Abigail Rivamonte Mesa, FBANC President (2013-2014)

Abigail Rivamonte Mesa is the Chief of Staff for State Assembly Member Matt Haney.  Abigail started her legal career as a champion for indigent defense and worked as a felony trial attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office before transitioning to government relations. Abigail received the Best Lawyer Under 40 award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) in 2020.

Abigail is the 33rd President of FBANC and served on the FBANC board from 2011 to 2014.  During her tenure on the board, Abigail served as Vice President and Secretary. One of the most notable events from Abigail's presidency came in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, perhaps the single most catastrophic natural disaster the Philippines had endured at the time. Guided by a greater purpose and moral responsibility to mobilize the community to act and respond, Abigail and FBANC were able to get prominent community leaders and politicians to attend a fundraising event that raised over $26,000 in just two weeks of organizing.

What FBANC means to Abigail:

"FBANC is where I have made my lifetime friends who are now my family. Pursuing a career in the law is not an easy decision and definitely not an easy profession. FBANC has made being a lawyer worthwhile and has opened up the doors to a solid support network that I value and trust. I am forever grateful for my FBANC family and truly believe that joining the organization has been one of my best career moves of all time."

Abigail graduated from University of San Francisco School of law and earned her B.A. in Sociology, Law and Society from UC San Diego.