Meet the Board & Staff
Nikki De Leon (she/her/siya)
Founder & Board Secretary
Nikki De Leon is a Filipino Cultural Worker, Humanitarian, Community Advocate, and Coffee Drinker who hails from the Philippines and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
Her journey into humanitarian work began when her family faced displacement due to the Mt. Mayon volcanic eruption, exposing her to nature's unpredictable disasters and how the environmental crisis is exacerbated when there isn’t immediate or adequate response. This theme would repeat itself during the disasters in 2013, when Typhoon Haiyan caused widespread devastation in Visayas compounded by systemic environmental degradation and plunder. This pivotal moment led Nikki to recognize the unique needs of her community when she first joined a disaster response mission with organizations that were determined to create meaningful impact.
Currently, Nikki serves as the Secretary General of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns US (NAFCON-US), an alliance that unites groups, institutions, and individuals in their collective efforts to address the multifaceted challenges faced by Filipinos in both the United States and the Philippines.
Nikki's enduring commitment shines through initiatives like "Bayanihan Response: Magkaisa at Kumilos," ensuring urgent relief reaches those in need, and the "Karapatang Kalusugan: People’s Right to Health, Prioritize over Profit" campaign, advocating for health as a fundamental human right. Furthermore, Nikki leverages the power of cultural work to enact meaningful change. Her love for the rich tapestry of Filipino culture informs her approach to advocacy, using it as a bridge to connect with her community, foster understanding, and inspire collective action.
Dr. Aileen Duldulao (she/they/siya)
Board Co-Chair
Dr. Aileen Alfonso Duldulao is an Ilocana, cis-gender, pansexual immigrant settler whose roots are in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. She is an epidemiologist, data nerd, community organizer, cellist & pianist, cat mama, data equity methodologist, social worker, and all around rabble-rouser in the service of social justice. She currently works as the Data Equity Measurement Methodologist for Race, Ethnicity, Language, Disability and Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity (REALD & SOGI) Section at the Oregon Health Authority Office of Equity of Inclusion. Dr. Duldulao also served for almost 9 years as the Maternal, Child, and Family Health Epidemiologist and Research Scientist for the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) Public Health Division. In her previous role, she led surveillance, research, and evaluation related to racial and ethnic disparities in birth and parent, child, and family health outcomes using decolonizing, community-engaged, and community-centered epidemiologic methods with a focus on communities of color and immigrant and refugee communities.
In 2018, she was awarded the National Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Award for Effective Practice at the Community Level by the Coalition for Excellence in MCH Epidemiology (which includes CDC, NIH, APHA, etc.). Dr. Duldulao earned her BA in Sociology and English, with High Honors, from the University of California at Berkeley, and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington. While at UW, she continued to earn her PhD in Social Welfare during which she was a National Institute of Mental Health Prevention Research Training Fellow and a Translational Health Research Fellow with the UW Institute for Translational Health Sciences.
In addition to being co-chair of the Board of Directors for the Filipino Bayanihan Center, Dr. Duldulao currently serves as the Data Advisor for the Oregon Pacific Islander Coalition, is on the Data Committee for the Oregon-based Queer Data Project, serves on the Research and Education Committee for the Care for Caregivers Campaign, and is as an Adjunct Professor for the Portland State University School of Social Work where she teaches research and evaluation.
Patrick Villaflores (he/they/siya)
Board Co-Chair
Patrick Villaflores is a dedicated community leader committed to equity and social justice. With decades of service, Patrick has made significant contributions to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
In the late '90s and early 2000s in Portland, Oregon, Patrick played a pivotal role in youth and student advocacy with FANHS Youth and APANO Youth. As a passionate advocate for justice and human rights, Patrick co-founded the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (PCHRP), channeling his passion into impactful activism.
As the Founding President of PSU Kaibigan, the Filipino American Student Association, Patrick empowered Filipino American students through cultural, social, political, and educational activities at Portland State University. His commitment extended professionally to PSU's President's Task Force for AAPI Student Success, where he worked diligently to address needs and remove barriers within the AAPI community.
