Author: Mariel Vincent Rapisura

Edgardo Valenzuela worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Bangkok and Rome for almost 25 years, where he was responsible for advocacy and awareness raising programs and retired from the FAO in 2012. He holds a BA in Philosophy as well as completed academic requirements towards a Master of Science in Social Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila University, an MBA from the European School of Economics, a certificate in development management from the Asian Institute of Management, and a certificate in Leadership and Strategic Management from the Institute of Development Research on a Ford Foundation scholarship. He was former CEO of the Asian Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) and worked as regional training officer with the Asian Cultural Forum in Development (ACFOD) in Bangkok. Edgar is a founding member of OFSPES.

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Therese Anne Villanueva is an Organization Adviser for Belgian-based KBC Bank N.V. on performance improvements, at both strategic and operational levels.  Her consulting experience spans across Belgium, Kenya and the Philippines. Although having been primarily involved in project management and financial services operations, she has also facilitated team-building and leadership development workshops for corporations and youth organizations.  She has likewise volunteered as a marketing strategy consultant to an NGO in Kibera, the largest slum community in Kenya.  Tracy holds a BSc in Management from Ateneo De Manila University and an International MBA from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium, where she graduated with Great Distinction.

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Leila Rispens-Noel co-founded WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. and WIMLER Philippines in 2006. She was Senior Advisor for INAFI International, a network of over 300 microfinance institutions in Latin America, Asia, and Africa until 2012. Leila was former Program Manager at Oxfam Novib, in the Netherlands. She was a member of International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Civil Society Global Forum for Migration and Development in Manila-2008 and in Mauritius- 2012, Member of the Steering Committee for the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, and member of the Migrants Advisory Board (MAB) of the EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI). She is presently a member of the Follow-Up Committee for the Joint Migration and Development Initiative (Philippines). She earned her BS degree in Commerce (Major Accounting) at the Holy Cross of Davao College (Philippines) and diploma in Rural and Agricultural Project Planning at the Institute of Social Studies (The Hague, The Netherlands). Her fields of interest are migration, remittances, development, and microfinance. She is presently studying for her MA in Migration Studies at Miriam College, Manila.

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Fr. Nilo Tanalega, SJ holds a Doctorate in Ministry with a concentration in Family Counseling from Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, New York; a MSc in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola College in Maryland; MA in Theology from Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, and a Post-Graduate professional diploma in religion and Religious Education with major in Family Ministries from Fordham University. He holds a BA degree in Economics also from Ateneo University. He is currently the President of UGAT Foundation, Inc. based in the Ateneo University, which runs counseling programs for the grassroots families in the Philippines and abroad. Fr. Nilo is a well-known family psychotherapist. He is also the Project Director of ABS-CBN Bayaning Pilipino Awards, a yearly affair giving fitting tribute to fine Filipino values of humanitarianism, industry, determination, and dedication to public service. He currently teaches in the Doctoral program of the Ateneo Graduate School, Psychology Department and other institutions such as the Foreign Service Institute, DFA, OWWA Welfare Officers in Counseling.

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Mylin Sapiera-Koebele graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in BA (Pol. Sci.), magna cum laude, in 1993 and a Bachelor of Laws degree, Dean’s Medal Awardee, in 1997. She obtained her Master of Laws degree from the University of Michigan where she was the Clyde Dewitt fellow in 2002. She was in private practice at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, the biggest law firm in the Philippines. In 2006, she became the first Filipino resident fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative International Public Law and International Law. One of her publication credits is as legal editor of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. She is currently assistant to Prof. Dr. Dr. Albert Jan van den Berg, considered the foremost authority on the New York Convention and arbitration chair at Erasmus University.

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Raul Rodriguez’ work experience spans across more than 30 years in the Information Technology field, working as an executive in local and multinational companies.  He has also worked in HR Organizational Development and in management consulting.  He also conducts various management training programs both for SMEs and large corporations. Raul is an adjunct faculty in the John Gokongwei School of Management and the School of Social Sciences of the Ateneo de Manila University and the Business School of Enderun Colleges.  He is a certified UNCTAD Business Management Systems advisor.  Raul underwent a special leadership program in Mt.Eliza College in Melbourne, Australia.  He has a degree in B.S. Management Engineering, Cum Laude, from Ateneo and earned his Ph.D. in Leadership Studies also from the Ateneo.

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Anna Martinez has 29 years of experience in the banking industry, primarily with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corp (HSBC) playing key roles in human resource areas of training and development as well as front and back office operations, customer service, and corporate account management. She is adept at working with diverse, multi-cultural teams in varied geographical settings, meeting international standards of performance. She is a founding director of Phoenix Alliance Limited in Hong Kong where she works as a business partner and consultant on human resource development strategies to enable companies to step up to the challenges of doing business in the 21^st century. Anna also serves as a director of Wimler Foundation, Hong Kong.

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Aurma Manlangit holds a Masters Degree in Public Management and AB Social Sciences from the University of the Philippines. She currently heads the Ateneo School of Government’s Executive Development Program and was primarily responsible for the design and delivery of training modules on local economic development and alternative financing for Local Government Units. Prior to her stint with the Ateneo, Aurma headed the Development Academy of the Philippines’ Training Division and was responsible for the establishment of the Academy’s capability in Project Development Training.

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Dr. Cristina Liamzon is a development consultant with over 30 years of involvement with civil society organizations on issues of agrarian reform and rural development, food security, gender and development, sustainable livelihoods, local economic development and migrant concerns. She was until 2010 the president of Associazione Pilipinas OFSPES in Rome, Italy. Tina holds a BA in Economics from the University of the Philippines, a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University in Cambridge where she was also a Mason Fellow, an MSc in Human Settlements Planning from the Asian Institute Technology in Bangkok and a PhD in Social Science from the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Rome.

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