Filipino American National Historical Society
FANHS Executive Officers,
Board of Trustees for 2022-2024:
Christy Sison Panis Poisot, Vice President , MBA, CISSP, PMP, CGEIT
Maria Batayola, Treasurer
FANHS National Board of Trustees by Term
Trustees Elected for the 2022-2028 term:
- Gina Vergara-Bautista – Honolulu, HI (Hawaii)
- Dr. Rudy Guevara – Phoenix, AZ (National Scholar)
- Reynaldo Pascua – Wapato, WA (Pacific Northwest)
- Dr. Judy Patacsil – San Diego, (Southern California, President Emerita)
- Jeffery Acosta – Virginia Beach, VA (National At-Large Member)
- Gayle Romasanta – Stockton, CA (Sacramento, Mid-California)
- Rueben Salazar – Darien, IL (Midwest)
- Victoria Santos – Fremont, CA, (Northern California)
- Dr. Alexandra Thomas Atlanta, GA (East Coast)
Trustees Elected for the 2020-2026 term:
- Gerie Ventura – Tukwila, WA, Pacific Northwest
- Karen Mejia Pennrich – Windsor, CA, Northern California
- Maria Terri Torres – Stockton, CA, Mid California
- Dr. Anthony Ocampo – Pomona, CA, Southern California
- Christy Poisot – Texas, Midwest, MBA, CISSP, PMP, CGEIT
- Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao – Honolulu, HI, Hawaii
- Dr. Kevin Nadal (Vice-President) – New York, NY, East Coast
- Maria Batayola – Bellevue, WA, National At-Large Member
- Dr. Adrian De Leon – Los Angeles, CA, National Scholar
Trustees Elected for the 2018-2024 term:
- Dr. E.J.R. David (Anchorage, AK, Pacific Northwest)
- Dom Siababa (Salinas, Northern California)
- Luna Jamero (Livingston, Mid California)
- Nena Calica (Monterey Park, Southern California)
- Dr. Terese Guinsatao Monberg (East Lansing, Midwest)
- Edwina Bergano (Virginia Beach, VA, East Coast)
- Dr. Patricia Brown (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Gem Daus (Arlington, VA, National At-Large Member)
- Dr. Lily Ann B. Villaraza – San Francisco, CA, National Scholar (2020-2024)
This Board governs FANHS. Maraming Salamat/Many Thanks to you all for agreeing to serve.
TRUSTEES EMERITI
(transitioning off the Board of Trustees, effective August, 2020)
Thank You to these members for their many years of service and dedication to FANHS:
- Edward Brotonel, Trustee Emeritus
- Dr. Ronald Buenaventura, National Secretary Emeritus
- Dr. Barbara Gaerlan, National Scholar Emerita
- Mariecris Gatlabayan, National Secretary Emerita
- Lourdes Cereno Markeley, National Secretary Emerita
- Mel Orpilla, FANHS President Emeritus
In Memoriam+ 2018-2019
- Dr. Virgilio Pilapil + (National At-Large Member), President Emeritus
- Al Acena + (National Scholar), Founding Trustee
- Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon + (National Scholar)
—
Executive Officers, Board of Trustees for 2016-2018:
Maraming Salamat/Many thanks to the outgoing officers for their decades of service. FANHS is grateful for all that you have done for our organization and all Filipino Americans.
- President: Dr. Judy Patacsil (of San Diego, CA)
- Vice President: Emily Lawsin (of Seattle, WA)
- Secretary: Mariecris Gatlabayan (of Seattle, WA)
- Treasurer: Bobby Dalton G. Roy (of Mid-California, Sacramento-Delta)
Trustees Elected for the 2014-2020 term:
- Edward Brotonel (Midwest)
- Dr. Ronald Buenaventura (Southern California)
- Dr. Barbara Gaerlan (National Scholar)
- Mariecris Gatlabayan (National Membership)
- Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao (Hawaii)
- Mel Lagasca (Mid-California)
- Lourdes Markley (Pacific Northwest)
- Dr. Kevin Nadal (East Coast)
- Terri Torres (Northern California)
FANHS Trustee Biographies (Past and Present)
Albert Acena+ (RIP, FANHS Trustee Emeritus), a Seattle native, was a retired history professor and dean at College of San Mateo in California. His parents, both nurses, came from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Besides being on the FANHS board, he served on the board of the San Mateo County Historical Association, the board of The Alvarado Project, and the library board of the city of San Mateo. His interests were in political, social and local history.
