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Alvin Catacutan, Chair of The BoardAlvin Catacutan is a life long martial artist ranked and certified to teach multiple styles of martial arts. He’s worked in theater, film, and television as an actor, fight director, stuntman, and producer. Alvin has devoted his life to teaching children and adults to live healthy, happy, safer lives through the martial arts.
Training directly under the legendary Guro Dan Inosanto at the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts reconnected him with his Filipino heritage. As the founder and head instructor of Pamana Kali: Philippine Martial Arts and Culture located in Torrance, California, Guro Alvin Catacutan is now on a mission to share his ancestral heritage by teaching Filipino and South East Asian Martial Arts. |
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Keanu Vilibia- Vice Chair of the Board
Although he originally set out to write and produce films while at UC Riverside, Keanu began his career in technology consulting after working pro-bono with nonprofits in the Inland Empire county. Since then, he has consulted for various Fortune 500 companies across different industries in both project management and data engineering capacities. Inspired by his past work with nonprofits, Keanu joined FilAm ARTS to deepen his connection with the FilAm community while amplifying the voices of artists and performers.
Keanu also has great interest in food and sustainability, and ultimately hopes to cultivate a career at the intersection of food economics, sustainability, and technology to better understand Asian (especially Filipino) culture. Until then, Keanu can be found looking for new treats to eat (doughnuts anyone???) while tinkering around with his own recipes in his home ‘test kitchen.’ |
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Claribelle Van Holland, TreasurerENTREPINAY & PERFORMER
Claribelle is a true left brain, right brain split. Numbers by day & performer by night, she is a 2nd gen FilipinX from Michigan. From a heavy corporate media background, working with Disney & Pandora Radio, she co-founded furniture design house MFEO with her husband in 2011. |
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Marcie Taylor, SecretaryMarcie Taylor is a social media consultant, marketing professional, and freelance writer. She has written for the Orange County Register, Pelican Hill Resort Magazine, LA Travel Magazine, the Huntington Beach Visitors Guide, and Filipinas Magazine. Born and raised in Manila, she moved to the U.S. in 2000. She is the author of the book “Missing Mangoes: For Filipinos and Those Who Love Us,” a collection of personal essays about her experiences as an immigrant in New Jersey.
Marcie Taylor blogs at marcietaylor.com. She is also the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of SurfCityFamily.com. She is the Founder of the Social Media Breakfast Club. She hosts two online programs on Facebook Live and YouTube called “Midnight Sessions,” which features one-on-one interviews with Filipino musicians and “Mars Cafe,” an eclectic magazine show with guests including rockstars, artists, chefs, authors, and entrepreneurs. She currently lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and two sons. Follow @marcietaylor on Instagram and @marcietaylormedia on Facebook. Learn more about her social media marketing services at marcietaylormedia.com |
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Maria Theresa T. Calimag, Esq., General Counsel of The Board
Manila born, LA raised. Zealous and compassionate legal advocate. Arts and Music lover. Attorney Calimag graduated cum laude and obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree at California State University, Northridge in 2005 prior to receiving her Juris Doctorate at California Western School of Law in San Diego in 2011. While in law school, she participated in "KAMP" - Kuya Ate Mentorship Program - mentoring Filipino-American youth in San Diego. She was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States when she was only eleven years old. She is fluent in Tagalog and English and is currently working towards speaking Spanish fluently. Attorney Calimag loves to travel. She enjoys the beach, going to the gym, singing karaoke, and playing with her tabby cat, Cinnamon. |
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Maurus Dumalaog, Board Member ( Currently On leave)
Born in Manila but raised in Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown-- Maurus Dumalaog most recently served to bridge the academy with the community by training and developing undergraduates students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to empower K-12 students towards self-actualization, critical consciousness and the attainment of higher education and/or post-secondary goals. Using his background as a teaching artist, he blends culturally relevant frameworks, performance pedagogy and spirit of community to help serve youth and transform lives.
