Meet Our Team
It takes dedication and passion to uphold PIA’s mission since 1986. We’re honored to work with some of the most hardworking and committed individuals.
Founder and Chair of Philippine International Aid. Founder and former Publisher of Filipinas Magazine. Publisher of Positively Filipino. |
James Lim brings 30+ years of hospitality asset management experience revitalizing San Francisco hotels – ranging from the classic $170M newly-renovated Palace Hotel to Joie de Vivre’s playful boutique properties – to his current roles as the Sr Vice President of Sunland RV Resorts and the Founder/CEO of Mosaic Hospitality.
James Lim was recently awarded the Outstanding Hotelier by the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He was the first Asian-American General Manager to receive this award in 128 years. James is also the recipient of the GM of the Year 2018 Award from Omni Hotels & Resorts, Outstanding Community Leader Award from the Asian Women’s Resource Center, and WHERE Magazine’s Best GM Award. As an adjunct professor, James has taught Hotel and Restaurant Management and IT classes to students at California State East Bay, University of San Francisco, and Golden Gate University for over 15 years. Vertical Divider
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Carlo Abaya graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BS degree in Business Marketing. He has worked for over 20 years in Marketing and Advertising in many different industries. He most recently spent the last 16 years of his career with CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, where he managed a team of marketing business analysts. As a father of 3 children he is passionate about helping less fortunate children in his homeland of the Philippines.
Paul Briones is a registered tax preparer with the IRS. He was previously a Personal Property Auditor with the City of San Francisco. |
Lieza Danan is a serial biotech entrepreneur in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the co-founder and CEO of Liveritas Biosciences. She holds a Ph.D in Biological Chemistry from the University of California at Davis and a B.S. Chemistry (honors program) from the Ateneo de Manila University. She believes in empowering Asian American leaders in the sciences toward entreprneurship using holistic approaches, including positive psychology and spirituality.
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Teddy De Rivera retired after 36 years as a Leader in Banking and Finance. He is a lifelong volunteer to his church and causes that help children and the elderly. Teddy’s passions include faith, family, investing, reading, travel, tennis and maintaining an active lifestyle. |
Dr. Edmund Duldulao is a Family Medicine doctor with Kaiser Permanente. He graduated from the University of the East in the Philippines and trained at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvana where he did his residency in Family Medicine.
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Katrina R. Montinola is a seasoned software executive with decades of Silicon Valley experience leading cross-functional teams, developing innovative products, and fostering diverse and inclusive work environments. She was born and raised in Manila and travels to the Philippines at least once a year so that her son, Robbie can spend time with his cousins and grandmother. She holds a degree in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology and currently specializes in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. |
Emily Nishi grew up in the Philippines, studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, and as an adult moved to the United States on her own to get an MBA at UC Berkeley. Today she is the Chief People Officer for Discord -- a voice, video and text app used by over 150 million people to hang out and talk with their friends. Prior to Discord, Emily served as the Chief People Officer at Lyft, leading through a period of hypergrowth as the company transitioned from private to public. She led the global HR team at YouTube and was at Google for over 12 years, where she was part of the initial team that established many of Google’s industry-leading people practices. Building inspiring and dynamic workplaces in Silicon Valley has been Emily’s focus for 25 years, yet the Philippines is still the place she calls home.
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Ben Olivas is a partner at DLA Piper Law Firm. He specializes in international tax and operational structuring global transfers pricing strategy and documentation, cross-border mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures, post-acquisition integration and tax controversy. He has worked extensively with U.S. companies doing business in various parts of the world, as well as foreign companies expanding their U.S. operations. He is a frequent speaker on international tax matters for several organizations including the Alliance for Tax, Legal and Accounting Seminars (ATLAS). |
Elaine R. Serina, Ph.D., P.E., is a Principal and Co-Founder of Talas Engineering, Inc., a nationally-recognized leader in forensic engineering analysis, whose clients include Fortune 100 companies and top law firms. She received her Ph.D., M.S., and B.S., in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Serina has over 25 years of experience providing expertise in injury biomechanics and accident reconstruction, conducting scientific research, and serving on scientific research grant review panels for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
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