Candidate for President-Elect:

Leoangelo Cristobal

For the past decade, the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) has been an essential part of both my legal career and my life in general. As such, it is with great honor, pride, and gratitude that I humbly announce my candidacy as FBANC President-Elect.

After spending time pursuing an acting career, I returned to higher education in 2013. I was fully committed to the new challenge of law school, but I did not know if there were any others who looked like me or who shared similar experiences with me. As confident as I was, I also had real doubts as to whether I could actually make my way, succeed, and thrive as a lawyer.

Fortunately as a 1L, I was swiftly introduced to FBANC through my dear friend (and current FBANC Vice President) Angelica Leonardo. I networked, I volunteered, and I became acquainted with various leaders within our Pilipinx legal community. I was assigned mentors, I emceed the FBANC gala, and upon graduating, I was honored with FBANC’s Raymond L. Ocampo Jr. Family Scholarship. Across three quick years, I realized that there were many others who both looked like and shared similar experiences with me.

Having become much more comfortable in my own skin, I applied to be a part of the FBANC board the following year. FBANC had become like family to me – it reminded me so much of a vital community I had cherished since before law school (my wife, my closest friends and I were all involved in the Fil-Am community at UC Davis) – and at the first opportunity, I wanted to start giving time and energy back into the organization that had poured so much into me.

For two years, I served as one of FBANC’s Mentorship Directors. We matched law students with mentor attorneys and hosted various events throughout the year, in hopes of providing safe spaces for our members to nurture their identities as Pilipinx legal professions. I also supported the scholarship committee by reviewing applications and interviewing applicants, and in the process I got to meet future FBANC scholars and leaders, many who are currently directors on our board. Much in the same way that space and support was given to me throughout law school, I focused on upholding that part of FBANC’s mission to support the education and professional development of Pilipinx American lawyers and law students in Northern California.

Subsequently, I took two years off to ultimately focus on health. During this time, I endured the sudden losses of two of the most important people in my life: my dad, Farolito Cristobal, and my son, Luke Isaac Galapate Cristobal, who passed away three days after he was born. Only making matters more daunting, the isolating Covid-19 pandemic had also gone into full effect.

During the worst part of my life, FBANC did not forget me. Grief is simultaneously unique and universal, and my FBANC family understood when I stepped away; sent gifts, messages and flowers when I was entrenched in despair; and welcomed me when I finally felt ready to give part of myself again.

I came back to the FBANC board in 2021, the same year that my daughter was born. It brought me joy to see that many folks I had started with were still here, and I was excited to come back as a different person with the same passion.

I’ve spent the past two years as FBANC’s Treasurer. In this role, I took charge of reorganizing the budget and creating a historical document that makes it possible to easily compare financial data across multiple years. I create sub-budgets for specific fundraisers and events and handle all payments, reimbursements, and sponsorships. With my background in tax and accounting, I collaborated with the executive board to reimagine how FBANC allocates funds across its multiple operating and programming areas. I also provide clarity and guide organizational decision-making on the micro-level by making myself fully accessible to every board member and each programming area as it relates to any financial or budget-related inquiries. As a result, the confidence in the financial strength and viability of the organization has consistently remained high throughout each year.

As President-Elect, my primary goals are as follows:

  1. Uplift Each Board Member by Focusing on Health, Intersectionality, and Our Continued Journey to Shape the Legal Industry as Pilipinx American Lawyers
    During board meetings, events, or any interaction among board members, I will foster a tone and environment that embraces each members’ unique experiences and that values health first. I also plan to schedule meetings with each member throughout the year, either individually or within smaller groups, to increase camaraderie and to celebrate our shared, continued journeys in trying to impact the legal industry as young Pilipinx attorneys. My overall goal is to widen buy-in while concurrently supporting appropriate harmony among life, work, and FBANC for each member.

  2. Continue to Ensure Organizational Excellence and Efficient Knowledge Transfer
    I will help transition the new Treasurer and will continue working with them throughout the year to ensure that the budget and our finances are handled accordingly. I will also help with the creation of an administrative succession plan that identifies the breadth of the position’s most difficult responsibilities and sets future Treasurers up for success.

  3. Increase Investment in Leadership Pipelines, with an Emphasis on Komunidad
    I will recommend a substantial increase to the budget, planning, and programming for the Komunidad conference. As it stands, Komunidad is already one of FBANC’s seminal annual events, serving as a strong leadership pipeline for students and attorneys. A significant scale-up would enlarge that pipeline while simultaneously catering to various other aspects of FBANC’s mission by creating additional opportunities for sponsorship, community outreach, and further professional development. Ultimately, an increased investment would result in the Komunidad conference becoming a pillar of programming on par with the Installation Gala.