LEAD Filipino’s Board of Directors are pivotal to the direction of our organization. They provide guidance and stewardship, while offering hindsight (and insight) that informs the strategic and programmatic paths taken by our Organizers. The Board is composed of a small group of Filipin@ community leaders who have proven histories of organizing, engaging, and inspiring young Pin@ys in the San José/Silicon Valley and Greater Bay Area communities.
Executive Committee
Board Chair
Meredith “Mer” Curry Nuñez
Northern CA College Promise Coalition (NCCPC)
Meredith “Mer” Curry Nuñez is a long-time social justice advocate working at the intersection of operations, college access, and workforce development. She has worked for local and state nonprofits since 2000, is a product of all three of CA’s public higher education institutions, and is passionate about advancing systems change, education equity, and economic mobility. She joined the Northern California College Promise Coalition (NCCPC) in 2020. As the Executive Director, Mer works in partnership with organizations and leaders that are members of NCCPC, and those around the state, for collective impact to increase outcomes for multiply-marginalized underserved (MMU) students in college access, success, and career launch.
Board Vice Chair
Dr. Jennifer Briscoe
TeleCare Corporation
Dr. Jennifer Briscoe (“Dr. B”) is the Administrator for Telecare’s Partners in Wellness Program that provides adults with a diagnosed mental illness with supportive and intensive mental health, nursing, psychiatric and housing services to the top 3% of the highest utilizers of emergency mental health services in Santa Clara County. Jennifer is also a licensed Marriage and Family therapist. Currently, Jennifer serves on the Commission on the Status of Women for Santa Clara County and in 2018 was awarded Commissioner of the Year. Jennifer is a 2017 New Leaders Council Silicon Valley Fellow and has served on the Executive Board since 2018. Lastly, she is an Advisor for LEAD Filipino and participated in the first ever Filipino Advocacy Day in Sacramento in April 2019. Jennifer holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Health Sciences from California State University, Hayward, a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and a Doctor of Education degree in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University.
Board Secretary/Treasurer
Alexandria Chu
Google
Alexandria (Alex) Chu is a Program Manager for Google Maps. Prior to relocating to the Bay from her native New York City, Alex worked in Financial Services, focusing on investment banking compliance. As an alumnus of the leadership development organization, Prep for Prep, she had firsthand experience of the impact of access to opportunity and information. This drove her to establish free after-school computer science programs across the Bay, become the Filipino Googler Network’s (FGN) K-12 Global COO, and fly across the U.S. with Google’s CS First and Grow with Google programs to teach coding to students and adults. When Alex is not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
General Board
Board Member
Razelle Buenavista
Asian American Recovery Services-HR 360
Razelle is the Managing Director of Clinical Services for Asian American Recovery Services, a program of HealthRIGHT 360. She oversees the operations of Santa Clara County and East Palo Alto programs. Razelle attended San Jose State University and the College of San Mateo where she studied Social Work and Addiction Studies. For nearly two decades, Razelle has served Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino communities as a social worker and youth advocate. Most notably, she has been an advocate for gender responsive services, and has taken the lead in coordinating the annual SISTER-to-SISTER: Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Women of Tomorrow Leadership Conference. In 2011, Razelle was recognized for her work with girls by the Asian American Women’s Alliance and Congressman Mike Honda. In 2016, she was awarded as an “Innovator for Change” by the New Leaders Council. Razelle is often invited to speak on various topics, including: Filipino community issues, effective outreach strategies, girls and gangs, and substance abuse among youth. Her work has led to the development of the Teens Teaching Teens Handbook, and various culturally and ethnically specific programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Razelle is an active member of the City of San Jose’s Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force Technical Team, Behavioral Health Contractors Association of Santa Clara County, Innovative Partnerships, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits’ Leadership Team, and has dedicated countless hours to volunteering at several Bay Area programs.
Board Member
Dr. Elwyn Cabebe, MD
Stanford Health Care
Dr. Elwyn Cabebe is a general medical oncologist and hematologist. He is the Director of Oncology Quality for the Stanford University HealthCare Alliance. He specializes and is board certified in oncology, hematology, internal medicine, and hospice and palliative care. As a community leader in general oncology and hematology with over 10 years in private practice, Dr. Cabebe is inspired by his patients’ continuous rise to the challenge of fighting illness and the constant re-defining of “normal.” He strives to provide truthful and compassionate care as well as developing a partnership of shared decision making with his patients. He recognizes that cancer is an uninvited, life altering condition. He feels that his role for patients and their families is to shepherd them through the difficult process of a cancer diagnosis and treatment with the focus on maintaining the best quality of life possible. Prior to medical school, Dr. Cabebe was a research associate at Genentech, Inc., helping to develop many of the modern cancer drugs used today.
Board Member
Dr. Tony Santa Ana
De Anza College
As a community organizer, artist, educator, and globe trotter, Dr. Tony Santa Ana (he/him/his) seeks to contribute to humanity. He is an instructor at De Anza College, University of San Francisco, San José State University, San Francisco State University & Tokyo Universities. He has over 2.5 decades of teaching experience from elementary education to higher education. His research interests include education, critical pedagogy, youth studies, global citizenship, indigenous rights, spirituality, ethnic studies, Hip Hop, Pin@y scholarship, transformational education & experiential learning. He received his Ed.D last month from University of San Francisco in International/Multicultural Education. Filipino Youth Coalition for life.
Board Member
Dr. Rowena Tomaneng
San José City College
Dr. Rowena Tomaneng (she/her) started her relationship with LEAD Filipino in 2021. She has been engaged with the FilAm community in San Jose and Santa Clara County since 2001 with several organizations including FAHNS, FYC, FOCUS, SV and PAWIS. Dr. Tomaneng also has over 27 years of administrative and teaching experience in higher education and currently serves as the President of San José City College (SJCC) in the San José Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD). A first generation immigrant from the Philippines and community college transfer student, Dr. Tomaneng earned her Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education, Human Rights Concentration from the University of San Francisco, M.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine.