FWN Member Spotlight: Dr. Connie Mariano (U.S. FWN100™ '07) And Keesa Ocampo (U.S. FWN100™ '11)

Dr. Connie Mariano (U.S. FWN100™ '07) is the president and founder of the Center for Executive Medicine (CEM) in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Mariano’s highest position in medicine was held as Physician to Bill Clinton, President of the United States, , from 1994-2001. She has also held the title of Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University School of Health Sciences and the Mayo School of Medicine.

An expert on the care of VIPs, celebrities, and world leaders, Dr. Mariano is a frequent guest speaker at international conferences as well as on media specials such as CNN’s “The Health of the President.”

Dr. Mariano graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, cum laude, June 1977 from Revelle College at the University of California in San Diego. She attended the nation’s military medical school, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree in May 1981.

Dr. Mariano completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Naval Hospital San Diego, CA in 1982 and 1986 respectively. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine since 1987. She has been a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners since 1982. Dr. Mariano currently is licensed to perform medicine in three states: Arizona, California, and the District of Columbia.

Keesa Ocampo (U.S. FWN100™ '11) is the Corporate Affairs officer for the international media conglomerate, ABS-CBN International. Ocampo, a young philanthropist and community advocate, was born in California and raised in Manila.

Her community involvement and advocacy began as an active stakeholder of numerous organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area like the National Association for Asian American Professionals, Asian Heritage Month Committee for the City of San Francisco, Asian Pacific Fund, the Glide Legacy Committee and the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee. Her wide span of networks and persistent work to build bridges resulted in co-founding the progressive organization, Citizen Hope, which engages in community and civic service projects.

Ocampo's commitment was catapulted by the series of natural disasters in 2009 as she began galvanizing teams across organizations and communities to begin disaster relief - efforts that were recognized for their vast coverage, speed and success. This pushed her advocacy to span across the Pacific, through her organization, Bay Area Benefit, which serves the international community through "guerilla philanthropy," towards equality and justice. In 2010, she was honored for her humanitarian work with a Presidential Citation from Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Ocampo currently lives in the City of San Mateo and has been a member of the San Mateo Commission on the Status of Women since 2011.

Member Spotlight on Pinay Authors M. Evelina Galang (U.S. FWN100™ '07, Global FWN100™ '14) and Vangie Buell (U.S. FWN100™ '07)

Photo credit: M. Evelina Galang

M. Evelina Galang is the author of HER WILD AMERICAN SELF (Coffee House Press, ’96); the novel ONE TRIBE (New Issues Press, ’06); and ANGEL DE LA LUNA AND THE 5TH GLORIOUS MYSTERY (Coffee House Press 2013). She has edited the anthology, SCREAMING MONKEYS: Critiques of Asian American Images (Coffee House Press, ‘03). She is currently writing LOLAS’ HOUSE: WOMEN LIVING WITH WAR, stories of surviving Filipina WWII “Comfort Women” and is at work on a new novel, BEAUTIFUL SORROW, BEAUTIFUL SKY. Galang teaches in and directs the Creative Writing Program at the University of Miami, is core faculty for VONA/Voices: Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation and has been named one of the 100 most influential Filipinas in the United States by Filipina Women’s Network.

Galang is the recipient of numerous awards, among them, the 2004 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Awards Advancing Human Rights, the 2004 AWP Prize in the Novel and the 2007 Global Filipino Award in Literature for ONE TRIBE.

Photo credit: Amaze Studios

Vangie Buell is a living historical gem: She's the granddaughter of a Buffalo Soldier—the nickname given by American Indians in the 19th century to black American soldiers. Even rarer: Her grandfather Ernest Stokes was one of the 6,000 Buffalo Soldiers sent to the Philippines to fight during the Spanish-American War during the 1890s. He was one of the few who stayed, married a Filipina (Buell's grandmother) and had children. 

In her memoir "Twenty-Five Chickens and a Pig for a Bride: Growing Up in a Filipino Immigrant Family" (T'Boli Publishing, 2006), Buell recounts her grandfather's experience, and her own, as one of the few Filipinos growing up in West Oakland during the 1930s and '40s.

She remembers seeing "No Filipinos or dogs allowed" signs posted at restaurants and having to wear a button that said "I am a loyal Filipino" during World War II, because even though she didn't look Japanese, she was still Asian -- and vulnerable to harassment. " —Michelle Devera Louie, SF Chronicle

A Filipino-American activist, Vangie was born in San Pedro, California, grew up in West Oakland and devoted her life to social justice, human dignity, multicultural understanding and equality.

Spotlight on FWN Members: Pet Hartman and Hon. Lorna G. Schofield

Pet Hartman began her career on a path that is rare among other IT and Operations executive. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and Communications from the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines). She then held various positions within the Operations and Technology divisions for over 20 years. 

Ms. Hartman joined Arch Insurance Group in June 2002. She is one of the pioneer employees when she was hired as an AVP, IT Project Management Office. She was quickly recognized as a high-potential resource by senior management. Being a new company that needs leadership under the CIO who is also responsible for the Operations Division, Ms. Hartman was promoted to VP, Operations Division where she managed the Facilities, Compliance, Policy Administration, Business Financial Services, and Claims Operations departments. 