Maurus has also been pursuing acting in Los Angeles since 2011 and building a career in commercials and short films. Moving forward he hopes to work on Theater, Film & Television, and is dedicated to one day establishing a Filipino Arts Center/ Studio/ Theater within Historic Filipinotown in order to help cultivate the next generation of artists, storytellers and creatives. |
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Mic Diaz, Board Member
Los Angeles-based marketing and fundraising professional Mic Diaz recently launched Mic Diaz Presents, a production company that strives to promote Filipino-American performing arts and its practitioners, as wells as business owners, community partners and individuals, and to uplift our Filipino-American community through entertaining, educational and engaging programs. Mic Diaz Presents delivers creative content that spreads the word about you—your story, your brand and your business—through its various programs. Mic Diaz Presents produces in-person and virtual events such as concerts, podcasts, virtual markets, interviews and business spotlight interviews under the name Mic Diaz Presents. In addition to presenting performing arts and educational and entertaining programs, Mic Diaz Presents; parent company, Formula M Creatives, is a one-stop creative and marketing services and business consulting agency that delivers custom solutions to your business needs. We offer marketing, graphic design, photography, videography, copywriting, copyediting among other creative, |
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Giselle “G” Tongi-Walters, Executive DirectorGiselle Töngi, has long been active in the entertainment industry with over two decades of TV experience in both the Asian/American market. Primarily recognized for her acting in film, television and TV in the Philippines, winning several awards & nominations for her work, Töngi is also a writer and producer. Her past work includes the short film “Pinoy Grease,” “Pinoy Tango,” as well as “The Balikbayan Project: With the Bascos,” a 13-part travel series about a second generation Fil-Am family’s experience in the Philippines . As a Social Media Producer for Rappler.com, Maria Ressa tapped Töngi to produce lifestyle, theater and entertainment packages. For three years she expanded the only daily talkshow for Filipinos living in American called Kababayan Today, on LA18-KSCI to reflect Filipino culture and community. She most recently Associate Produced "America Adjacent" with the Skylight Theater in Los Angeles.
Töngi is a graduate of the University of California with a communications degree and double minor in film and theater. She is more recently defined by the many roles she plays off the stage. She has actively participated in or hosted many events and fundraisers in the Filipino American community. Her personal goals have always been aligned with melding her own bi-cultural identity. Growing up in the Philippines and America has given her a unique perspective, allowing her to value the importance of her roots. Töngi says that “to be able to bridge the gap between my own two cultures by creating content specifically for Fil-Ams such as myself is truly the focus of my professional career. To be able to be a voice in my community and be given the chance to represent the Fil-Am experience is also a way to define our culture and identity, which I take very seriously. This keeps me aligned with other people who are also working toward reuniting other fellow Fil-Ams together.” Giselle has a Master's in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University, Los Angeles and continues to serve her community through her leadership in the FilAm arts and culture space. |
Founding Executive Director
Jilly Canizares
FPAC Co-Founders
Jerome Academia
Norma Requierme Austin
Juanito "Johnny" Balaoing
Steffi San Buenaventura
Lilia A. Cajilog "Firefly"
Romeo H. Salumbides
Norma Requierme Austin
Juanito "Johnny" Balaoing
Steffi San Buenaventura
Lilia A. Cajilog "Firefly"
Romeo H. Salumbides
FILAM ARTS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
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Jose Antonio Vargas
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Laarni Rosca Dacanay
Laarni is an award-winning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion communications leader in the media and entertainment industry. As a trusted strategic partner advising on how DEI drivesboth culture and business needs, Laarni provides counsel on best practices, communications,employee resource groups, employee engagement, and community relations. She’s committed torepresentation in media, from interns to the C-suite, above and below the line, and in newsrooms. Laarni has worked for a number of respected global media brands including TIME Magazine, Comcast, NBCUniversal, NBCUniversal, Focus Features, and NBC Entertainment. A community leader and advocate for representation in media, Laarni serves on the PBS SoCal Community Advisory Board, is Co-Producer, Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at Sundance, member of the Television Academy’s Honors Committee and the National Association of Black Journalists Los Angeles Chapter’s Advocacy Committee, and this is her 14th year on the Public. Relations Society of America’s National Diversity & Inclusion Committee. As the daughter of immigrants from the Philippines, she is a lifelong champion of the Filipino culture, bridging her American background with her ethnic roots. As a young student, she produced the first-ever Filipino American Cultural Event at her high school, showcasing traditional dance performances to the-then mostly non-diverse student body. She continued her advocacy in college with the Pilipino American Student Association and today, she actively advocates for more Pinoy representation in media and entertainment. Based in Southern California, you can follow her at @laarnid1 on Twitter. |
