the Manila Critics Circle. Karina
was hailed as one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service
in 1995 for her work in book publishing
and literacy development.
Letty Quizon
Lolly Pineda recently retired
from the Daly City Public Library,
where she was the Head Reference Librarian and Branch Manager for the
Serramonte Main Branch.
She was responsible for developing the Filipiniana collection of adult
and children's library materials.
Lorna Dietz learned
entreprenurship skills at her family’s
home bakeshop, Sally’s
Home Bake Shop, in Cebu City, Philippines,
giving her a “domestic goddess” status in baking while being a den mother to 30 teenagers over 9 years. Her B.S. Hotel & Restaurant Administration degree
from the University of the Philippines
proved to be a worthy stepping stone
to opportunities in teaching,
consulting, public speaking, and creative writing. Lorna’s stint as the
department head of the
B.S. Hotel & Restaurant Administration
program at Southwestern University
for 4-1/2 years, right after college,
prepared her for leadership and
operational qualities needed to
manage detail-oriented activities.
Maia Almendral is an
experienced youth organizer
and mentor. She graduated from
UC San Diego with a degree in
Urban Studies.
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Maya Ong Escudero
was Executive Director of
Ayala Foundation USA, and is
active in the mid-peninsula SF Bay Area community and
schools with fundraising events.
She was Executive Director of
Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Stanford-Silicon Valley Chapter,
and E.D. of Hesperian Foundation,
Palo Alto. In the 80′s, Maya was
involved in community philanthropy work
with Haymarket Foundation in
Cambridge, MA, the Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco, CA,
and with the United Way of
Santa Clara County, CA.
She migrated to the U.S. in the late 70′s,
and was active in the anti-Marcos work
as the National Coordinator of Friends
of the Filipino People in Boston, MA,
and Coordinator of the SF, CA office
of Alliance for Philippine Concerns.
She has a B.A. and an M.A. in English,
and loves classical and rock music,
crossword puzzles, hiking, and M&M’s.
Michael Gonzalez worked
for several years in business and
academic ICT fields. He has published
several articles in Filipino culture
and history and taught Filipino-American
history and culture in Bay Area
colleges. He is currently engaged
in digital literacy education and
research. He blogs at www.kalutang.net
Mitchell Yangson is the
librarian of the Filipino American Center
of the San Francisco Public Library.
Neni Sta. Romana Cruz is a children’s book author, book reviewer, journalist, and educator.
She has nine published books and
essays in over twenty anthologies. She is a trustee of the Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation
and a member of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People.
Oscar Peñaranda is a
retired educator but finds himself
now and then,
like the hired gunslinger of
the old west, as a teacher for hire.
On his calling card: "Have Syllabus,
Will Travel". Recently re-employed by
San Francisco State University.
He is a writer, poker player,
student of history
and a novice of Kali,
Filipino martial arts.
He has published Seasons by the Bay,
a novel-in-stories and Full Deck,
(jokers playing), a collection of poems.
Penélope V. Flores is a
San Francisco State University
professor of education (emeritus),
journalist, editor of an academic journal,
book author, and a founding member
and former president
of the Philippine American Writers
and Artists, Inc. She set up the Teaching
and Learning Institute in Calapan,
Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
where SFSU education students
enrich their student teaching experience
by teaching Math and English in a barrio.
Reginald Bernabe is
currently assigned as Consul at the
Philippine Consulate General
in San Francisco. He assumed his post
in San Francisco in February of 2010.
Other Postings he has held were in
Prague, Czech Republic
and in Madrid, Spain.
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