Recognized as a valuable strategic manpower solution to the company on a global perspective, the Global Services Operation was created in 2014 under Ms. Hartman’s leadership. She is currently a Senior Vice President of the Global Services Division. She built an offshore organization that supports the IT and Operations global manpower needs of the different entities in the US, Canada, and Europe.

A high-energy, fiscally conscious, and goal-driven technology & operations executive, Ms. Pet Hartman approaches each new business challenge with intrinsic flair for innovation, creative problem-solving, and measured risk-taking to drive consistent bottom-line improvements and better business returns. 

Lorna G. Schofield was confirmed by a unanimous U.S. Senate vote as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York on December 13, 2012.  She is the first Filipino-American to serve as an Article III federal judge. 

Previously, Judge Schofield was a litigation partner at the international law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP from 1991 to 2011.  Judge Schofield’s practice focused on litigation in complex commercial matters, including the defense of companies and individuals in regulatory and white collar criminal investigations.  Judge Schofield is an experienced trial attorney, building on the trial experience she gained as a federal prosecutor.  Her trials include the successful defense of celebrity Rosie O’Donnell at trial in a $100 million lawsuit brought by the former publishers of Rosie magazine and a class action jury trial for one of the Big Four accounting firms in which the jury returned a favorable verdict after only thirty minutes. 

Judge Schofield was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP from 1981 to 1984.  From 1984 to 1988, Judge Schofield served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. 

She is a former chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, an organization in which she held many leadership positions over twenty years.  Judge Schofield has written and spoken frequently about trial tactics and women in the legal profession.

Judge Schofield received her B.A. magna cum laude from Indiana University and her J.D. from New York University, where she was an editor of the New York University Law Review.

Spotlight on FWN Members: Nora K. Terrado, GLOBAL FWN100™ '14 (PHILIPPINES) and Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, GLOBAL FWN100™ '14 (BANGLADESH)

Congratulations to Nora K. Terrado for a successful convening of the 2015 APEC Women and the Economy Fora.

Ms. Nora K. Terrado is the Undersecretary for Management Services and Chief of Staff of the Department of Trade and Industry. Before entering the civil service, Usec. Terrado was the Country Manager of Headstrong Philippines and Vice President for IT Services and Capital Markets of Genpact Philippines.

As an IT pioneer and industry leader in the Philippines with solid track record in leading successful change programs for global clients, the Undersecretary has significantly made solid contributions in the Ease of Doing Business (EODB)  initiatives. She is this year’s Chair for the APEC Women and the Economy Fora. She was among the 2014’s 100 Influential Filipina Women (FWN100TM).

The Undersecretary is an alumnus of the University of Asia and the Pacific for her graduate studies in business economics and the University of Saint La Salle for her degree in Commerce. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Born in Manila, Philippines, Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Adamson University, Manila in 1978, passed the licensure examination for Chemical Engineers on the same year, she obtained her Masters degrees from the Philippines and a Doctoral degree from California. 

Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, was selected as top 100 women of the world under the education category by the International Alliance for Women (TIAW) for 2012.  The humble story of Dr. Lamagna, being the first woman Vice Chancellor at the American International University in Bangladesh has inspired women to take actions in support of women’s empowerment and advancement in society.  Her extraordinary accomplishments in promoting women through education-based programs, initiatives or personal action in a developing country like Bangladesh have earned for her the most coveted recognition.

Spotlight on FWN Members: Elvie Abordo, Global FWN100™ '14, and Hedy Leuterio Thomas, President, Leuterio Thomas LLC

Elvie Abordo

Vice President, Rockland Ambulette Service, Inc
Congers, Rockland County, New York
Global FWN100™ '14

Elvie Abordo is a leader who have proven herself quietly in doing good for others and the community. She is part of Gawad Kalinga team to end poverty by 2024 in our country.  She has helped in alleviating suffering in our society by contributing in the building of homes for GK Village in Pangasinan for Typhoon Pepeng victims in 2009. 

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from St. Louis University Baguio and landed her first job as an accountant at Aris (Phils.) Inc.  As a Filipina woman, the most difficult workplace challenge was the difficulty of getting promoted.  No matter how excellent her work had been, she was bypassed promotions several times as the company favored mostly men. She later became self employed, then an entrepreneur and founded Rockland Ambulette in 1986.  Overcoming in our workplace everyday is always a challenge.  

The hardest lesson she learned is how she proved to herself that she is worth something, that she is capable and intelligent enough to tackle duties and responsibilities without others' recognition.

She left the Philippines because she was petitioned by her late father, a US Army veteran in the Philippines during World War II.  She would like to pass on to others the Bayanihan Spirit (the GK way).  

