Board of Directors

Marily Mondejar

Founder & CEO

President
Institute for Image Management
San Francisco, California

Marily Mondejar is a Filipina American feminist, a community organizer, and an untiring advocate against domestic violence and trafficking of Filipina women. She is the founding president and CEO of the Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization for women of Philippine ancestry with members in 31 countries today.

Marily has dedicated the last decade to transforming how global Filipina women view themselves and how others perceive them. Her initiatives to bring about this transformation have included producing alternative and more positive search results on the Internet for the term “Filipina,” leading the publication of the Filipina Leadership Series, embracing Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues and launching the campaign to end violence against women, and facilitating the creation of FemtorMatch, a pipeline of next generation leaders.

Marily serves on nonprofit boards and commissions appointed by San Francisco Mayors Gavin Newsom and Edwin Lee.

In 2011, she was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee to serve on the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force convened every 10 years after the Census results, that redrew the boundaries of San Francisco's 11 districts, laying the groundwork for the city's political future for the next decade.

Marily was elected three times (2017-2019) to become Chair of the Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure (CCII). Appointed by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee in 2012, CCII is the successor agency for the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission, which exercises land use, development and design approval authority for development projects in Mission Bay, Hunters Point Shipyard/Candlestick Point and Transbay Terminal including managing the real estate assets in Yerba Buena Center and the Fillmore Center representing $20 billion in assets and creating jobs, affordable housing, commercial space, parks, art installations and open space areas.

Marily Mondejar is a senior business leader with wide-ranging global experience as an entrepreneur, strategist and advisor to global organizations. She was raised in an entrepreneurial family environment, which owned multiple business operations in publishing, security intelligence services and movie production. She began her career with the largest distributor of U.S. consumer goods in the Philippines and went on to become one of only two women in sales management for the Thailand distributor of Time Life Books Southeast Asia before joining the Security Pacific National Bank as one of its officers and Lee Hecht Harrison as a career transition consultant and executive coach.

Her extensive work experience as a woman of color and being financially responsible for her young family steered her to start her own image management and career coaching practice after developing Image360, a 360-degree assessment measuring corporate image and culture. She advised executives on leadership and career derailment issues, and consulted on corporate image strategies, scenario planning, and inter-cultural communications. Select clients included Cemex, Siebel (Oracle), and Webex (Cisco).

Marily has been recognized for her body of work, notably: 2020 Neighborhood Hero given by Wells Fargo, 2018 API Heritage Month Award given by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, the first SHEro Equalizer Award in 2015 presented by Hon. Fiona Ma, board chair of the California Board of Equalization, the Circle for Courage Award (2014) presented by the Women's Intercultural Network (WIN), the California Woman of the Year Award (2013); the Kapit-Bisig Women's Human Rights Award by Westbay (2013); Community Service Award by Asian Pacific Labor Alliance (APALA) (2013); the Award for Excellence in Civil Rights by the State of California Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus (2010); Local (S)Hero Award by KQED to celebrate Women's History Month (2012) to name a few.

Benel Se Liban

Board Director

Managing Partner
JBC Group
Los Angeles, California

Benel Se-Liban is the Managing Partner of JBC Group, LLC a full-service minority and women-owned business consulting firm whose partners have provided more than 25 years of unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction in the resource efficiency, business consulting, cleantech, sustainability, and human capital fields. Benel is a CPA and with over 25 years’ experience in audit, tax, accounting, financial planning, and management consulting services.

Benel is one of the pioneering leaders in the Los Angeles Filipino-American community. She is the Founding President of the International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting (ISFFA, http://isffa.org/) whose mission is to assist, educate, train and mentor emerging professionals, both domestically as well as globally. ISFFA has transformed the fundamental fabric of similar organizations by focusing on soft skills development, business and network skills training, and development of younger and emerging leaders.

She also participated as a committee member of fundraising activities for multiple Filipino-American non-profit organizations such as Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), Filipina Women’s Network (FWN), and Kalayaan, Inc.

She is currently the Finance Chair and Board Member of Life Steps Foundation (www.lifestepsfoundation.org) dedicated to meeting the health, psychological and socioeconomic challenges of people throughout their lifespan who are experiencing mental, developmental or physical disabilities.

