A career diplomat, lawyer, professor and former student activist, Mr. Bensurto is one of the Philippines’ leading experts on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and West Philippine Sea issue. Prior to his posting in San Francisco, Mr. Bensurto served as the Assistant Secretary of the West Philippine Sea Center in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary-General of the Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs, a coordinating body on the Law of the Sea and other maritime issues.

Mr. Bensurto initially conceptualized the legal framework which formed the core of the Philippine legal approach in its arbitration case against China. The Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague ruled on 12 July 2016 in favor of the Philippines against China. For his work on the protection of the West Philippine Sea, Mr. Bensurto received the Presidential Award from President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2013. He also received a Presidential Award from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2010 for helping shepherd the passage of the Philippine Archipelagic Baselines Law. He also shepherded the submission of the Philippine Extended Continental Shelf over the Benham Rise before the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Mr. Bensurto has been a speaker on the UNCLOS and South China Sea issues in various fora. He has also written various articles on international law.

He is married to Ms. Ann Mariza Sanchez-Bensurto, and has a son, Henry Matthew Bensurto.

Assemblymember Rob Bonta was elected to the California State Assembly’s 18th District in 2012,
where he represents the cities of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro. He is the first Filipino
American legislator in the 165-year history of California.

Rob’s passion for justice and equality was instilled in him at a very young age by his parents, who
taught him to understand injustice and the importance of joining the struggle to empower vulnerable
communities. His father was involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and stood with Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. in the Deep South—marching for equality and justice in Selma. His mother was and
continues to be a long-time leader in the Filipino social justice movement.

Growing up in a trailer just a few hundred yards from César Chávez’s home, Bonta watched closely
as his parents organized Filipino and Mexican American farm workers, infusing his formative years
with first-hand experience of one of the greatest peaceful social, racial, and economic justice
movements of all time. This had a huge impact on Rob’s life choices and pursuits, inspiring his life’s
commitment to helping people.

Rob believed legal training was one of the most powerful ways to effect positive and profound
change in the lives of those who needed it most. He worked his way through college cleaning
laundry rooms and, with the help of financial aid, was able to achieve his dream of attending some of
the best universities in the world, obtaining his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School after attending
Yale College and Oxford University in England. Earning honors in college, Rob was also a scholar
athlete, captaining the Yale Soccer team. He also paved the way for the advancement of students of
color as a mentor and volunteered in support of local children struggling with poverty.
His legal career included work as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco,
where he represented the City and County and its employees, and as a private attorney, where he
fought to protect Californians from exploitation and racial profiling. Rob was undefeated at trial,
never losing a jury verdict for his clients. Prior to being elected to the Alameda City Council, Rob
served as the Chair of the City of Alameda’s Economic Development Commission, where he
focused on business attraction and retention efforts, and as board president for the Social Service
Human Relations Board, where he fought to protect safety net services for the most vulnerable
members of the community. As Vice Mayor of the City of Alameda, Bonta strongly supported public
safety, fostered economic development, and exercised fiscal responsibility.

Bonta currently serves as the Assistant Majority Leader. He serves on the Appropriations,
Communications and Conveyance, Governmental Organization, Revenue & Taxation, and Health
Committees. He is also chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
Rob and his wife Mialisa live in Alameda with their three children.

Wai-Yan Sandy Chau, Founder of Acorn Campus Capitals and Universal Semiconductor, he is a
servant leader in social justice and a modest philanthropist with global focus in civic leadership.
Mr. Chau is a successful software entrepreneur and seasoned investor with more than 40 years
experience in US, Taiwan. China and the Pacific Rim that left an impressive tracks in the areas
of real estate, biotech, IT, media and telecom.

Born in Shanghai, Mr. Chau was raised in Hong Kong and Vietnam. He received his B.S. in
Engineering and MBA in the US.

