FWN 100 | The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. (2007)
Amidst the backdrop of power and electoral politics in Washington, DC, the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) gathered the "100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the US" at its 5th Annual Filipina Summit—"Pinay Power 2012: Filipina Voices Changing the Face of Power in America." The FWN 100 were celebrated by their peers at a gala awards ceremony for their lasting and significant contributions to the emergence and recognition of Filipina women as influential power brokers in the US
Ignited by an initiative of Filipina Power 2012—a result of the Filipina Summit’s Future Search in 2006—FWN launched a groundbreaking six-month search for remarkable Filipinas who have shifted the course of events in their own areas of influence through ideas, activities, and public interactions. In the one hundred years of Filipino immigration in America, the FWN 100 have moved beyond gender, race and power boundaries, affected change and inspired passion, gathered wisdom and roused compassion, and intuitively redefined how to spread influence in their careers and in the local and national communities in which they thrive.
A selection committee pored through hundreds of pages of letters of nomination, news articles, resumes, biographies, and archival videos and photos. Recognizing these women is a critical first step in changing public perceptions of Filipina women’s capacities to lead, innovate, and influence society and to create strong leadership in the Filipino American community by 2012.
The FWN 100 distinction is a working award. Awardees have pledged to "womantor" the next generation of leaders by forming a new circle of inter-generational women that will sustain the wealth of Filipino heritage and remarkable Pinay leadership for the next 100 years. The "Keepers of the Flame"—an esteemed group of Filipinas, was formed to ensure the Pinay Power 2012 goals are kept alive. The FWN 100 and their protégées will return to the Filipina Summit in 2012.
Who They Are:
Behind the Scenes Leaders
Asia Yulo-Blume - Advocate for bone marrow donor program in the Filipino American community
Aurora Cavosora Daly - Entrepreneur and mentor to young women in the Connecticut area
Cheely Ann Sy - Executive search consultant and community events organizer
Cora Tomalinas - Community organizer, health advocate and gang task force member
Denielle Palomares - Diversity advocate and corporate link to Filipino American community partnerships
Edna Rodis - Two-term president of NorCAL Filipino Nurses Association and abortion survivors counselor community advocate
Flor Alcantara-Reyes - Corrections and prisons executive and cable producer for immigration network
Kai Delen-Briones - Junior Golf Champion, coach, and sports events producer
Laarni San Juan - Advocate nurse and coordinator of innovative programs for teen pregnancy prevention
Lolita Kintanar - Resource specialist and advocate for the elderly and homeless
Lorna Lardizabal Dietz - Community relations specialist and internet communication innovator
Maria Jocelyn Bernal - Leader, trainor and mentor for New York Junior Chamber of Commerce
Perla Gange Ibarrientos - Community worker and advocate for mental health care
Rosalinda Medina Rupel - Filipino American community coordinator for cultural heritage events
Susie Quesada - Negotiator for nationwide distribution of Filipino frozen foods
Evangeline Canonizado-Buell - Author, folk singer, artist, educator and trustee for historical society
Builders and Emerging Leaders
Arlene "Bambi" Lorica - Pediatrician, entrepreneur and community organizer
Bettina Santos Yap - Consultant, anti-domestic violence advocate
Claire Oliveros - Human rights advocate, Multicultural Center Coordinator, Portland Community College, Oregon.
Edna M.Casteel - Education mission organizer to the Philippines
Genevieve Jopanda - Founding Editor of FWN’s V-Diaries Resource Guide and advocate
Jennifer Briones Tjiong - Gold medalist in state, national and International martial arts competitions
Laura Izon Powell - Corporate lawyer, shareholder and advocate for women’s rights in the workplace
Laureen Dumadag Laglagaron - Filipino community and immigrant advocate and policy researcher
PS1 Lorna Mae DeVera, US Navy- Outreach advocate for Asian Pacific presence in the military
May Nazareno - Actor, playwright and creator of the bi-national artist exchange
Melinda Poliarco - Labor activist and facilitator of partnerships
Milagros "Mitos" G. Santisteban - Media executive, cultural trainer and political activist
Nieves Cortez - Award winning winemaker and entrepreneur
Captain Paz Gomez, US Navy - Service medalist, mentor to Filipina women in the military
Polly Cortez - Workplace advocate in the federal savings regulation community
Rebecca Samson - Service medalist in US Army Service, mentor to Filipina women in the military
Regina "Ging" E. Reyes - Creator of ABS-CBN’s "Balitang Amerika" and news bureau head
Rose-Ann K. Ubarra - Youth Program Director and youth empowerment advocate
Shirley Raguindin, Lt. Col. AzANG - Service medalist in military service; award as Diversity Coordinator
Sonia T. Delen - Senior Vice President, Bank of America Leasing and anti-domestic violence advocate
Susan Afan - Corporate senior management in a Fortune 100 firm
Sylvia Lichauco - Real estate entrepreneur and migrant workers' activist
Theresa Tantay Wilson - Founder of improv theatre and wellness activism instructor for Rutgers University in New Jersey
Zenei T. Cortez - First Filipina President of California Nurses Association and advocate for nurses
Founders & Pioneers