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Jeremiah Abraham
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Jamie Hernandez
Time Warner Jamie’s passion for equity and inclusion, plus her background in production management, led her to the role of Production Equity & Inclusion Manager at WarnerMedia. She is excited to be a part of this extraordinary team, working on the forefront of equity and inclusion in the industry. Prior to WarnerMedia, Jamie was at NBCUniversal where she was Senior Manager, Production & Operations for the Entertainment Content Group (E! & Bravo). Jamie was part of the team that oversaw all aspects of production management for the networks’ original series & specials. Jamie also worked at NBC’s Alternative Series & Specials department and started her career donning a polyester uniform as an NBC Page. In addition, Jamie currently serves as the Co-Chair for the Culver City Chapter of ARC (Asian-Americans & Pacific Islanders Representing Change), one of WarnerMedia’s Business Resource Groups. Previously, Jamie served as the Global Advisory Committee Co-Lead for Asian Pacific Americans@NBCUniversal Employee Resource Group and worked with the D&I team to implement and execute initiatives and strategies. Prior to that, she was the SoCal Chapter Co-Lead for APA, managing a team of committee leaders and volunteers. Jamie is a fan of anything ube and the Los Angeles Lakers. |
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Aris TaglePUBLICIS
A longtime community leader and activist, and has dedicated much of his life to community service. Aris has been a member of the Pilipino Alumni Association of UCLA since graduation, served two terms as Chair, and founded the annual UCLA PAA Scholarship Benefit and Alumni Awards back in 2001. He was honored as the UCLA PAA Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2018. Aris also completed a four-year term on the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors, being elected as Vice Chair and then Chair in his final year. In 2019, Aris was honored by his high school alma mater with induction into the Whitney High School Alumni “Wall of Fame” in his hometown of Cerritos, CA. Aris holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA, and an MBA from the Yale University School of Management. |
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Charlene Joy Jimenez
DEFINE AMERICAN Charlene Joy Jimenez is the Director of Entertainment Partnerships & Advocacy at Define American — a media advocacy and culture change organization that uses the power of narrative to humanize conversations about immigrants. Charlene leads the organization's flagship consulting program, which helps filmmakers and writers to develop more authentic immigrant characters and navigate complex immigration-related storylines. Prior to Define American, she was Director of Publicity & Digital Engagement at Lionsgate as well as co-chair of Lionsgate’s Multicultural Employee Resource Group, advocating for more diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera. Charlene has also held positions at charitable fundraising startup Omaze and Legendary Entertainment's Nerdist.com. Her work has been recognized by Social Media Week LA, Fast Company, and the front page of Reddit. She is passionate about pop culture and equitable representation within it. |
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Winston F. EmanoMANO Y MANO MEDIA
Winston Emano is a principal of mano Y mano Media, a full spectrummedia consultancy and micro studio producing exclusive content for broadcast networks/new media on five continents. A specialist in film, he has represented more than 100 films for film festival, awards and theatrical release campaigns and is a sought-after media trainer for filmmakers and professional athletes alike. A William Paley Scholar at the famed SI Newhouse School at Syracuse University, he serves on the Academy Awards Host and IDA Awards Screening Committees and is a founding board director and Chair Emeritus for FilAm ARTS. |
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Dino Ray Ramos
Diaspora Dino-Ray Ramos is an award-winning journalist and podcast host. He served as an editor at Deadline where he reported on inclusion, diversity and representation in film and TV. He launched the alternative Hollywood trade DIASPORA, spotlighting underrepresented voices in entertainment media. He created, produced and hosted the GLAAD Media Award-winning New Hollywood Podcast. His work has been seen in Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, Paste Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, and Oakland Tribune. He is a member of The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and was part of Gold House’s A100 List which recognizes the most impactful Asians in the country. |