With over two decades of experience in higher education, Patrick brings a wealth of expertise in student development, event planning, community outreach, and culturally responsive programming. He has received prestigious accolades such as the President's Diversity Award for Distinguished Staff and the Circle of Excellence Gold Award.
Currently serving as the Board Co-Chair of the Filipino Bayanihan Center, Patrick continues his dedicated efforts to address disparities within the Filipino American community. Beyond his community work, he remains a steadfast advocate for diversity, inclusion, and human rights, leaving a lasting impact on the communities he serves, all while enjoying cherished moments with his family, friends, and his beloved Labradoodle, Chloe.
Dr. Adrianne Sebastian (she/her/siya)
Executive Director
Dr. Adrianne Sebastian is a queer pinay community organizer, Naturopathic physician, and the Founding Executive Director of the Filipino Bayanihan Center based in Portland, Oregon.
Adrianne’s earliest encounters with the healing arts took place in her Lola's kitchen, where potent home remedies were brewed to alleviate colds and ward off fevers. These ancestral medicines were not only immensely powerful but also a testament to the resourcefulness of her people’s healthcare traditions. Raised by a single mom and growing up in the vibrant migrant communities of the Bay Area, California, she began to see patterns in chronic diseases that affected communities of color alongside a disproportionate access to health care and preventative health.
In wanting to address the gaps in our current healthcare model, she pursued medicine and alternative healthcare. She is committed to community organizing to address the root cause of diseases in the Filipino community and found Naturopathic Medicine to be the bridge that connects the wisdom of eastern medicine with the technology of western medicine.
Since 2020, she has contributed to the development of Bayanihan Response to COVID Campaign and the subsequent community town halls that led to the establishment of the Filipino Bayanihan Center in 2021. Her passion is developing community based health programs (CBHP) focused on serving the holistic health needs of overseas Filipino migrants and working with practitioners of various disciplines toward the launch of the Bayanihan Community health clinic. Her vision for the Center is to empower the beauty of healing, solidarity, and community-driven change.
Outside her role at the FBC, you'll often find Adrianne unwinding in hot springs with her partner, running with her dog Taho, and coordinating Border Solidarity campaigns with the International Migrants Alliance – grassroots organizations uplifting the rights and welfare of migrants, refugees, and displaced peoples locally and globally.
WORKERS ADVOCACY PROGRAM
Fredi Misay (she/her/siya)
Workers Advocacy Coordinator
Fredi Misay is an immigrant from Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, home of the wind farm. Fredi immigrated to Hawaii in 1999 with her mom and sister after being petitioned by her maternal grandparents. She moved to Portland, Oregon in 2010 for her undergraduate program at University of Portland where she studied Biology.
Fredi's passion to serve the people started at a young age. You would often find her volunteering at homeless shelters during her high school and college years. After college Fredi learned about systemic issues in the Philippines that forced millions of Filipinos overseas. She found herself wanting to learn more about it and became a community organizer in 2016. Fredi visited the Philippines in November 2017 for a fact finding mission trip where she integrated with displaced Marawi residents, displaced indigenous Lumad communities from their ancestral land, and urban poor communities in Tondo, Manila. This trip changed her life as she experienced the realities of her homeland. It was at this moment where she committed herself to fighting for systemic change that will improve the lives of all Filipino people.
Currently, Fredi serves as the Secretary General of Migrante Portland, a grassroots organization fighting for the rights and welfare of Filipino migrants. You will find Fredi advocating for migrant workers rights everywhere you see her.
Jessie Braverman (she/her)
Seafarers Program
Jessie is a community organizer, massage therapist, and outdoor enthusiast responsible for developing FBC’s programs serving seafarers docked along the Columbia River. Jessie began organizing with the Filipino community in 2017 after joining the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, which brought her to the Philippines on a solidarity mission. She integrated with Tumandok Indigenous peoples and learned about their struggle for land and self determination in the face of development aggression. She now serves on the Global Council of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), building solidarity for the Filipino peoples struggle for a just and lasting peace.