Since 2013, Mr. Chau has 50 merge and acquisitions (M/A) among portfolio companies. He
personally engaged about 20 M/A with 5 portfolio companies went IPO. He is both Founder and
President of Trident USA: a diversified holding company that invests in real estate and provides
venture capital throughout Greater China and the United States. As a Hua Yuan “Angel,” Mr.
Chau has been an active investor in several companies started by Hua Yuan members including:
Achievo, Viador, Servgate, Photonify, EnReach, and Televigation. Prior to Trident USA, from
1986 – 1999 Mr. Chau actively invested in real estate and provided venture capital in Taiwan,
China, and the US. He served as Chairman of CITIC Shenzhen Properties from 1994 – 1997 and
from 1992 – 1995 served as President of Pacific Constructions, one of the largest public real
estate development companies traded publicly in Taiwan. Before real estate, Mr. Chau also
worked for Asian Inc. briefly before he founded Universal Semiconductor and ran the company
as its CEO.

Mr. Chau is currently the board chair of Pacific Vision Foundation Inc., Vision New America,
and executive board member of Shin Shin Educational Foundation, APAPA and APALI. As
founding board member of AAMA, he also served on board with many non-profits in the Bay
area, such as Chinese for Affirmative Action, Children Head Start program and the Emmy
awarded film program of Chinese Heritage

Influenced by the importance of cultural identity, political participation, and public interest issues, Angelica founded LEAD Filipino in 2015 to involve more Filipinos in civic leadership. Since LEAD Filipino’s formation and the joint-work of many students and young adults, the organization has grown to serve hundreds of community members each year.

A second generation Filipina American, Angelica is a Bay Area native and graduate of both San Jose State University and the University of San Francisco. She became involved in issues of Filipino justice as a college student, where she helped advance the Filipino Memorial Project, served as a student officer with campus organizations, and ran SJSU’s Pilipino Commencement.

Her professional background blends local government, policy advocacy, and research, where she has worked for the California State Assembly and a number of policy organizations in the Bay and Los Angeles Areas. Angelica’s currently a Senior Associate at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group – a business trade association – and is active with several political and nonprofit groups in the South Bay.

In 2017, she was honored by Asian American Recovery Services with their Sister-to-Sister, “Legacy Award” and by NBC Bay Area for her work within Asian Pacific Islander communities.

Angelica holds her BA in Political Science and Master in Public Administration. In her spare time, she looks for new music, plans her next vacation, and rides her bike around town.

Dr. Roderick Raña Daus-Magbual is the Director of Program Development for the Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP). Over the past two decades, he brings community and teaching experiences where he has worked at various non-profits in southern and northern California and has taught at various colleges and universities. He received his BA in Liberal Studies from UC Riverside in 2000, his MA in Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 2004, and his Education Doctorate at the University of San Francisco (USF) in the Organization and Leadership (O&L) Program with a minor in the International Multicultural Education (IME) Program. Rod currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission for Daly City, CA and is running for city council in 2018.

Former Mayor Jose Esteves has served for many years as a volunteer and leader in various civic, non-profit, community, church and business organizations before becoming involved in public service in the City of Milpitas. A ‘Milpitas Citizen of the Year’ awardee, a Character awardee, excellence in public service awardee, and many more, he has kept his involvement with various associations keeping him in direct connections with various groups of people and citizens and making himself accessible and accountable.

In the City of Milpitas, he focused on building structures for the future like the new Milpitas Library which was completed, on budget and on schedule, during his mayoral term, a new Senior Center, the Milpitas downtown development, and others. He strongly advocated for ethics in public service, open government, fiscal responsibility and full City services.

Former Mayor Esteves was elected number one to the Milpitas City Council in 1998 and won six mayoral elections with landslide victories. He garnered 73% plus in his mayoral election in November 2012. Jose has Civil and Industrial Bachelor Degrees in Engineering and an MBA. He has taken Communications Academy at UCLA Anderson School of Business and finished Leadership in the 21st Century at the JFK School of Government, Harvard University. He was voted Milpitas’ “Best Elected Official” in 2003-2008, yearly, and again in the years 2011-2016, yearly, while serving as Mayor. He was also voted as Milpitas’ 2016 Best Government Employee.

Jose and Susan are the proud parents of Irene, a university instructor; they have lived in Milpitas for over 35 years.

Joe works as a healthcare consultant at Harbage Consulting, specializing in Medicare-Medicaid programs. He is a volunteer Executive Council member at CA- AARP. His portfolio is on the AAPI population and the implementation of Livable Communities Initiative.

