Board Members

Michael Nierva

Chairman

Aureo Sales

Board Member

Delle Sering

Board Member

Frank Savage

Board Member

Romel Canete

Board Member

Sandra Maria T. Parrado

Board Member

Michael Nierva is a Director at Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company, where he manages credit and market risk for retail and institutional clients. Previously, he served as a Managing Director in the Prime Brokerage division of JP Morgan Chase, where he was employed for twenty-six years. He also held the position of Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns Securities Corp as well as various roles at EF Hutton, Shearson Lehman, and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Nierva serves as the President of the Credit and Margin section of SIFMA and is also a past President and current Chairman of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. He serves on the Board of Directors of Pinoy Relief, a not-for-profit organization aimed at providing relief to victims of natural disasters in the Philippines and also serves on the Steering Committee of PRMIA (Professional Risk Managers’ International Association). A Cum Laude graduate of St. John’s University, Mr. Nierva is registered with Series 7 and Series 24 licenses.

Aureo A. Sales is a Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager of an asset management firm in New York. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Natixis US Corporate and Investment Banking Group. His background is in structured credit, financial engineering and risk management. Prior to Natixis, Aureo designed and developed trading systems at Bear Stearns and Deutsche Bank. He started his professional career as a software engineer at Bell Communications Research. Aureo has an MBA from Columbia University, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Summa Cum Laude) from NYU-Poly. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Adela Sering-Fojas is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Seven Seven Softwares, Inc., an exclusive platform provider of innovative Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) outsourcing services. Her leadership qualities and dedication to the Filipino community are evidenced by the numerous awards and acknowledgments she has received throughout her career including but not limited to the following: 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. by the Filipina Women’s Network (2009), 50 Outstanding Asian-Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center (2011), 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World by the Filipina Women’s Network (2013).

Frank Savage is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Savage Holdings, where he has created investment funds focusing on South Africa, Egypt and India. He serves or has served as Chairman of the Board or Director of various companies including Bloomberg LP, Alliance Capital Management Corporation, Qualcomm, ARCO Chemical Company, Lyondell Chemical Worldwide Inc. and others. He has also served as an Advisor to former South African President Thabo Mbeki. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of Howard University and Trustee Emeritus of Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Savage is the author of the critically acclaimed book, THE SAVAGE WAY: Successfully Navigating the Waves of Business and Life. He received a B.A. Degree from Howard University in 1962, an M.A. Degree from The Johns Hopkins University Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in 1968 and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from Hofstra University.

Romel Canete is an Executive Managing Director of Newmark Knight Frank, a global real estate advisory firm, as head of the firm's financial services group. In such capacity, he has represented clients such as PwC, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, AXA, Bloomberg, and others in various real estate transactions. Mr. Canete has been a consultant on two major New York City projects such as the 10 million square feet Hudson Yards masterplan development and the United Nations Headquarters renovation. He launched the firm’s innovative structured note financial product designed for foreign real estate investors and is also an active investor in multi-family development and acquisition around the country. Mr. Canete received his MBA degree from The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania and in 2012, he received the coveted Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award for the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year.

Sandra Maria T. Parrado is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Forensic Services practice. The Forensic Services practice focuses on investigations of fraud and forensic accounting matters, FCPA-related investigations, compliance controls analyses and pre-merger due diligence, as well as litigation support and troubled company services. With over 18 years of experience, Ms. Parrado has consulted on numerous issues including litigation matters, forensic accounting, training and development, compliance controls, pre-merger due diligence and bankruptcy issues. Sandra has a B.S. in Economics from The Warton School of the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance, Accounting and Operations Information Management. Ms Parrado is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Executive Committee

Aureo Sales

President

Ledy Almadin

Executive Director

Michelle Liang

Secretary

Sally Nunez

Treasurer

Harley Barrales

Legal Adviser

Armilene Coronel Burinescu

Public Relations and Special Events Officer

Betheena Dizon

Special Projects Officer

Michelle Liang is the founder of Narra Management LLC, a consulting and talent/speaker management company, where her focus is on strategic partnerships and as an agent for speakers in order to promote education and programs on Diversity and Inclusion. Prior to Narra, she worked at Mercer, where she launched a PMO, built offshore teams, designed a resource optimization framework, and provided technology solutions to maximize sales success for the firm. She also co-founded the Asian Business Resource Group for the Marsh and McLennan Companies and led several Diversity & Inclusion programs. A Phi Beta Kappa and recipient of multiple scholarships awards, she graduated Magna cum Laude with Bachelors and Master of Arts degrees in Economics from the City College of New York (CCNY CUNY) and earned a Diversity & Inclusion certificate from Cornell University. A member of the Project Management Institute, she also works on marketing and communications programs for the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce New York, serves as an Education Committee Co-Chair for the New York Diversity Council, and mentors CCNY students through its Business & Economics Alumni Society. In her spare time, Ms. Liang writes poetry, views foreign films, and enjoys family bonding.

Ledy Almadin earned a B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She is currently a Manager at EisnerAmper LLP and has nearly 20 years of public accounting experience. Ledy is a member of the Private Business Services Group, where she serves small and mid-size private companies and start-ups in a range of sectors including the technology, professional services, distribution, food chain and restaurant industries. Ledy is also active in serving the Filipino-American communities in New Jersey and New York. Ledy is also a mother to Elena and Ellie who are attending college.