Jessie currently serves as the Chairperson of the Pacific Coast Coalition for Seafarers (PCCS), a coalition of grassroots organizations and institutions united to support seafarers fight for their dignity, rights and welfare. When she is not in the office, you can find her out at the Ports providing critical services to migrant seafarers and building solidarity between our communities on land and at sea.
Katie Comfort (they/them)
Workers Advocate
Katie Comfort (they/them) is a non-binary community organizer, comedian, sewist and dog parent. Katie first got involved in organizing with the Filipino community in 2016 as a member of Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines where they learned about the history of the Philippines and Filipinos living in the US. In 2018 they traveled to Eastern Visayas as part of an international solidarity mission where they participated in focus group discussions to learn about the conditions of the rural farming communities in Northern Samar.
Katie started volunteering at FBC in 2021 as part of the Community Based Health Program’s wrap around services during the COVID-19 pandemic and is thrilled to continue their engagement and immersion with the Filipino community through the workers advocacy program. As part of the workers advocacy team Katie helps with outreach to Filipino workers, assists with accessing services in the Portland Metro area, and works with a Social Assistance team to provide further resources and training to workers.
Along with their work at FBC, Katie is the US coordinator for the International Women’s Alliance - which seeks to bring women’s organizations together through campaigns to address their root issues of inequality and violence. Katie is passionate about seeing people work together to change things for the better, and is excited to be doing that together with the Filipino Bayanihan Center.
COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH PROGRAM (CBHP)
Daphne Auza (she/they)
CBHP Coordinator
Daphne is a community organizer, parent, poet, and farmer with roots in southern Philippines. Raised between the Midwest and West Coast by healthcare practitioners and food growers, her family instilled a strong sense of pride in her culture and Bisayan language that motivated them to find and build strong Filipino community wherever they went, even in small town Ohio. She is proud to keep this practice alive through her work amongst various Filipino grassroots organizations and the Filipino Bayanihan Center.
Having worked as a social services navigator and popular education facilitator for migrants and refugees, they quickly internalized that one of the greatest preventative health measures one could take was being in community and collaborating on community-led health initiatives. This realization paved the way to her involvement in the local coordinating team for the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, service provision for the Bayanihan Response to COVID-19 Campaign, and growing produce for free and sliding-scale distribution.
Outside (and sometimes in FBC), you can find her chasing her toddler, growing vegetables, and co-leading Malaya Portland, an organization of Filipinos fighting for genuine sovereignty, democracy, and human rights in the Philippines.
Sarah Bumatay (she/her)
CBHP Community Engagement Coordinator
Sarah Bumatay is an MD/MPH candidate dedicated to community health, equity, and advocacy. As a daughter of Filipino immigrants, she witnessed and realized how various disparities in social determinants of health impact minoritized communities. Witnessing her family’s experiences in navigating the healthcare system and assimilating to America is ultimately the core of her desire to pursue medicine with a focus on primary care, community health research, and public health policy/advocacy, particularly in serving underserved and minoritized communities. To better understand a diverse range of individuals, she sought out an education where public health intersects with medicine, and is currently pursuing the Health Management and Policy track in Oregon Health and Science University’s MD/MPH program.
Sarah’s scientific understanding of healthcare in minoritized communities was strengthened through her prior work at Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN). Her research at ORPRN consisted of working with individuals and clinics across Oregon, where she took part in research on topics from HPV vaccinations, multi-cancer early detection tests, novel COVID testing devices, atopic dermatitis, patient-generated health data, lung cancer screenings, and advance care planning. She further gained knowledge on underserved communities’ needs and how to be of best benefit to these communities by getting involved in creating ORPRN’s first Diversity Action Plan, facilitating the Partnership’s Sub-Workgroup, and participating in the anti-racism bookclub. Prior to starting medical school, Sarah was in search of ways to get involved with her community and thus started volunteering at the Filipino Bayanihan Center. She hopes to create fruitful connections with the community and contribute to developing the community clinic in efforts to provide free, comprehensive, equitable care. Aside from being with community at the center, in Sarah’s free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, fitness, cooking/baking, reading, traveling, and paddleboarding when the sun’s out.
