In recognition of Filipino American History Month, this event will honor the longstanding relationships between the Philippines and Hawaiʻi and the Philippines and the United States, highlighting the enduring bonds throughout our history and the important role of the Filipino community.

Schedule

5:30pm, Welcome & Opening Remarks

5:45pm, Performance by Angeli Callo

6:00pm, Contributions & Impact Panel

6:30pm, Performance by Poet Laureate Dr. Luisa A. Igloria

6:45pm, Filipino Curriculum Project Showcase

7:00pm, Closing Remarks

7:10pm, Performance by Dr. Wayland and Dr. Desiree Quintero

In-person attendance is by invitation-only.

Organizers

The event is being organized by the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Center for Philippine Studies, East-West Center, and Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu.

Distinguished Panelists

Susana Berardy is the President of DBI-Hawaii Inc, a Wholesale/Distribution Importer in Hawai‘i. Ms. Berardy currently serves as the President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i. She has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by the United Filipino Council of Hawai‘i in 2019, the Filipino Businesswomen Association of Hawai‘i in 2006, and the Small Business of America in 2001. Ms. Berardy graduated with a BA in Travel Management from Brigham Young University- Hawai‘i (BYUH). She is a BYUH distinguished alum and has served on the BYUH Presidents Leadership Council and BYUH Alumni Association Executive Board of Directors. Mr. Berardy has also served as the 2nd Vice President of the Oahu Filipino Council, President and Board of Director of the Filipino Businesswomen Association, and Zoning Board of Appeals Commissioner for the City and County of Honolulu.  She is a mother of three and grandmother of five.

Jade T. Butay was appointed by Governor Josh Green as the Director of the State of Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DUR) effective December 2022. Prior to the appointment, he was the Director of the State Department of Transportation (HDOT) overseeing 15 airports, 10 harbors, 2,500 miles of highways, and 2,600 employees. His team delivered several legacy projects, such as the Honolulu Mauka Concourse Terminal, the Honolulu and Kahului Airport Consolidated Rent-a-Car Facility (CONRAC), the Kona Federal Inspection Service (FIS) and phase one of the Kapalama Container Terminal. Mr. Butay was HDOT's First Deputy Director since January 2015 where he was responsible for the administrative functions of the department including personnel administration, programs and budgets, central computer services, business management activities, environmental compliance, civil rights, emergency management, and contract services. Prior to this role, Mr. Butay was the Deputy Director at DUR from 2013 to 2014 and was the First Deputy Director of HDOT from 2011 to 2013. Before working in State government, Mr. Butay served in various leadership positions in the private sector. He received a BA in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his MA in Business Administration from Babson College. 

Emil T. Fernandez is a career diplomat of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Republic of the Philippines. In October 2021, he was appointed as Consul General in Honolulu, overseeing the provision of consular services, engagement with US INDOPACOM, and the further strengthening of economic and cultural ties between the Philippines and the State of Hawai‘i and the U.S. territory of American Samoa, among other responsibilities. Prior to his assumption, Mr. Fernandez served as Deputy Consul General in Frankfurt, Germany. His other foreign assignments included Washington, D.C. (2010 to 2016), Santiago, Chile (2005 to 2008) and Caracas, Venezuela (2002 to 2005).  At the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Mr. Fernandez occupied several important positions, including Executive Director of the Office of Asian & Pacific Affairs (2016 to 2018), Director for Southern Europe of the Office of European Affairs (2009 to 2010), Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (2008 to 2009) and Acting Director of the Office of ASEAN Affairs (1999 to 2001).  Mr. Fernandez graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a BA in Management Economics.

Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao holds the position of Professor and Chair in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her academic work centers around multicultural education, with a specific focus on the inclusion of Filipino culture in K-12 education. In recognition of her teaching excellence, she was honored with the Board of Regents Medal in 2012. Dr. Halagao also contributed to educational policy by serving on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education from 2013 to 2016, where she advocated for equity and the development of cultural and linguistic policies related to multilingualism and the Seal of Biliteracy. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington and has previous experience as an elementary teacher specializing in Sheltered English instruction in Oakland, CA. 

Bennette E. Misalucha is the Executive Director of the State Workforce Development Council. As a former State Senator, Bennette was the Vice Chair for Energy, Economic Development and Tourism and sat on the Ways and Means Committee, Human Services Committee, and Water and Land Committee. Bennette was the co-convenor of the historic first joint Filipino caucus at the State Legislature. Prior to entering public service, Senator Misalucha was a respected community leader who had held key executive positions in banking, marketing, public policy, and community outreach sectors, often pioneering roles for women and minorities.  Bennette is also deeply involved in community and nonprofit work. She has earned her many distinctions, such as “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i, the United Filipino Community Council “Progress Awards in Banking and Finance,” the “State Mother of the Year” by American Mothers Inc. and one of top “Ten Women Volunteers in Hawai‘i" by Pacific Business News. She is also an alumnus of the Pacific Century Fellows program, Hawai‘i’s version of the White House Fellows. In 2022, Bennette received the Presidential Banaag Medal, the highest recognition given by the Philippine Government to a Filipino overseas.