She was a former Audit Chair and Board Member of St. John’s Well Child Family Center (http://www.wellchild.org/) whose mission is to eliminate health disparities and foster community well-being by providing and promoting the highest quality care in South Los Angeles.

She is a former Committee Member of National Association of Women Business Owners-Los Angeles (NAWBO-LA). She was with the City Club LA Women of City Club LA and Multicultural Networking Committee. She is an active member of American Society of Certified Public Accountant.

Her recognitions include as 2011 award recipient of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women given by the Filipina Women's Network; 2012 Women Making A Difference Nominee given by Los Angeles Business Journal; and 100 Outstanding Agnesians Awardee given by St. Agnes Academy during its 2012 Centennial Celebration.

Benel is a proud wife and mother. Her husband, Dr. Cris B. Liban, is the first Filipino-American Chief Sustainability Officer at LA Metro, a Commissioner in both the City of LA Board of Transportation Commissioners and the LA County Beach Commission, and a former US Environmental Protection Agency adviser on national environmental policy and technology under the Obama and Trump administrations. Benel is also the mother of JP who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola High School of Los Angeles; and is now a senior at Purdue University pursuing environmental engineering.

Lorna Kapunan, Esq.

Board Director

Partner
Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices
Philippines

Atty. Lorna Patajo-Kapunan graduated from the University of the Philippines AB Political Science (1973) and LLB (Law) 1978 and had seminar courses in Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII) Tokyo (1997); World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Asian Region, Taejon Republic of Korea, (November 1998); National Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo Italy (September 2005); Summer Course International Humanitarian Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge University, London UK (July 2010).

Atty. Lorna Patajo Kapunan, founding Partner of Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices has been a practicing lawyer for 40 years. She has recently been recognized among the Top 100 Lawyers of the Country.

Although known as a leading litigator because of her high profile cases, her legal expertise is extensive and includes intellectual property law, corporate and commercial law, international humanitarian law, family law, estate law and succession.

Atty. Kapunan is an awardee of the prestigious TOWNS Awards (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) in the field of Corporate Law (1995) and was Bar Examiner in 1988 in this field of law. She was a recipient in 1998 of The Outstanding Women of the University of the Philippines Awards and an awardee in 2016 of the Filipina Womens Network (FWN) composed of acclaimed Filipina women leaders worldwide.

Atty. Kapunan has a weekly column in Business Mirror “Legally Speaking” and a regular Saturday tele radio program “Laban Para Sa Karapatan" (Fight for your Rights) 11-12 at DWIZ 882 AM radio. She is a Governor of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Trustee and Past President Women’s Business Council (WBC), Board of Adviser of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Legal Adviser Ballet Philippines and TOWNS Foundation Inc., Past President Rotary Club of Sampaguita and Past Area Director Zonta International Foundation, among others.

Gina Atienza

Board Director

President
SunStar Management Inc.
Cebu, Philippines

Gina Garcia Atienza is President of Sun Star Management Inc., the holding company of Sun Star Media Group’s newspapers in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Pampanga and Baguio. She is founder of the Group’s magazine products: the prestigious Cebu Yearbook, the the Davao Yearbook, and the popular Bisdak Magazine written in Cebuano to aid the development of the mother tongue in Visayas and Mindanao.

Gina holds a postgraduate degree in International Relations and Development from the Institute of Social Studies based in The Hague, the Netherlands. She finished her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City and was one of Manila’s Most Outstanding Coeds in 1976 representing the Ateneo. She finished Senior High School at the Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, California after spending her elementary and high school years in St. Theresa’s College, Cebu City.

She started her career as an Economist in the Department of Trade and Industry. She later joined the private sector in Jakarta: first as Corporate Affairs Manager of Dharmala Group where she produced newsletters, annual reports and the company’s first corporate identity manual; and later became Corporate Communications Head of the Sinar Mas Group of Companies, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates with holdings in pulp & paper manufacturing, finance, and real estate. She moved to Tokyo with her husband and was instrumental upgrading the St. Mary’s International School Newsletter.

Upon her return to the Philippines in 2000, she joined the Sun Star Media Group to develop new products. She also wrote and continues to write society and opinion columns for the Group.

Gina loves to cook for her family and friends, do patchwork-sewing projects and does occasional horseback riding on a Western saddle.