Patricia Lim-Pardo (she/her)
CBHP Pantry Coordinator
Patricia Lim-Pardo is a Filipina American born and raised in Portland. Navigating the whitest city in the US as the child of an immigrant single mother was made possible with the presence of her large extended family and love of local Asian cuisine (current favorites are Vietnamese and Lao food).
Patricia has been focused on exploring her intersecting identities and building community with other people of color to understand the impacts of power and oppression since their time as a student at Oregon State University. Years of unfulfilling jobs in multiple fields lead to this “Patricia of all trades” to participate in a medical mission in 2019 to understand the living conditions of the urban poor living in Metro Manila. On this same trip, she also gained a deeper understanding of the lack of opportunities for her own family from Irosin in the Bicol region of the Philippines.
Patricia is a founding organizer of Lakad PDX. She has a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. She currently works as the Kalusugan Food Pantry Coordinator at the Filipino Bayanihan Center. The community pantries established by the people of the Philippines as a response to the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic inspired Patricia to organize a food pantry for Filipinos in Portland to address our local needs. Her dream is to normalize access to culturally specific nourishing foods for everyone while uplifting local Filipino farmers.
In her personal life, Patricia is an adventurous home cook and wannabe foodie, a budding gardener and plant parent, and waves to babies in public.
YOUTH & STUDENT PROGRAM
Kenneth Crebillo (he/him)
Youth & Student Program Coordinator
Kenneth Crebillo, is an educator, historian, community organizer, and serves currently as the Coordinator for the FBC Youth Program. He also served as the National President of Kabataan Alliance from 2017 - 2024.
Born from two Filipino immigrants in Portland, OR in the 90’s, and being around family members who were youth leaders in highschool helped Kenneth see a need for community at an early age. It was in high school where Kenneth started to develop a consciousness around immigrant and Filipino issues. In college Kenneth started organizing and participating in the Filipino student organizing via PSU Kaibigan and participated in campaigns for stopping mining in Mindanao, and typhoon Yolanda relief operations. Through this Kenneth got involved with the Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network in 2014 and became the Pacific Northwest regional coordinator for the Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network working in unison with Filipino organizations in the Pacific Northwest. It is through these struggles that Kenneth forged his decisiveness to contribute all he can to Filipino people. On his down time, he likes to enjoy a good hike, cooking food, movies and shows, always with good company.
Anthony Yamashiro (he/him/siya)
Youth & Student Engagement Coordinator
Anthony “Yama” Yamashiro is a community organizer that serves as the Youth & Student Engagement Coordinator here at the Filipino Bayanihan Center (FBC) and as the Oregon Regional Coordinator for Kabataan Alliance. He is from Escondido, CA and moved to Oregon in 2015 to pursue a BA in Film/Video Production at Pacific University. Upon graduating in 2019, he has since been dedicated to serving his community through grassroots organizing and offers his camera skills to the community whenever he can find time.
As an undergraduate student at Pacific University, Anthony was involved with numerous different student organizations dedicated to building community through a social justice lens. He helped re-establish Pacific’s Filipino American Student Association (PamilyaKo!) alongside a group of dedicated students that attended student-led conferences and social justice retreats. At the NWFASA Conference in 2019, he found out about Anakbayan Portland and Kabataan Alliance. Upon graduating that same year, Yama found himself dedicated to serving his community in the Portland Metro Area through the various different hats he wears mentioned in the above paragraph.