Sally Nunez is the CEO and President of RN Express, a provider of nurses and caregivers to various hospitals and patients both in the US and in the Philippines. The company has grown to be one of the top nursing recruiting agencies in New York City. RN Express also operates BackApp, a mobile app that connects patients and hospitals with nurses and caregivers. Launched in select NYC facilities in 2017, and in Manila in 2018, BackApp allows nurses to work part-time to further optimize their schedule and pay.

Ms. Nunez is an alumna of the Universidad de Sta. Isabel, graduating Cum Laude (B.S. Nursing). As a registered nurse, she worked in various long-term facilities in NYC, holding clinical as well as management roles. She started as a charge nurse at the Jewish Home and Hospital and worked part-time at Amsterdam Nursing Home. After six years, she became the head nurse at Jewish Home. After 24 years of service, she retired as Director of Admission and Case Management at Amsterdam. An active member of the New York Filipino community, Sally is also a member of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, and a pillar of the PNA in the Philippines.

Harley Barrales is a New York Attorney and a leader in information technology regulatory risk and compliance. He currently manages cybersecurity transformation at EY and previously was the Global IT Risk Manager at Marsh and McLennan. He has held various roles at AXA US, PwC, Continuum Health Partners, Advantage Healthcare Solutions, Seven Seven Software and Amkor Technology. Mr. Barrales is a New York Attorney and a leader in information technology regulatory risk and compliance. He advises leaders of highly regulated organizations on strategy and helps implement compliance frameworks to meet the legal and regulatory requirements on information security, data privacy, and digital innovation including blockchain. Mr. Barrales finds time to advocate for the protection of the rights of Filipinos in the United States in his immigration law practice as a way of giving back to the community. He obtained his Computer Science degree from Adamson University and completed his Law studies at Arellano Law School before becoming a member of the Philippine and the New York Bar. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.

Armilene Burinescu is a licensed real estate salesperson at Compass, a national real estate brokerage firm. She combines her extensive personal real estate experience as an investor in Manhattan and in the Hamptons with a completely client-centered approach. Prior to her career in real estate, Armilene was a marketer for top international law firms including White & Case, Baker & McKenzie and Allen & Overy, as well as management consulting firm PwC, where she managed business development, communications, public relations and events. Armilene earned a bachelor's degree at Binghamton University and her master's degree in marketing and a certificate in public relations and corporate communications at New York University. She is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York and the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors. Ms. Burinescu serves as the Public Relations Officer for the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Board of New York University's Asian and Pacific Islander Alumni Association and is also on the Board of one of her Upper West Side buildings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, attending wine and food festivals and working out.

Betheena is a Senior Director, Business Tax Services, at the Manila office of Ernst & Young. She graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Economics (cum laude) in 2005 and obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from San Beda College Manila in 2009. A licensed attorney and a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Betheena handles tax advisory and advocacy work for domestic and multinational clients. Her experience includes providing tax services to clients in various industries such as consumer products, manufacturing, services, power, utilities, renewable energy, oil and gas, technology, construction, and automotive.

Board Advisors

Rembert de Villa

Rene Butch Meily

Loida Lewis

Rembert de Villa is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of CareSpan Holdings. Previously, Mr. de Villa was the Global Business Head of the Healthcare division at EXL Service Holdings, a recognized provider of business solutions and also spent time as a Managing Director at MasterCard Advisors as the Global Practice Leader. He was a Partner and the North American Head of Financial Services Practice at Capgemini Ernst & Young and a Partner within the Financial Institutions Group at A.T. Kearney. Mr. De Villa has been an active supporter of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., first serving as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors and now in his role on the Advisory Board.He completed the Columbia University Senior Executive Program, attended the postgraduate program in Business Economics at the University of Bonn, Germany, as a Konrad Adenauer Foundation scholar and holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila Philippines.

Butch Meily is the President of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), a private-sector disaster management organization that operates the world’s only national private-sector Emergency Operations Center. Mr. Meily is also the President of IdeaSpace Foundation, a technology accelerator for early-stage startup companies. He heads QBO Innovation Hub, a public-private partnership launched to mentor startups and is also the President of Pacific Global One, a firm formed from PLDT’s Aviation Group. Previously, Mr. Meily was First Vice President and Special Assistant to the Chairman of PLDT and President of PLDT Smart Foundation. Prior to joining PLDT, he served as Vice President of Communications for TLC Beatrice International, a food company in New York and Paris. He has worked with several New York public relations firms and a financial startup and was previously the President of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, serving two three-year terms. A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, Mr. Meily also has an M.A. in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida. He was a recipient of the College of Journalism’s Alumnus of Distinction award in 2000. He returned to UF in 2003 as the Freedom Forum Distinguished Visiting Professor.

Loida Nicolas Lewis is a Filipino-American civic leader, author, philanthropist and businesswoman. She is an attorney by profession, having been admitted to practice in both the US and the Philippines and in fact, holds the distinction of being the first Filipino woman to pass the New York bar without studying law in the United States. She served ten years as General Attorney of US Citizenship and Immigration Services and co-authored a book, How to Get a Green Card. She is currently the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of TLC Beatrice LLC, a family investment firm and was also the Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice International, a billion-dollar multinational food company before liquidating the company. Among her numerous organization affiliations, Ms. Lewis is a founding member of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), a civic advocacy group and is a co-founder of the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund (AALDEF) and the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG). Additionally, she is the Chair of the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation. Ms. Lewis graduated in the top 10% from the University of the Philippines College of Law and is a Cum Laude graduate at St. Theresa’s College, Philippines.

Strengthening Business Ties between the Philippines and the United States

Board Members

Executive Committee

Board Advisors