She and her husband, Caesar have two sons: Josemaria and Miguel.

Executive Advisory Council

Susie Quesada is President of Ramar Foods International, the leading manufacturer of premium Filipino Frozen Foods in the US including such brands as Magnolia, Orientex and Kusina.

Growing up in the family business, she started working in the business at the age of 8 and continues the legacy that her grandmother and father started by making sure that only the best quality ingredients serve the US, Canada and the troops all over the world.

Susie's passions include family, education, wellness, soccer, eating and making sure Filipinas all over the world get the support they need to rise to the top of their industry.

Susie attended the University of California at Berkeley and St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

As a member of the Filipina Women’s Network since 2007 and board member since 2012 she is ecstatic to serve FWN as President.

She lives in Contra Costa County with her husband, Dr Chris Woolf who practices NUCCA Chiropractic and their two cats. You can find them riding bikes, cooking or watching Cal football on their spare time. Go Bears!

Maria Beebe, Ph.D.

Chair
DISRUPT Leadership Book Series

President
Global Networks
Naples, Florida

Susie Quesada

Chair, Executive Advisory Council

President
Ramar Foods International
Pittsburg, California

Maria Beebe has an M.A. in Social Science and Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University. Her research and advocacy interests include critical discourse analysis, women's leadership, and information, communication technologies (ICT) for development.

Maria launched Kaisipan, as a passion project, in June 2020 to address the skill sets related to the Programme for International Student Engagement (PISA) using information and communication technologies. (ICTs). Kaisipan’s mission is to improve the digital capabilities of Philippines educators to transform learning and teaching. By digital capabilities, Kaisipan means a set of cognitive, technical, and humanizing competencies to iLEARN, iCREATE, iSHARE using iCTs. Our vision and mission will contribute to DEPEd's quality of learning outcomes snd to the UN SDG4. To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all by 2020.

For her affiliation with Portland State University since 2015, Maria’s research has focused on why discourse matters in better understanding diaspora leadership. Maria’s Fulbright in 2017 focused on using discourse analysis for understanding the leadership of women at the Asian Institute of Management. Her recent academic writings are: "Passion, risk, and adventure in developing my international development leadership repertoire." In R. J. Thompson & J. Storberg-Walker (Eds.), Leadership and power in international development: Navigating the intersections of gender, culture, context, and sustainability. In 2017, she wrote “The leadership repertoire of select Filipina women in the Diaspora and implications for theorizing leadership.” In J. Storberg-Walker & P. Haber-Curran (Eds.), Theorizing women & leadership: New insights & contributions from multiple perspectives. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Maria co-edited three FWN books about Filipina women and leadership; DISRUPT1.0. Filipina Women: Proud, Loud, Leading without a Doubt (2014); DISRUPT2.0. Filipina Women: Daring to Lead (2016); and, DISRUPT3.0. Filipina Women: Rising (2018) during her term as a board member of the Filipina Women's Network (FWN). The editing experience became a coaching and mentoring exercise to help authors articulate their leadership journeys. In addition, Maria participated in book readings in London, Toronto, Barcelona, and various cities in the Philippines and in the U.S.

Maria continues to provide leadership in the practice and research of ICTs under Global Networks, a non-profit corporation formally registered in 2014, to facilitate collaborations for a sustainable world. Maria led the workshop design and facilitated several Internet Governance Forum (IGF) sessions. IGF 2018 Women's Empowerment through ICTS. Paris, France; IGF 2017 Fast Tracking Digital Dividends for Women in Central Asia & South Asia (CASA). Geneva, Switzerland; and IGF 2016 TechWomen: Driving ICT, Innovation & Collaboration in Central Asia/South Asia Guadalajara, Mexico. Participants were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the U.S. IGF, established by the U.N. in 2006, is a multi-stakeholder platform that facilitates the discussion of public policy issues about the internet. As a result of these IGF workshops, Maria and Omar Mansoor Ansari from TechNation co-founded TechWomen.Asia in 2016, a social enterprise about ecosystem development, leadership and participation, technology applications, entrepreneurship, policy and advocacy, and technology for social development. The goal is to increase women’s leadership and participation in Asia and the Pacific's economic, social, and political development. The goal aligns with the sustainable development goal (SDG) of gender equality and empowerment through ICTs. Maria did an online presentation about whether the Digital Afghanistan Strategy addresses the needs of Digital Afghanistan at the third Internet Governance Forum Afghanistan (IGFA) 2019. Maria also did an online presentation on ICTs to improve the quality of education for a group of government officials from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Maria wrapped up her work on Afghan eQuality Alliances in 2009, served as a Telecommunications Adviser (Education) with the Telecommunications Advisory Team in Afghanistan (2012-2013), and managed a NATO grant to assist the Afghanistan Research and Education Network to develop their infrastructure (2011-2014).

