Kate Nicole G. Blanco
Founder and Executive Director

Kate's Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Kate was born and raised in Ilocos Norte, Philippines.  She immigrated to California with her family in 2002.  She earned an A.A. in Liberal Arts from Fresno City College in 2007, and earned a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 2009.  At UCLA, she was a student counselor for Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention Project ("SPEAR"), a student-run project dedicated to addressing institutional and cultural barriers to education and retention.  She received her Juris Doctorate degree from UC Berkeley, School of Law in 2013.  She now lives in New York City and works as a public defender.  

Aside from fighting for civil rights, she is passionate about finding ways to elevate the Filipino-American community, and volunteers her time by providing mentorship and workshops for college students and young professionals interested in pursuing a career in law.

Jason BENJAMIN aLINEA Tengco
Community Affairs Director

Jason's Facebook, Twitter, 
Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Jason was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and lives in Washington, DC. Currently, Jason serves as an Advisor for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). During his time at the White House, Jason coordinated AAPI youth outreach, helped launch the Obama Administration’s Interagency Working Group on Filipino Veterans, and organized the White House’s Briefing for Filipino-American leaders. 

Throughout his career, Jason has participated in numerous fellowships, including with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies in the Office of Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), New Leaders Council, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Center for Progressive Leadership, and Public Policy and International Affairs Program.

Jason’s passion and life mission are to educate, engage, and empower the Filipino-American community. He first began his work with the community as a leader for Samahang Pilipino at UCLA. There, he was also co-chair of the Queer Pinoy/Pinay Conference in 2009, worked closely with the Southern California Pilipino American Student Alliance, and served on UCLA’s student government. Jason graduated from UCLA with Honors with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Public Affairs.

Fun facts: Jason loves to eat sinigang, sing karaoke on his Magic Mic, play piano, and use abbreviations (i.e., “abbrevs”) and Filipino jargon in everyday conversations.

John Christian 
De Vera
Communications Director

JC's Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

JC is a Bay Area native born and raised in San Jose, CA. Overcoming the obstacles of a violent, under-resourced high school, he made it to his dream college and graduated magna cum laude from UCLA in 2011. He has a B.A. in Sociology and Asian American Studies, with a Pilipino Studies concentration. JC is currently the Communications Manager for The Greenlining Institute and the Vice President on the Board for Filipino Advocates for Justice. Starting Fall 2015, JC will become a Double Bruin and return to UCLA for graduate school to pursue a Masters in Public Policy. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, thrift shopping, and going on jogs around Lake Merritt in Oakland. 

His life’s mission? To get rid of all forms of hate, and provide opportunities for all people to reach their full potential and pursue their dreams. JC developed his passion for uplifting the Pilipino community through his involvement at UCLA where he campaigned for Pilipino Studies, mentored incoming Pilipino students in their transition to college, and served as an elected official on UCLA’s student government.

Filled with wanderlust, an appreciation of different cultures, and the appetite of a bear - JC’s ready to help you take your career visions to new heights.

JOANNE 
DANGANAN
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Joanne's Blog, Facebook, 
Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Joanne is a SoCal native all the way: she grew up in Oxnard, CA, and received her B.A. from UCLA. She has been living in sunny Los Angeles ever since. By day, Joanne is a business development professional at Central City Association of Los Angeles, which is dedicated to revitalizing Downtown Los Angeles, and by night, a personal finance blogger for Simple and Personal Finance, where she hopes to provide tips and tricks for a healthy wallet. 

Growing up, financial literacy wasn't a common topic around the house. Joanne has realized over the years that it's an issue that many families don't deal with head on, so it has become her life goal to make financial literacy a priority in all households. She is currently studying to get accredited in financial counseling. She admits that she has made many financial mistakes in her life, and she hopes to correct them by teaching others not to make the same ones. Her mission is therefore to show how money can be an empowering and positive resource if you do not let it limit your great potential to make change.

In between raising money for her organization and raising money for her bank account, you can find her on the beach playing volleyball, singing karaoke, releasing her Nikon FM2 shutter, or reading the latest Rachel Gibson novel.

The Jeepney Hub Logo

Joseph Aaron Racca
Graphic Designer

The Jeepney Hub Dispatchers would like to acknowledge the incredible work of Joseph Aaron Racca.  From a piece of paper with scribbles, he was able to create the Jeepney Hub logo that exceeded our expectations. Despite bombarding him with countless emails and asking him to make innumerable changes, he remained patient and stayed true to our vision.  We thank Joseph for his patience and invaluable talent.  See more of Joseph's work here and connect with him via LinkedIn.

Symbols: The sun is derived from the Philippine Flag.  In the middle is a jeepney as imagined by Joseph. The road symbolizes the path that each of us will take toward our ultimate career goals. 
Colors: Yellow, blue, red, and white are also derived from the colors of the Philippine flag.  
Copyright © 2015 Jeepney Hub.  All Rights Reserved.