Hedy Leuterio

President, Leuterio Thomas LLC.
National Harbor, Maryland, USA

Hedy Leuterio is a structural engineer with over twenty five years of experience, who has designed projects in many countries around the world including USA, Japan, South Korea, Moscow, and the Philippines. Her multi-cultural background provides a deep understanding of how to relate to clients around the globe. She is an engineer who loves to design and work out the construction details, integrating them into the architectural design solution. Her BS in Architecture and MS in Engineering provide a sympathetic foundation when working with architects. Solving design issues, working with contractors on site, providing hands on supervision of her design team, drive her working day. She believes in building talent, providing opportunities for young designers but mentoring them so they learn through success. Hedy has built her company steadily over the years, believing in combining talent with technology, hard work with a positive family atmosphere, where employees are challenged to succeed.

Her experience is founded in designing large projects such as NMIC in Suitland, CEBAF at Norfolk, Virginia and numerous correctional facilities such as Wallens Ridge, Red Onion, Greensville, Hagerstown, Baltimore County Detention Center, Lynchburg Correctional Center and NBCI, Cumberland Maryland. She has designed high-rise office buildings and apartments in Moscow, as well as office buildings in Inchon, South Korea. Since founding Leuterio Thomas, she has expanded to include wood structures, such as Axumite, structural restoration projects, such as at the Forrestal Building, and many structural investigations of federal facilities. She has worked with concrete and steel in designing buildings. Challenges include repairs to a NARA facility and adding lateral bracing to a steel roof where welding, cutting and drilling of existing steel were not allowed due to fire risks. She is registered in nine states, including California which requires additional seismic exams. She has extensive experience in seismic design based on developing prototype designs for USPS, for projects in Japan, and from the analysis of a number of Federal Buildings after the August 2011 earthquake in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Currently working on the MGM Resort at National Harbor designed the 3000 seat theater and the new Headquarters for DC Water next to the Nationals Ballpark. 

Spotlight on FWN Members: Rocio Nuyda, US FWN100™ '12 and Vivian Zalvidea Araullo, US FWN100™ '12

Rocio Nuyda

Owner, Grace Events; U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance

Reseda, California

Community Involvement: Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance. In this capacity, she supports the organization's advocacies to promote upright ethics in public service. She is also actively involved in community programs in Los Angeles for the advancement of Filipino Culture and the Filipino American community as a whole. 

First job in the US: Office Manager

FilAm Shero In America: Loida Nicolas Lewis embodies the spirit of Godliness in advocating her favorite causes. In a speech before the Global Summit of Filipinos she said, "Whether we sit in an executive office as a CEO or a babysitter in a private home, our being Filipinos enables us to anticipate how the other person is feeling and we respond positively or react humanely." On many occasions I have partnered with her in advancing many worthwhile programs or projects that have significant impact or influence on the global community, and doing so has made me a firsthand witness to her understated elegance in leadership.

Proudest Professional Achievement: As an immigrant and naturalized citizen, she started from the ranks. Through hard work and dignified performance, she rose to the highest position in corporate America, second to the owners of the companies that she worked for. Without any intent to be braggadocious, she has many proud moments. But, the one that she is proudest about is leaving a trail and reputation of successful leadership in mentoring budding managers who reported to her. These managers continue to be trailblazers in the credit card industry; and they are quick to acknowledge that it was through her mentorship that they learned the ropes.

Biggest workplace challenge as a Fil-Am woman: Throughout the course of her career in America, she was pitted against Ivy league educated men who held equal rank executive positions as her. These men's first impression of a minority, petite woman who spoke with an accent, was less positive than the norm. At the onset, she had to prove herself. When they soon found out that she could hold her own, she could not be intimidated, and what she had to say had substance they treated me with reverence not only as a peer but as a woman of equal competence.

Vivian Zalvidea Araullo

Executive Director, Westbay

South San Francisco, California

First job in the U.S.: Associate Editor, Filipinas Magazine

Fil-Am s/hero in the U.S.: Natalie Coughlin. This Filipino American Olympic gold medalist proudly acknowledges her Filipino Heritage. She is a strong, determined Filipina American woman who is proud of her roots.

Proudest professional achievement: She created a series of public service fairs that brought together service providers who donated their time and talent to give Filipino Americans free service and advice immigration, health, debt, and foreclosure. The events helped thousands by raising funds to help less fortunate Filipinos in the Philippines. They were able to create a circle of giving and helping that crossed the Pacific and created a global Filipino community that exemplified the value of "bayanihan."

Biggest workplace challenge as a Fil-Am woman: As a female leader and a single mother in the corporate structure, she sometimes felt that she had to work harder to achieve respect and credibility within her organization. This also affects her work-life balance.

Five year goal: To create a truly powerful global community of overseas Filipinos who can affect changes in policy in the Philippines. I plan to achieve this by initiating a portal for information and news sharing among overseas Filipino communities across the world, now estimated at about 11 million strong.

The one thing that nobody would guess about me: She is a yoga instructor whose dream is to open a studio that could be a safe, quiet place to help people achieve wellness through yoga and meditation.

Filipino custom or tradition I would like to pass on to others: Bayanihan, which she would define by harnessing the community spirit to help others. In her opinion, Filipinos are generally hospitable, friendly and really want to help others. Bayanihan would go a long way in today's world.