For the past two decades, I have had the honor of serving on numerous boards including more recently, as the first Filipina President of California Women Lawyers (CWL), a statewide organization focused on advancing women in the legal profession, and as President of the California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Cal-APABA), a statewide advocacy organization focused on promoting justice and equality and advancing legal and policy matters that impact the APA community. My service for the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) began three years ago as a Co-Director of Professional Development. Each year for the past three years, I’ve served in this role, continuing on with the tradition of hosting a Night with Fil-Am Judges, and a Night with Fil-Am Attorneys (and a Night with Fil-Am Professionals). Last year, my Co-Director Armbien Sabillo and I launched the inaugural conference, Liwanag 1, an all-day conference designed to empower our community and provide substantive and skill-based workshops. This year, Liwanag 2 focused on AI as it applies to various practice areas. 

Community needs are constantly evolving. As a candidate for Co-Director of Community Outreach, I am thrilled to share my commitment to addressing changes that affect our members. I will seek to better understand the strengths and weaknesses, and assets of our community and identify how to improve outreach efforts to ensure inclusivity and accessibility, and availability of resources. I will collaborate with leaders of organizations who support FBANC’s mission and help design systems that deliver results. I will continue to help build meaningful relationships for FBANC so that barriers to access to justice and resources are minimized. As a seasoned bar leader, I will tap into the collective intelligence of our community and inspire others to engage so that we are stronger than ever.