When he finds the time, Yama also enjoys spending time hoopin’, skatin’, jammin’, and hangin’ out with his kaibigan.
Oliver Evangelista (he/him/siya)
Arts & Media Program
When a baby cries at two o’clock in the morning, dreams evaporate from existence. Oliver defines himself as “Dad” and “Husband” first. His passion for film and writing, however, come close, as they kept him up many nights since childhood. He received an MFA in Screenwriting from Chapman University. He wrote the feature-length docudrama, Gina’s Journey: The Search for William Grimes (2017), which won the Roots Award at the Oakland International Film Festival and played at several documentary festivals. He also had the honor of writing the short film, Hae Hawaii, which won the Audience Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival and continues to tour film festivals, play at schools and on Hawaiian Airlines.
He is currently working on a documentary on Filipino caregivers and a docu-series on Filipinos Living In Portland - “FLIP”.
Oliver lives and works in Portland, Oregon where he is on a constant quest to connect with people. He believes the medium of film provides the best opportunity to accomplish that goal.
Crisanto Barajas (he/him/siya)
Center Administrator
Santo has been a community organizer with Gabriela Portland since 2018. Come in and say hi to him anytime :) He can help you with the printer.
Interested in requesting a speaker on the following topics?
Send us an email: kamusta@bayanihanoregon.org
FBC Orientation and About Our Programs
Education and Trainings on the Filipino Community in Oregon
(i.e. Social Determinants of Health, History of Migration)Community Health Data Presentations
Reference: Nikki De Leon, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), nikki@nafconusa.org
Background and Context
In June 2019, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns established its Oregon chapter and aimed to build an alliance united in promoting the rights, health, and well-being of Filipinos and a network of advocates for those experiencing the most vulnerable conditions.
In April 2020, NAFCON uplifted culturally relevant and action-oriented programming that bridged the concerns locally to potential immediate and long term solutions by launching the Bayanihan Response to COVID- 19. Through this campaign, NAFCON was able to:
Deliver resources and services urgently needed through its Community-Based Health Program;
Discuss concrete experiences and reliable information through platforms like Talakayans, Kwentuhans, and Filipino American Agenda Townhalls;
Engage the community in the campaign with the collective Bayanihan spirit through the formation of the Bayanihan Taskforce which was made up of partner organizations and volunteers; and
Collaborate with grassroots organizations, service institutions, private entities, and engaged government agencies to actively support and prioritize the mitigation of negative impacts on the Filipino community.
Unification in Action
In 2021, NAFCON developed the Filipino American Agenda and built unity within the community on the foundation of the Filipino community’s collective interests and aspirations. This identification of collective interests now serve as the basis for collaboration, projects, campaigns, advocacies, and more.
Our story as a community of Filipinos living in the United States, while having taken deep roots in many parts of the country, is still inextricably linked to the journey of brave migrants who have left the Philippines decades ago as well as those who are forced to do so to date. Migrant Filipinos make up the majority of Filipinos living in the U.S. today, taking up many low-wage earning jobs in the health, food/restaurant, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. The series of community meetings, kwentuhans, talakayans, organization to organization presentations, and the Filipino Agenda town halls allowed us to hear community testimonies which affirmed the apparent need for immediate support and resources for the Filipino community.
It is in this context that NAFCON is taking further action by launching the Filipino Bayanihan Center in Oregon. This is a step forward to promote, advocate, and assert the rights and welfare issues of everyday, working-class Filipino families and individuals who suffer the most in the midst of ever-worsening economic and health disparities, and who are also often the targets of racism and xenophobia. Born from the struggles of the working-class Filipino community along with genuine camaraderie and bayanihan spirit from all concerned community members, NAFCON is excited and honored to contribute a physical and resource space for the Filipino community. Although born from NAFCON Oregon’s campaigns and work with the Bayanihan Taskforce, the Filipino Bayanihan Center will function as an independent entity from, and a close affiliate of, NAFCON Oregon.