Distinguished Performers

Angeli Callo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Language and Culture from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she was consistently on the Dean's List. She completed an Associate’s degree in Junior Tourism Management at Air Link International Aviation College in the Philippines, and an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts at Honolulu Community College, where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She has extensive experience in a corporate setting, specializing in administrative and office management tasks as comprehensive support to company executives. Ms. Callo was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Woman Achiever in Arts & Entertainment by the Hawai‘i Filipino Women’s Club. 

Originally from Baguio City, Luisa A. Igloria is the winner of the 2023 New Immigrant Series Prize for poetry for Caulbearer (2024). She is the author of Maps for Migrants and Ghosts (2020), The Buddha Wonders if She is Having a Mid-Life Crisis (2018), and 12 other books. She was the inaugural recipient of the 2015 Resurgence Poetry Prize (UK), the world’s first major award for ecopoetry. With Aileen Cassinetto and Jeremy S. Hoffman, she co-edited Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States (2023). In April 2021, the Writers Union of the Philippines (UMPIL) conferred on her the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas lifetime achievement award in the English poetry category.  Luisa is a Louis I. Jaffe Professor of English and Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Old Dominion University; she also leads workshops for and is a member of the board of The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk. During her appointed term as 20th Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia (2020-22), Emerita, the Academy of American Poets awarded her one of twenty-three Poet Laureate Fellowships in 2021, to support a program of public poetry projects.  

Desiree Quintero and Wayland Quintero are Americans of Filipino ancestry and the co-founders of ILI Dances/ILI Performing Arts. ILI is a Philippine language term that refers to town, homeland, motherland. They are performing artists, educators, and scholars who perform and teach select dances of the Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. Desiree is trained in Philippine, Western, and Balinese dances. Wayland was raised in Hawai‘i and brings a Theatre, Philippine folkdance, contemporary dance, and children’s creative movement background. He holds three decades of experience particularly at La Mama Theatre in New York City with his ensemble, the SlantPerformance Group. Desiree and Wayland earned their doctoral degrees from the University of Malaya Faculty of Creative Arts in Kuala Lumpur. They perform locally at events such as Filipino Fiesta and the Honolulu Festival, and have taught workshops in San Francisco and New York. They co-run the Filipino Studies program at Leeward Community College, have given virtual workshops on Filipino culture, history, identity, and the arts, and are lifetime members of the Philippine Folk Dance Society. 

In recognition of Filipino American History Month, this event will honor the longstanding relationships between the Philippines and Hawaiʻi and the Philippines and the United States, highlighting the enduring bonds throughout our history and the important role of the Filipino community.

Schedule

5:30pm, Welcome & Opening Remarks

5:45pm, Performance by Angeli Callo

6:00pm, Contributions & Impact Panel

6:30pm, Performance by Poet Laureate Dr. Luisa A. Igloria

6:45pm, Filipino Curriculum Project Showcase

7:00pm, Closing Remarks

7:10pm, Performance by Dr. Wayland and Dr. Desiree Quintero

In-person attendance is by invitation-only.

Organizers

The event is being organized by the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Center for Philippine Studies, East-West Center, and Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu.

Distinguished Panelists

Susana Berardy is the President of DBI-Hawaii Inc, a Wholesale/Distribution Importer in Hawai‘i. Ms. Berardy currently serves as the President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i. She has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by the United Filipino Council of Hawai‘i in 2019, the Filipino Businesswomen Association of Hawai‘i in 2006, and the Small Business of America in 2001. Ms. Berardy graduated with a BA in Travel Management from Brigham Young University- Hawai‘i (BYUH). She is a BYUH distinguished alum and has served on the BYUH Presidents Leadership Council and BYUH Alumni Association Executive Board of Directors. Mr. Berardy has also served as the 2nd Vice President of the Oahu Filipino Council, President and Board of Director of the Filipino Businesswomen Association, and Zoning Board of Appeals Commissioner for the City and County of Honolulu.  She is a mother of three and grandmother of five.

Jade T. Butay was appointed by Governor Josh Green as the Director of the State of Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DUR) effective December 2022. Prior to the appointment, he was the Director of the State Department of Transportation (HDOT) overseeing 15 airports, 10 harbors, 2,500 miles of highways, and 2,600 employees. His team delivered several legacy projects, such as the Honolulu Mauka Concourse Terminal, the Honolulu and Kahului Airport Consolidated Rent-a-Car Facility (CONRAC), the Kona Federal Inspection Service (FIS) and phase one of the Kapalama Container Terminal. Mr. Butay was HDOT's First Deputy Director since January 2015 where he was responsible for the administrative functions of the department including personnel administration, programs and budgets, central computer services, business management activities, environmental compliance, civil rights, emergency management, and contract services. Prior to this role, Mr. Butay was the Deputy Director at DUR from 2013 to 2014 and was the First Deputy Director of HDOT from 2011 to 2013. Before working in State government, Mr. Butay served in various leadership positions in the private sector. He received a BA in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his MA in Business Administration from Babson College. 

