EmpowErmEnt

nYs asseMBLYMeMBer sTeven raGa

Governance and Public Administration

Representing District 30 in the New York Assembly, Assemblymember Raga tirelessly serves his multicultural constituents in Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Middle Village, Jackson Heights, and Astoria. He holds an MBA from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, an MS in Healthcare Leadership from Weill Cornell Medicine, an MPA from CUNY Baruch, a Graduate Diploma in International Human Rights Law from the American University in Cairo, and an MPP and BA in Political Science from SUNY Stony Brook. He has completed fellowships at the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance, New American Leaders, National Urban Fellows, Cornell Law School, the Cornell University Emerging Markets Institute, and Coro New York's Immigrant Civic Leadership Program. He has founded Pilipino American Unity for Progress, and has served on the Queens Community Board 2 as well as the Queens District Attorney’s Advisory Commission for Asian American Affairs. He is a New York State Advisory Committee Member for the U.S. Federal Commission on Civil Rights.

Brendan FLOres Public Affairs and Community Advocacy

Brendan is the youngest-ever president and chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. Based in Florida, he is the Senior VP and Consumer Vehicle Lending Integration Manager for Bank of America. He previously held the position of Consumer Banking Leader at BA, leveraging over 20 years of financial experience to drive consumer and small business results across 150 of BA’s West Florida locations. An advocate of unity among Fil-Am civic groups, Brendan has been named one of the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs' Top 40 Political Operatives and Public Affairs Professionals Under 40 in the United States. Among his awards are the US President's Volunteer Service Award, Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden, the ABSCBN North America Gawad Geny Lopez Bayaning Pilipino Award, a citation as One of the Outstanding Filipino Americans in the US, and the Global Innovator Award.

edGar Lerias MD

Pediatric Medicine and Philanthropy

A Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and graduate of Cebu’s Southwestern University College of Medicine, Dr. Lerias first earned his US stripes as an intern in pediatrics at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, a pediatrics resident at Nassau County Medical Center, and a fellow in Pediatric Ambulatory Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital. He is a Consultant/ Attending Physician in the Pediatrics Department of St. Francis Hospital Medical Heart Center in Roslyn, NY. Dr. Lerias is a dedicated humanitarian as well. He was a member of numerous charities such as the American Pediatric Society, and was past President of the Philippine Medical Association in America, the Association of Philippine Physicians of New York, and Friends Indeed USA. Through the Rotary Club of NY’s Gift of Life Program, he has led the campaign to bring congenital heart-defect patients from the Philippines for surgical repair at St. Francis Hospital. He recently received the Lankapil Award for medical and humanitarian missions in the Philippines.

HeLen casTiLLO

Civic and Cultural Engagement

Helen Castillo leveraged her Agri-Business degree from the UP in Los Baños to secure her current position on the faculty of New Jersey City University’s Mathematics Department. But her prominence in the community stems chiefly from her indefatigable work heading the Philippine American Friendship Community, Inc. (PAFCOM), a 33-year-old civic group whose mission is to enhance FilipinoAmerican relationships in the Northeast USA. Helen is viewed by many as PAFCOM’s guiding spirit; their various initiatives include holding an annual parade and cultural show to observe Philippine American Friendship Day. Her stewardship of PAFCOM has garnered Helen a host of awards, including the 2010 Women of Action Award from the City of Jersey City, 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award from then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, 2012 Community Leadership Award from New Jersey’s PanAmerican Community Action League, and the 2021 Gintong Pamana Prism Award.