Dr. Adélamar Alcántara+ (RIP, FANHS Trustee Emerita) held a joint appointment as Research Professor at the University of New Mexico Latin American and Iberian Institute and the School of Architecture and Planning and Director of the Geospatial and Population Studies. She has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines and M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology with specialization in Demography and Gender Studies from the University of Hawaii. Her scholarship focuses on applied demography, program evaluation, operations and survey research, population estimates and projections, fertility, mortality, family planning, and gender studies. She is the founder of the Filipino American National Historical Society Rio Grande Chapter and served on other local and national non-profit boards.
Edwina Bergano (FANHS Trustee, FANHS National Vice President Emerita, Founding Chapter Administrator of FANHS-Hampton Roads Chapter).
Edward Brotonel (FANHS Trustee Emeritus) has been a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society – Midwest Chapter (FANHS-MWC) since 2001 and was elected chapter president in November 2011. He is the son of a Manong generation Batangueno who came to the United States in 1927, and a World War II veteran of the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment- U.S. Army. Edward holds bachelor of science degrees in Accounting and in Criminology and a masters degree in Criminal Justice. He is on active military duty with the US Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Edward resides in Westchester, IL with his wife Anita.
Dr. Patricia Brown (FANHS Trustee) is the daughter of a Hawai‘i Ilocano plantation worker from Urdaneta, Pangasinan. She is a psychologist with inter-cultural communication interests, a researcher on Hawaii’s Filipino history with a focus on Filipino plantation history, an active community worker, a supporter of the goals of the Filipino Women’s League, Hawaii Plantation Village, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa, Center for Philippine Studies. She is a FANHS National Trustee, Founder and President of FANHS Hawaii State Chapter, FANHS 2020 Conference Chair. She is a former Chaminade University’s Master’s Program School Counseling Internship Director, California K-12 and comm.college educator, president of the Filipino American Historical Society of Hawaii for 8 yrs., Founding Board Member of NAKEM INTERNATIONAL, and president Filipino Association of University Women. She is the author of KULA SAN Maui’s Healing Place, FILIPINAS! Voices from Daughters and Descendants of Hawaii’s Plantation Era, and her current project: HAWAII’S FILIPINAS and FILIPINOS: 1906 to the Present—Heart-to-Heart Stories.
Dr. Ronald S. Buenaventura (FANHS Trustee Emeritus) has volunteered with the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) since 1995 as a President of the San Diego Chapter (1996-2000), Assistant National Secretary (1998-2002) and National Secretary on the Board of Trustees (2002-2012), and National Trustee (1998-2020) . Ronald has worked full-time as a School Psychologist within the Los Angeles Unified School District. He received his M.S., M.A., and Ph.D. at Pepperdine University focusing his research on Filipino American middle school students. He volunteers and interacts with young people as the Student Advisor & Mentor for the Filipino Club at Stephen White Middle School.
Nena Calica (FANHS Trustee, charter member of FANHS-Los Angeles Chapter.)
Gem Daus (FANHS Trustee) is an award-winning adjunct faculty member of the University of Maryland Asian American Studies Program. He teaches Filipino American History and Biography and has also taught Asian American Health and Asian American Sexualities. He has published book chapters and policy papers on Asian American and Pacific Islander health and Filipino American political participation. Gem was born in Baguio City, Philippines and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He completed a BA in History at the University of Virginia and an MA in Organization Development at Marymount University. In his spare time, he volunteers on several boards and dances hula.
E.J.R David (FANHS Trustee) is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, with his primary duties being with the PhD Program in Clinical-Community Psychology that has a Rural, Cultural, and Indigenous Emphasis.Dr. David has published theoretical and empirical works on Internalized Oppression or Colonial Mentality, including four books – Brown Skin, White Minds: Filipino -/ American Postcolonial Psychology (Information Age Publishing), Internalized Oppression: The Psychology of Marginalized Groups (Springer), The Psychology of Oppression (Springer), and We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet (State University of New York Press). Dr. David is also a contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, periodically writing about the psychology of race, ethnicity, and culture.
Pio DeCano II, Ph.D (FANHS Trustee Emeritus) has an extensive educational and professional background as a teacher, administrator, consultant, community activist/volunteer. He directed a four state (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho) bilingual technical assistance center providing services to school district Title VII recipients in those states. He has also directed multi-cultural teacher training institute at Central Washington University, providing historical and cultural curriculum materials to practicing teachers and provided similar services as a Bilingual Program administrator to the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He currently serves as a trustee for the Filipino American National Historical Society focusing on providing technical assistance to local Filipino-American communities in the Pacific Northwest in their efforts to establish local FANHS chapters.