Emil T. Fernandez is a career diplomat of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Republic of the Philippines. In October 2021, he was appointed as Consul General in Honolulu, overseeing the provision of consular services, engagement with US INDOPACOM, and the further strengthening of economic and cultural ties between the Philippines and the State of Hawai‘i and the U.S. territory of American Samoa, among other responsibilities. Prior to his assumption, Mr. Fernandez served as Deputy Consul General in Frankfurt, Germany. His other foreign assignments included Washington, D.C. (2010 to 2016), Santiago, Chile (2005 to 2008) and Caracas, Venezuela (2002 to 2005).  At the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Mr. Fernandez occupied several important positions, including Executive Director of the Office of Asian & Pacific Affairs (2016 to 2018), Director for Southern Europe of the Office of European Affairs (2009 to 2010), Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (2008 to 2009) and Acting Director of the Office of ASEAN Affairs (1999 to 2001).  Mr. Fernandez graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a BA in Management Economics.

Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao holds the position of Professor and Chair in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her academic work centers around multicultural education, with a specific focus on the inclusion of Filipino culture in K-12 education. In recognition of her teaching excellence, she was honored with the Board of Regents Medal in 2012. Dr. Halagao also contributed to educational policy by serving on the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education from 2013 to 2016, where she advocated for equity and the development of cultural and linguistic policies related to multilingualism and the Seal of Biliteracy. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington and has previous experience as an elementary teacher specializing in Sheltered English instruction in Oakland, CA. 

Bennette E. Misalucha is the Executive Director of the State Workforce Development Council. As a former State Senator, Bennette was the Vice Chair for Energy, Economic Development and Tourism and sat on the Ways and Means Committee, Human Services Committee, and Water and Land Committee. Bennette was the co-convenor of the historic first joint Filipino caucus at the State Legislature. Prior to entering public service, Senator Misalucha was a respected community leader who had held key executive positions in banking, marketing, public policy, and community outreach sectors, often pioneering roles for women and minorities.  Bennette is also deeply involved in community and nonprofit work. She has earned her many distinctions, such as “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i, the United Filipino Community Council “Progress Awards in Banking and Finance,” the “State Mother of the Year” by American Mothers Inc. and one of top “Ten Women Volunteers in Hawai‘i" by Pacific Business News. She is also an alumnus of the Pacific Century Fellows program, Hawai‘i’s version of the White House Fellows. In 2022, Bennette received the Presidential Banaag Medal, the highest recognition given by the Philippine Government to a Filipino overseas.

Distinguished Performers

Angeli Callo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Language and Culture from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she was consistently on the Dean's List. She completed an Associate’s degree in Junior Tourism Management at Air Link International Aviation College in the Philippines, and an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts at Honolulu Community College, where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She has extensive experience in a corporate setting, specializing in administrative and office management tasks as comprehensive support to company executives. Ms. Callo was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Woman Achiever in Arts & Entertainment by the Hawai‘i Filipino Women’s Club. 

Originally from Baguio City, Luisa A. Igloria is the winner of the 2023 New Immigrant Series Prize for poetry for Caulbearer (2024). She is the author of Maps for Migrants and Ghosts (2020), The Buddha Wonders if She is Having a Mid-Life Crisis (2018), and 12 other books. She was the inaugural recipient of the 2015 Resurgence Poetry Prize (UK), the world’s first major award for ecopoetry. With Aileen Cassinetto and Jeremy S. Hoffman, she co-edited Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States (2023). In April 2021, the Writers Union of the Philippines (UMPIL) conferred on her the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas lifetime achievement award in the English poetry category.  Luisa is a Louis I. Jaffe Professor of English and Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Old Dominion University; she also leads workshops for and is a member of the board of The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk. During her appointed term as 20th Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia (2020-22), Emerita, the Academy of American Poets awarded her one of twenty-three Poet Laureate Fellowships in 2021, to support a program of public poetry projects.  

Desiree Quintero and Wayland Quintero are Americans of Filipino ancestry and the co-founders of ILI Dances/ILI Performing Arts. ILI is a Philippine language term that refers to town, homeland, motherland. They are performing artists, educators, and scholars who perform and teach select dances of the Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. Desiree is trained in Philippine, Western, and Balinese dances. Wayland was raised in Hawai‘i and brings a Theatre, Philippine folkdance, contemporary dance, and children’s creative movement background. He holds three decades of experience particularly at La Mama Theatre in New York City with his ensemble, the SlantPerformance Group. Desiree and Wayland earned their doctoral degrees from the University of Malaya Faculty of Creative Arts in Kuala Lumpur. They perform locally at events such as Filipino Fiesta and the Honolulu Festival, and have taught workshops in San Francisco and New York. They co-run the Filipino Studies program at Leeward Community College, have given virtual workshops on Filipino culture, history, identity, and the arts, and are lifetime members of the Philippine Folk Dance Society.