He serves as Board Chairman at Samahan Health Centers, a FQHC in San Diego. He was appointed by the San Diego Board of Supervisors to the Aging & Independence Services (AIS) Advisory Council. The council provides advice and oversight to the county on policies for seniors and people with disabilities.

A Faculty/Lecturer at the California School of Management & Leadership, Alliant International University, San Diego campus. He teaches business and health care courses in the Undergraduate and MBA programs. Alliant is a private, non-profit school known for its smaller-size classes and an international student population.

Joe is University of the Philippines alumnus with degree in Mass Communication/Journalism. He also has an MBA degree from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management and completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.

Joe is married to Florence Angeles Garbanzos. They have two sons, Anthony and Miguel. They are long-time residents of San Diego area.

Arvin J. Garcia is currently a recent graduate from Cal State East Bay with a B.A. in Political Science (Public Administration Focus) with an Asian American Studies Minor. He, along with other Fil-Am collegiate leaders went along to reform NCPASA, and currently serves as one of two Co-Chairpeople. In college, he was President of the Pilipinx American Student Association, Vice President of Alpha Kappa Omega Fraternity and worked with Asian Pacific American Student Success while going to conferences in other universities across NorCal. In the past and professionally in the community, he has Interned for the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Filipino Advocates for Justice, and for Assemblyman Rob Bonta as well as being a Student Delegate for NaFFAA’s EPYC and UniPro sponsored back in 2016 . His involvement in the community and in pursuing higher education continues as he plans to get his Master in Public Admin in the near future while staying in touch with passions to contribute to the Fil-Am’s community civic engagement, representation and visibility, connecting to the homeland and pursuing of justice everywhere.

A San Francisco native, Miguel Guerrero attended the University of California, Davis, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science. During his time there, he became involved in student government upon election to the Associated Students, University of California, Davis (ASUCD) as a senator, where he represented students at large, while keeping his community close at heart. Miguel also became involved with government at the state and local level while at UC Davis and after graduation. He had internships with Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, Speaker of the California State Assembly, Anthony Rendon, and the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee. He also served as a Career Transition Specialist for the Treasure Island Job Corps Center through the US Department of Labor in San Francisco, CA. In his position, he worked with students of the program, mainly economically disadvantaged youth in the San Francisco Bay Area, to obtain a job upon receiving a trade and vocational education. Currently, he works as a Field Representative and Caseworker in the District Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Genevieve is the first American born of her Filipino Immigrant Family. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native who has been feeding her passion for community advocacy for the past 20+ years. She carries a background in leadership development and business operations management with previous positions with the San Francisco Chronicle, the Hertz Corporation as South Santa Clara County Regional Manager leading the 8th most profitable region out of 200+ markets, and Northern California General Manager for Zipcar, Inc. bringing the $15 Million operation to profitability during her tenure between 2006-2008.. Her work in public service and non-profits includes Marketing & Events Director for the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, District Liaison to former California Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma where she served as staff jockey for AB199, implementing the stories of Filipino WWII Veterans into our history books, and the first Executive Director of San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign where she led the largest Hep B screening in the nation serving upwards of 10,000 people funded by the U.S. Centers for Diseas Control and Prevention.
Genevieve is a founding member of KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress, which was born from the Filipinos for Obama 2008 campaign and is the State Chair Emeritus for the Filipino American Caucus of the California Democratic Party. Over the past 13 years, she has held multiple volunteer positions such as the Pistahan Festival Director for the Filipino American Arts Exposition, Co-Director for Filipina Women’s Network’s anti-domestic violence awareness production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues,” as well as serving as a mentor to youth and young professionals navigating them through college-career transitioning.
Genevieve currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Chairwoman Emeritus Fiona Ma, CPA of the California State Board of Equalization serving upwards of 10 Million constituents over 23 California Counties.

Dianne Martinez has served on Emeryville City Council since 2014, and served as Mayor in 2016.  Dianne graduated from USC’s School of Cinema-Television and is an established media professional with 20 years of experience creating content for such outlets as Comedy Central, MTV, and PBS.

She serves on the board of StopWaste, a public agency responsible for reducing the waste stream in Alameda County.  She also serves as a director at East Bay Community Energy, the newly formed community-governed power supplier that will be a greener alternative to PG&E.