Romel Dela Cruz (FANHS Trustee) is the son, grandson, and nephew of Sakadas (Filipinos recruited to work in the sugar and pineapple fields of Hawaii from 1906-1946). He was born in the Ilocos region and migrated to Hawaii with his mother in 1954 to reunite with his 1946 Sakada father on the island of Hawaii where he resides with his wife Jodean. They are the parents of 2 adult sons and the “apos” of 4 “apokos”. He attended public schools in Hawaii and acquired a graduate degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii and is retired after 32 years as a healthcare and hospital administrator for the State of Hawaii. His passion is to write and talk about the Filipino experience in Hawaii.
Dr. Barbara Gaerlan (FANHS Trustee Emerita).
Mariecris Gatlabayan (FANHS Trustee Emerita, National Secretary Emerita) graduated with a Master’s Degree in Library and Archives Management from Simmons College in 2008. Upon graduation, she became a tenure track faculty member at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where she became a reference archivist. She specialized in reference, instruction, community outreach, and community archives. She also co-founded the workgroup, Alaskero Partnership Organizers (APO), with Dr. EJ David, Dr. Gabriel Garcia, and Christine Marasigan in 2008. Together they began the tradition of celebrating Filipino American History Month at UAA, provided educational programming to teach community members about Filipino American History, and researched factors that affected the API community in Anchorage. Mariecris Gatlabayan was responsible for advocating and creating the Northwest Archivist’s Native American Collections Roundtable. In 2013, she was accepted into the Archives Leadership Institute to further develop her leadership, project management, and advocacy skills. Currently, she works at Vulcan Inc. and focuses on processing analog collections, managing born digital collections in their digital asset management system, and licensing images. She is also serving as Northwest Archivists’ secretary.
Tomas Gomez III+ (RIP, FANHS Trustee Emeritus) was a FANHS member since 1982. He hailed from Calbayog, Samar but called San Antonio, Texas home. A retired business executive and Philippine Government Official, he was a Cabinet Member (Press Secretary) under President Corazon Aquino and Chairman, Samar Island Development Program after serving as Consul General to Hawaii. He was Chairman/President of the InterContinental Broadcasting Corporation/Channel 13. Prior to government service, he was an executive of the Ayala Group of companies for 25 years in various capacities as Manager, Director and Vice President, Ayala Corporation with postings in the Philippines, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Hawai‘i.
Dr. Patricia Halagao is FANHS Trustee and Co-Editor of the FANHS Journal. She is Professor and Chair of Department of Curriculum Studies at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her scholarship focuses on multicultural pedagogy and policy, specifically Filipino K-12 education. She received a PhD from the University of Washington. She hails from Stockton, CA and was an Oakland Public School elementary teacher. She co-developed Pinoy Teach and Smithsonian’s Filipino American Curriculum project; received grants, UH Mānoa Multilingual Multicultural Strategic Initiative and Teaching Tolerance Social Justice in Education Project. She served on Hawaiʻi State Board of Education (2013-2016) and spear-heaaded two Board policies: Multilingualism for an Equitable Education and Seal of Biliteracy.
Mel Lagasca (FANHS Trustee Emeritus, Founding Committee Chair of FANHS National Museum in Stockton, California)
Emily P. Lawsin is the 2020-2022 National President of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). She began volunteering with FANHS as a high school student on the Filipino Youth Activities (FYA) Drill Team, then served as a university intern at the first FANHS Conference in 1987. She was the youngest woman elected to the FANHS Board of Trustees in 1992 and is now the longest-serving FANHS Trustee/National Scholar. She helped charter and served as Chapter Administrator of the FANHS Los Angeles Chapter in 1993 and the FANHS Michigan Chapter in 2004, and was elected FANHS National Vice President for two terms, from 2016-2020. Originally from “SHE-attle”, Washington, she earned a M.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA. For 30 years, she taught Oral History, Filipino American History, and Asian American Studies in California, Massachusetts, and Michigan. She is co-author of Filipino Women in Detroit: 1945-1955. A spoken word performance poet since 1990, she has appeared on radio and stage throughout the United States and Manila. www.emilylawsin.com
Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon+ (RIP, FANHS Trustee 2004-2018) is a third generation Pinay born and raised in Stockton, California, and is an Associate Professor of history at San Francisco State University. She has a B.A. in history and her M.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in history from Stanford University. Her research focuses on Filipina/o American history, historic and cultural preservation, and the history of food. She is co-founder of the Little Manila Foundation (http://www.littlemanila.org). She is the author of Filipinos in Stockton (Arcadia, 2008) and Little Manila Is in the Heart: The Making of the Filipina/o American Community in Stockton, California (Duke University Press, 2013).