Celia Ruiz-Tomlinson - CEO & President of her own engineering firm, Rhombus
Connie S. Uy, MD - Medical educator, Associate Dean of New Jersey Medical School
Cora Alisuag - Industrial tech start-up and CORANET smart media inventor
Ellen M. Abellera - Filipino PAC activist and Asian Pacific American Affairs advocate, Washington State
Erlinda Sayson Limcaco - Co-Founder of Phililippine Nurses’ Association and community organizer
Gloria T. Caoile - Community leader, health advocate and labor organizer
Joy Bruce - Founder and advocate for elderly and youth policies
Linda Maria Nietes-Little - Bookseller and entrepreneur; Filipina advocate for culture
Loida Nicolas Lewis - Businesswoman and entrepreneur; first Asian woman to pass the New York Bar
Ludy Payumo Corrales - Founder of a multi-state mortgage banking company and Filipino community advocate
Luzviminda Sapin Micabalo - Community organizer
Marietta N. Almazan - Author and founder of psychiatric treatment clinic; medical missioner
Mary Carmen Madrid-Crost - Lawyer; advocate for immigrant rights and migrant communities
Nimfa Yamsuan Gamez - Business woman and advocate for the developmentally disabled
Patricia Lim-Yusah - Creator of Iskwelahang Filipino of Boston and cultural preservationist
Rozita Villanueva Lee - Media creator and producer in Hawaii; community grassroots organizer
Sony Robles Florendo - Author, founder of the Foundation for Economic Aid
Virna S. Tintiangco - Founder of the Filipina Women’s Network; CEO of Greenlight Titles
Innovators & Thought Leaders
Angelita Castro-Kelly - First woman NASA Mission Operations Manager; developed and implemented mission operations
Carissa Villacorta - Author and public relations ingénue
Charmaine Clamor - Performer and creator of "Jazzipino" music genre
Connie Mariano - First Fil-Am Rear Admiral in US Naval history and former White House physician
Diana J. Galindo - Physician and recognized in the geriatric health community
Edith Mijares Ardiente - First Asian and second woman president of a global environmental entity
Elena Mangahas - Community activist, culture preservationist, and grassroots organizer
Elenita Fe Mendoza Strobel - Author, educator and anthologist of Filipino Babaylan traditions
Gemma Nemenzo - Author, columnist and editor
Jane Hofileña - Media expert for Latin American educational programming
Leila Benitez-McCollum - Retired television program host and media broadcaster
Lilia Villanueva - Author and Asian art and furniture gallery operator
Malu Rivera-Peoples - Award-winning dance instructor and creator of arts programs
Marisa Marquez - Actor, playwright and health advocate
Mutya San Agustin - Professor of pediatrics and founder of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association
Tessie Guillermo - Author, speaker and policymaker
"Nicole"
M. Evelina Galang - Author and human rights activist
Policymakers and Visionaries
Charmaine Manansala - Policy analyst, campaign staff and Asian and Pacific Islander advocate
Christina Baal - Community activist and immigration policy advocate
Eleonor G. Castillo - Educator and education policy advocate
Grace Walker - Educator and recipient of the National Principals Award in 1999
Gwen de Vera - Community organizer and local commissioner in New Jersey
Irene Bueno - Co-founder of political consulting firm; special assistant to former President Bill Clinton
Kris Valderrama - Delegate, District 26 Prince George’s County, Maryland
Kymberly Marcos Pine - Director of House of Representatives Minority Research Office; Hawaii Representative
Lillian Galedo - Director of Filipinos for Affirmative Action, an advocacy and social service institution in Oakland, California
Lourdes Tancinco - Lawyer, TV host and advocate for Veteran’s Equity campaign
Marissa Castro-Salvati - Community leader and commissioner in Los Angeles
Miriam B. Redmiller - Lawyer, author and immigration reform advocate
Mona Pasquil - Adviser in Asian Pacific Islander affairs and political consultant
Rida T. R. Cabanilla - Hawaii Representative, advocate and Lt. Colonel in US Army Reserves
Ruth Asmundson Uy - First Filipino Mayor (Davis, California), community leader and organizer of goodwill relations
Sonia Aranza - Consultant, master facilitator, keynote speaker and immigration advocate
Thelma Boac - First Filipina principal (San Jose, California), educator, mentor and education policy advocate
Vanessa Barcelona - Lawyer and immigrant rights leader
Velma Veloria - First Fil-Am in Washington State Legislature, labor rights activist and sponsored groundbreaking legislation on anti-domestic violence and human trafficking
Vida Benavides - Community activist for API civic engagements and youth mentor
"Keepers of the Flame"
Arlene Marie "Bambi" Lorica, MD, FAAP - Holistic Pediatrician, Potomac, Maryland
Elena Mangahas - Co-Chair, Little Manila Foundation, Stockton, California
Genevieve Herreria – Executive Assistant, Levensohn Venture Partners, San Francisco, California.
Maria Roseni M. Alvero – Philippine Trade Commissioner for the US Western Region, Santa Clara, California
Marily Mondejar – President, Institute for Image Management; President, Filipina Women’s Network, San Francisco, California.
Maya Ong Escudero – President, Non-profit Projects Unlimited, Palo Alto, California.
Hon. Rowena Sanchez – Consul General, Philippine Consulate, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Shirley Saoit Raguindin - Lieutenant Colonel, State Diversity Coordinator, Arizona National Guard, Phoenix, Arizona
Sonia T. Delen - Senior Vice President, Bank of America Leasing and community advocate
Thelma Boac - Educator, mentor and community worker