In addition to her municipal duties, Dianne serves as an elected member of the Alameda County Democratic Party.

Hydra, a strong advocate and supporter of public education, is a founding member and former Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco. Hydra was first appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to his Policy Council on Children, Youth and Families; and later to his staff as his Senior Education Advisor. Hydra’s work allows her to build a strong partnership between the Public School System (Pre-K to 20) and the City. She served under Mayor Ed Lee as his Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Equity and continues to serve Mayor Mark Farrell in this role. Hydra is the first and only Filipina elected to office in San Francisco. In 2006, 2010, and 2014, Hydra successfully won a city-wide bid and re-election for a seat on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education where she currently serves as the President. She is a member of United Way Women Leadership Council, senior member of the National League of Cities – Education Policy Advisors Network, SPUR Board Member, and Advisory Board Member to Youth Speaks, College Track, and Old Skool Café. Hydra has two adult children and lives with her husband in the Bayview community in San Francisco.

Mario de Mira is the Community Development Planner with SOMA Pilipinas, the Filipino cultural district in the heart of San Francisco’s South Of Market (SOMA) neighborhood. SOMA Pilipinas aims to preserve the Filipino community’s residents and cultural character by; promoting and celebrating Filipino culture, protecting and expanding our community assets (such as affordable housing, the arts, and service based organizations), and developing long term strategies to support workforce and economic development in the community.

Before joining the SOMA Pilipinas team, Mario worked at the Filipino Community Center (FCC) of San Francisco as the Workers’ Rights program coordinator, a program that served Filipino migrant workers experiencing wage theft, human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. He was also the interim coordinator of Communities United for Health and Justice (CUHJ), an Excelsior District base community coalition advocating for affordable housing and community-based development.

Mario is also a Hip-Hop artist with the groups Power Struggle (Beatrock Music).

Anthony Ng brings over 25 years of experience in working with faith- and community-based,
non-profits organizations in the area of strategic planning, comprehensive fundraising and
capital campaign, non-profit management, program development & evaluation, public relations
& marketing campaign, specialized executive coaching in Arts and culture, philanthropic
advisory to individual donors and family foundations.
He is a strategic thinker, entrepreneurial leader and team builder who has extensive
management experience in venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship projects that
crossing the industry sectors, ethnic, culture and geographical borders.
After graduating from Drexel University with a Master degree in Arts Administration
(comprehensive curriculum in non-profit management), Anthony worked with an array of
institutions range from state Government, arts and culture, education, social service,
community development and private foundations. Such as Pennsylvania Council on the Arts,
Prince Music Theatre, African American Museum, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Barnes
Foundation, Nueva Esperanza/Esperanza USA and the Latin American Economic Development
Association, to name just a few. An advocate for Arts for social change and international
leadership development, Anthony grew up in Hong Kong, is an avid traveler and an award
winning composer and a gourmet cook.

Paul Ocampo is the Development Director at Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus. He was born in the Philippines and came to the U.S. at the age of eleven. He earned a B.A. in English at U.C. Berkeley, an M.A. in Asian American Studies at UCLA, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Arizona State University. He assisted Maxine Hong Kingston in editing an anthology of writings by veterans titled Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace and is published in numerous journals and magazines. He is a co-founder of Lacuna Giving Circle, a philanthropic organization that fosters leadership in AAPI LGBTQ communities.

Mayor Gabriel Quinto graduated from El Cerrito High School in 1979 and from
Long Beach State University BS – Radio TV Film 1983. Mayor Quinto has an extensive list of accomplishments and experiences, such as:
El Cerrito City Council since 12/2014
Mayor Pro Tem 2017
Council Liaison to Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission – 2017
Human Relations Commission Member 2011 to 2014, Chair 2013 to 2014
Committee on Aging Member, 2013 to 2014
League of CA Cities East Bay Division – Director At Large
League of CA Cities API Caucus – Secretary-Treasurer
League of CA Cities LGBTQ Caucus – Director At Large
League of CA Cities – Environmental Policy Committee – Member
Association of Bay Area Government – Delegate Representing El Cerrito
West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee – Alternate 2014 – Present
Marin Clean Energy Board – Alternate – 2014 to 2016
Sierra Club Bay Chapter – Executive and Political Committees, West Contra Costa Chair

Rodel E. Rodis is one of the original founders of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and has served since its founding in 1997 as the General Counsel of the organization. In 2012, he was elected to a six (6) year term on the NaFFAA Board of Governors (BOG). Under his initiative and leadership, NaFFAA hosted the First Global Filipino Networking Convention held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco in August of 2002, which attracted 4,000 delegates, and which has continued in biennial global Filipino summit conferences since then. He is the President of the Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC) that was formed in Manila in 2013 and the national president of US Pinoys for Good Governance which has been leading the global opposition to China’s invasion of Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea.