Lourdes Cereno Markley is FANHS Trustee Emerita. She served several terms as National Secretary of FANHS and helped charter the very first chapter of FANHS: “Chapter One”, FANHS Oregon Chapter.
Christine Marasigan is FANHS Trustee Emerita, and Past National Treasurer of FANHS. She was born in Boston, MA and raised in Kodiak, AK. She studied at UCLA’s World Arts and Culture Department’s Culture and Performance PhD program on a Cota-Robles Fellowship. She obtained her M.A. in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University and B.A. in English and Communications from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. A FANHS member since 2000, she has also worked for the Oregon Folklife Program at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland and the Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository in Kodiak. She worked as a Finance Aide to the co-chair of the Alaska State Senate Finance Committee and splits her time between Juneau and Anchorage.
Terese Guinsatao Monberg is a third generation Pinay born and raised in Chicago. She is a Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and serves as Co-Editor of the FANHS Journal. She has been a member of FANHS since 2000 and has been active with the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC) as well as the Midwest and Michigan chapters of FANHS. She attended Chicago public schools, is a former high school dropout, and is now Associate Professor and a founding faculty member of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University where she also serves as Director of the Asian Pacific American Studies Program. Her research and teaching focus on rhetoric, writing, community engagement, collective memory, and Asian American and Filipinx American Studies. She has published book chapters and articles on the generative and community-building work of FANHS in Representations: Doing Asian American Rhetoric, Reflections, Community Literacy Journal, and enculturation: a journal of rhetoric, writing, and culture. She is a former Board Member of the Mid-Michigan Asian Pacific American Association (MAPAA), a co-facilitator of the former Lansing APA Forum, and continues to work with Asian/American communities at MSU and in Greater Lansing, Michigan.
Ron P. Muriera (FANHS Trustee Emeritus) has integrated his various experiences and knowledge as a non-profit administrator, educator, grants professional, performing artist, grassroots activist, and children’s advocate towards serving communities locally in the San Francisco Bay Area, California and throughout the nation. In addition to being a FANHS trustee and past administrator for the FANHS Santa Clara Valley Chapter, Ron has served on boards and commissions with the following institutions/organizations: City of San José Arts Commission; Mission College and De Anza College’s Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival.
Dr. Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal currently serves as FANHS National Vice President. A Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the City University of New York, his family hails from Aklan, Philippines. Dr. Nadal is the founder of the LGBTQ Scholars of Color Network, a former President of the Asian American Psychological Association, a former Executive Director of color of the Center for LGBTQ Studies, and a Past President of the FANHS-Metro New York Chapter. He has written 10 books and 100+ publications, including Filipino American Psychology, Filipinos in New York City, and Microaggressions and Traumatic Stress. He has contributed to the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed, and has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, and more. In 2017, he received the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contributions Award to Psychology in the Public Interest, and in 2018, he was named one of NBC’s #Pride30.
Ray Obispo (FANHS Trustee Emeritus) is an educator at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1995, he founded the Filipino American Cultural Society of Salem High School, which is the longest running Filipino American student organization on the east coast. In 1998, he was elected to serve on the Filipino American National Historical Society’s national board of trustees, a position in which he still currently holds. Mr. Obispo has over 20 years of community service including multigenerational community book writing projects, grassroots art programs, and has presented workshops or keynoted at various Asian American conferences. In 2008, Mr. Obispo was elected by Governor Tim Kaine to serve on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board.
Reynaldo Pascua is a Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society and helped charter the FANHS Yakama Valley Chapter. He serves as Chair of the FANHS Committee on Filipino American History Month.
Dr. Judy Patacsil is a Trustee and National President Emerita of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and the current FANHS San Diego Chapter President. She was born and raised in San Diego to pioneering immigrant parents. Judy is the lead author of “Filipinos in San Diego” and is Professor/Counselor and International Education Coordinator at San Diego Miramar College. She is a professor of Filipino Studies and Psychology and also is a licensed psychotherapist. Her doctorate is in psychology with an emphasis in culture and human behavior.
