NaFFAA to host civic leadership forum in SF, April 14
SAN FRANCISCO — A day-long forum on civic leadership and empowerment within the Filipino American community will be held on Saturday, April 14, hosted by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), at the Philippine Consulate here.
“SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER,” co-sponsored by the CLF Foundation, Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, and AARP. “SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER,” will feature prominent Filipino American elected officials and community leaders who will discuss topics ranging from personal and professional development, to civic engagement and local advocacy.
According to the U.S. Census, Filipinos are the second largest Asian American population in California. In fact, of the nearly 4 million Filipinos living in the United States, 1.5 million (nearly 40%) live in the state.
In line with NaFFAA’s vision, the Civic Leadership Forum aims to harness the knowledge and potential of this growing community in order to unite, engage, and empower diverse Filipino American organizations and individuals in the Northern California area.
Through “SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER,” NaFFAA hopes attendees will spark new ideas, connect with dynamic leaders, and empower themselves and others to get involved in community activism.
WHEN: Saturday, April 14, 2018
TIME: Forum: 9:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. PT | Reception: 6:00PM-9:00PM PT (sponsored by Tanduay Rum)
WHERE: Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, Kalayaan Hall – 447 Sutter St; San Francisco,
WHO: 100 Filipino American leaders, including the following speakers:
- Assemblymember Rob Bonta, 18th Assembly District
- Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco
- Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, President, SF Board of Education; Deputy Chief of Staff, SF Office of the Mayor
- Mayor Gabriel Quinto, City of El Cerrito
- Vice Mayor Malia Vella, City of Alameda
- Council Member Dianne Martinez, City of Emeryville
- Former Mayor Jose Esteves, City of Milpitas
- Geraldine Alcid, Executive Director, Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ)
- Rudy Asercion, Northern California Region Chair, NaFFAA
- Angelica Cortez, Founder, LEAD Filipino
- Roderick Daus-Magbual Ed.D, Director of Program Development, Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP)
- Joe Garbanzos, MPH/EMBA, Executive Council Member (Volunteer), CA-AARP
- Arvin J. Garcia, External Co-Chair, Northern California Pilipinx American Student Alliance (NCPASA)
- Miguel Guerrero, Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador, NaFFAA
- Genevieve Jopanda, Festival Director, Pistahan
- Mario de Mira, Community Development Manager, SOMA Pilipinas
- Anthony Ng, Executive Director, CLF Foundation
- Paul Ocampo, Director of Development, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
- Rodel Rodis, Former Trustee, San Francisco Community College Board; Board of Governors, NaFFAA
- Kevin Suarez, Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador, NaFFAA
- Jason Tengco, Executive Director, NaFFAA
A livestream of the forum from 9:30AM-5:00PM PT will be available on NaFFAA’s Facebook page. The Elected Officials Panel from 1:30-2:30PM PT will also be live streamed on Balitang America’s Facebook page. For Twitter, follow @NaFFAA_Nationaland #NorCalCLF.
For the full schedule and speaker biographies, please visit naffaa.org/events.