Rodel has been a member of the California Bar since 1980. He is also a syndicated columnist whose weekly column, Telltale Signs, regularly appears in Filipino community newspapers throughout the US. His online weekly column, Global Networking, also regularly appears in Inquirer.net and in Philnews.com. He is the author of “Telltale Signs of Filipinos in America” (Ina Press, 1992).

Rodel was the first Filipino to be elected to public office in San Francisco when he was elected to the San Francisco Community College Board in 1992 and reelected in 1996, 2000 and 2004, serving three terms as president of the San Francisco College Board. He also served as California state chair of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and was also the first national president of the Asian Pacific Islander Native American Trustees Association (APINATA). Rodel was also the first Filipino to be appointed to a major city commission in San Francisco when he was appointed president of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in 1987.

Rodel taught Philippine History and the History of Filipinos in America at San Francisco State University and at Laney College. He has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS).

Kevin currently serves as NaFFAA’s EPYC (Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration) Ambassador in Region 8. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Kevin hopes that his work will not only provide mentorship opportunities for young Filipino Americans, but also give the local Filipino community a much-needed voice in our local, state and national affairs. From 2014-2015, Kevin served as Executive Vice President of De Anza College’s Student Government (DASB) Senate. He has also worked on several political campaigns in the Southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area and served as an intern for the City of San Jose City Council District 4. Besides his work with NaFFAA, Kevin also serves with L.E.A.D. Filipino as their Naturalization Ceremonies and Volunteer Organizer. Outside of his community work, Kevin serves as a Junior Analyst with the Silicon Valley Aggressive Growth Fund, a student-managed growth fund supported by SJSU’s Lucas College of Business. A proud community college student transfer, Kevin currently attends San Jose State University, where he is working towards a B.S. in Economics. Outside of his professional and academic career, Kevin enjoys music, tennis, and developing his skills in Filipino Martial Arts.

Jason Tengco serves as the Executive Director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), the largest national organization focused on leadership development, civic engagement, and advocacy for the nearly 4 million Filipino Americans in the United States. Over the past decade, Jason has worked for a presidential campaign, the White House, a federal agency, Congress, and numerous non-profit and campus organizations. He previously served as the National Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Outreach Director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, as Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs under President Obama, and as an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies fellow in the office of former Congressman Mike Honda.

Throughout his career, Jason has participated in fellowships with the New Leaders Council, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Center for Progressive Leadership, and Public Policy and International Affairs Program. He has also served as a delegate to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Young Leaders Summit in Malaysia, and the Filipino Young Leaders Program in the Philippines. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jason graduated from UCLA with honors with a B.A. in Political Science.

An active member of the community, Malia previously served on the City’s Historical Advisory Board and continues to serve on the Alameda Family Services Board, Spectrum Community Services Board, and Alameda Family Services League. Before assuming office she also volunteered with the Philippine Independence Day Committee and Alameda’s Sister City Association for several years.

A former staffer for members of the California Senate and Assembly from the East Bay, Malia has a background in policy and constituent services. Since 2013 she has worked as a policy director and attorney focusing on labor and employment law. She is also an adjunct professor of practice at Mills College’s Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, teaching ethical policy making and an introductory class on economics and policy-making.

Malia was born at Alameda Hospital. She grew up enjoying Alameda’s parks and beaches and has fond memories of rowing the estuary with Oakland Strokes as a teenager. Her family came to Alameda in the 1960’s when her grandfather was stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station.

Malia is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she earned a B.A. in Architecture and Political Science. She earned her J.D. with a special certificate in Public Interest and Social Justice at Santa Clara University School of Law. Malia is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in California and the U.S. Supreme Court.