Virgilio R. Pilapil, M.D.+ (RIP, Trustee Emeritus) retired as pediatrician & pediatric cardiologist with a 30-year military service in the medical corps of the US Naval Reserve. He was FANHS National President Emeritus and founding president of FANHS Midwest Chapter as well as Editor of the FANHS Journal. He founded and belongs to other historical societies and editor of other historical bulletins. His published work involves Philippine and Filipino American history. He also belongs to several medical societies and is the recipient of several distinguished awards. Dr. Pilapil lived in Springfield, Illinois, with his wife, Elena. They have four children and three grandchildren.
Bobby Dalton Guleng Roy (2018-2022 FANHS National Treasurer, 2016-2018 FANHS National Secretary) is a second-generation Filipino American raised in Sacramento, California. His award winning National History Day project, “The Unforeseen Triumph of a Tragic Event: The Port Chicago Mutiny” catalyzed his involvement with the Filipino American community in Sacramento. Roy earned a BA in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis and a masters of business administration degree from Drexel University. A proud lifetime member and National Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), he enthusiastically shares his passion and knowledge for Philippine and Filipino American history, culture, and heritage, and socio-political-economic justice.
Ruben Salazar is a Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and helped charter the FANHS Greater Chicago Chapter in 2012.
Veronica Salcedo (FANHS Trustee Emerita, 2008-2014) is a social studies teacher at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, VA. After earning her BA in History from The College of William & Mary, Veronica collaborated with the Filipino American National Historical Society of Hampton Roads on two local oral history books documenting the experiences of first generation Filipino elders. In 2004, she was recognized by the Francis Land House Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as the Outstanding History Teacher. Veronica co-founded the BHS Asian American Association and Gay Straight Alliance. She has served as Past Chapter President of FANHS-HR.
Victoria “Vicky” Santos a social work practitioner in social services and mental health for many years, started Santos Associates, providing cultural diversity training and consultation to both the public and private sectors. She was featured speaker for the Silicon Valley Conference on “The Workplace of the 90’s,” was keynote speaker for the Governor’s Conference on the Older Worker, and chaired the Diversity and Business Connection Panel of the Third Annual National Diversity Conference in Chicago. She co-founded and was first executive director of Filipinos for Affirmative Action (now Filipino Advocates for Justice) in Oakland, CA., co-founded and chaired Asian Community Mental Health Services, and was interim director for the Asian Women’s Shelter in San Francisco and the Shelter against Violent Environments (SAVE) in the Tri-Cities area. With her mother she co-authored Memoirs of a Manong: The Story of a Filipina-American Pioneer which was published in October 2015. She was Past President of FANHS East Bay Chapter from 2011 to 2016.
Dominador Siababa of Salinas, California, served as a Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in the 1980s and returned to serve as Trustee in 2018. He was appointed Assistant Treasurer in 2020.
Dr. Alexandra Thomas is a Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and is FANHS National Secretary. She served as Program Chair of the FANHS National Conference in New York City in 2016 and helped charter the FANHS Georgia Chapter in 2018.
Terri Torres also known as Maria Torres, has been a member of FANHS since 1995. She has been the Stockton Chapter’s president, secretary, and treasurer through the years. She was a FANHS National Trustee from 2000 to 2002 and then appointed in 2018 and re-elected in 2020. Terri is the current Treasurer of the FANHS Museum and a member of its Board. She has a BS degree in Accounting and a Multiple Subject Education certificate. She is retired and takes care of her mother at home. Her family has been in Stockton since 1916, when her grandfather, Cirilo Yongque Juanitas, arrived from the Philippines via the sugar plantations in Hawaii.
Geraldine (Gerie) Julian Ventura is a second-generation Pinay born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. She has served as the Greater Seattle FANHS chapter administrator since 2012 and FANHS National Trustee since 2020. She is a writer, avid community volunteer, and community college library director whose poems were featured in Seattle’s Poetry on Buses program in 2014 and 2016. Her Filipino immigrant ancestors inspire her. Gerie enjoys gallivanting all over the world, dabbling in genealogy, and writing about growing up brown.
Arthur Villarruz (Trustee Emeritus, FANHS National President Emeritus) has been an active member of FANHS since its early inception. His leadership at the national level with FANHS involved serving as National President, Vice-President, and National Trustee. Art also served as president at the local level both for the FANHS Santa Clara Valley Chapter and the FANHS Central Valley Chapter. Art retired from education after 34 years serving as a principal and teacher at the elementary level in San Jose, California. Upon retiring and moving to the Central Valley of California, Art began a second career at the university level serving as supervisor of student teachers at California State University Stanislaus. Throughout his involvement with FANHS, Art has been a presenter at all of the National Conferences.