Maria has over twenty years of experience in international development in higher education, telecommunications, and sustainable development. Maria lived and worked in South Africa, Liberia, the Philippines, Sudan, and Afghanistan and led workshops on teaching and learning with the internet at higher education institutions in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Nigeria.

Cora M. Tellez

US FWN100™2009, Global FWN100™2013

Founder & CEO
Sterling HSA

Oakland, California

Cora received her master’s degree in public administration from California State University. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mills College and has served as a college Trustee. Cora serves on the boards of HMS Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HMSY), CorMedix (NYSE: CRMD), and Pacific Premier Bank (NASDAQ: PPBI). She also serves on several nonprofit organizations and UC San Diego’s Center for Integrative Medicine. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum and Women Corporate Directors.

Cora has previously served as a board director of Practice Fusion, Crescent Healthcare, Bank of Hawaii, Glendale Federal Bank, Cal Fed Bank, Catellus Development Company, First Consulting Group, and Presbyterian Health Plan. She has also served on numerous nonprofit boards, including The Cowell Foundation, Mills College, Holy Names University, and Philippine International Aid. She helped found Asian Community Mental Health and Filipinos for Social Justice.

Cora has been recognized for her professional and community endeavors by organizations such as Women Healthcare Executives, the Asian Pacific Fund, and the Anti-Defamation League. She has received several awards, including the Living Example Award by the Bay Area Tumor Institute in 2013, the Del Beasley Award for Community Leadership in Oakland by the Progressive Oakland Women for Empowerment and Reform in 2013, and recognition for her leadership achievement by the San Francisco Philippine Consulate Office in 2016.

Cora is the President and CEO of Sterling Administration, a company she founded in 2004. Cora has 25 years of management experience in healthcare finance and delivery. Cora is the President and CEO of Sterling Administration, a company she founded in 2004. She has 25 years of experience in healthcare finance and delivery. Before founding Sterling Administration, she served as the President of the Health Plans division of Health Net, Inc., which in 2002 had a revenue of $8 billion in its division alone. Cora then served as the President of Prudential’s western healthcare operations. She has also worked as the CEO of Blue Shield of California, Bay Region, and Regional Manager for Kaiser Permanente of Hawaii.

In 2015, Cora started Amazing CARE Network, Inc. to help men and women redefine aging. The company offers services like savings accounts for long-term care expenses, expanding social networks for seniors, and a network of retired physicians who help clients navigate the medical delivery system. ACN also provides an innovative debit card solution for home care agencies.

In 2019, Cora founded the Amazing Care Network Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides financial support to individuals who cannot afford the services offered by ACN. The foundation also provides financial support for caregiving services.

Natalie Garcia Lashinsky is a litigation partner at Husch Blackwell, a national law firm with over 1000 attorneys. She focuses on commercial litigation, product liability, and real estate matters in state and federal courts across the country. With over 18 years of experience, she has guided manufacturers, Fortune 50 companies, insurance carriers, and small businesses through every phase of complex litigation, from discovery strategy and depositions to pre-trial motions and trial.

Known for her creative advocacy and client-first approach, Natalie has defended complex claims involving product liability, mass toxic tort, pharmaceutical liability, premises liability, and construction defect. She works closely with medical and scientific experts to build winning strategies.

Natalie Garcia Lashinsky

Partner
Litigation & Business Organization
Husch Blackwell LLP

Redwood City, California

Beyond her practice, Natalie is a committed leader in the legal community, where she has served on the board of several organizations, including the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, and California Women Lawyers. She is currently Chair of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, one of the oldest educational institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in Redwood City, CA with her husband, Matthew, and her two sons, Grant and Henry.