FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 79
Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past years, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.
Lynda P. Johnson, Mayor of Cerritos
Lynda P. Johnson (Source: City of Cerritos)
Johnson was elected to the City Council in April 2022 and was named Mayor Pro Tem in 2025 and Mayor in 2026, becoming the first Filipino American to hold the position in the City of Cerritos. She has been a resident of Cerritos since 1971.
Johnson served as a Governing Member of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education from 2011 through 2017. A 39-year employee of the County of Los Angeles, Johnson was a paralegal with the L.A. County District Attorney's Office for 20 years. She also served as Field Deputy to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva from 2021 to 2022. Currently, Johnson serves as Special Assistant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
She writes the weekly column, "From the Mayor's Desk," highlighting recent City initiatives and upcoming events. She serves on the following Internal Ad Hoc Working Groups: Arts Program, Chamber of Commerce, City Charter Review, Legislative, Library, Policy and Procedure, Sister Cities, and Ube Fest.
Rick Nava, Community Activist
Rick Nava (Source: Facebook)
Nava lost his home on August 8, 2023, during the Lahaina fires. A U.S. Army veteran and longtime resident of Lahaina, Maui, Nava moved to Hawaii from the Philippines in 1970. He has become a prominent figure in Lahaina's recovery efforts, especially for the sizable Filipino population on the island, 40 percent of whom were affected by the fires. Named to the mayor's advisory team, Nava worries that Filipino voices are being lost in the conversation regarding recovery and rebuilding. He says that many Filipinos "will not go in front of the microphone to speak about their concerns. They're focused on working as hard as they can so they can send their children to school or college and buy a home."
Nava has held various community positions with the Lahaina (Maui) Rotary Club, Maui Chamber of Commerce, West Maui Taxpayers Association, Bahay Kubo Heritage Foundation, and United Filipino Council of Hawaii. He also ran for the Maui City Council. He is the owner of Media Systems Inc. in Maui.
JR Oao, Chef
Oao began his career in the kitchen as a dishwasher but always wanted to be a sushi chef. He honed his skills and worked his way up. In January 2022, Oao opened his own food truck, and a few months later opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Wailea. Known for his "one and only" concept, he emphasizes fresh, locally sourced fish and traditional Japanese techniques. He operates Oao Sushi Go in Kahului and Hachi by Oao in Kihei. He was nominated for the Mayor's Small Businessperson of the Year in 2024. He received the 2025 Gintong Pamana Leadership Award from the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce.
Desirae Krawczyk, Tennis Player
Desirae Krawczyk (Source: Wikipedia)
Krawczyk is a professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. She has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 7, achieved in August 2024, and has won 12 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in 2024. Krawczyk is a four-time Grand Slam champion in mixed doubles, having won the 2021 French and U.S. Opens, as well as the 2021 and 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Her father is Polish, while her mother is Filipino.
Justine Cephus, Judge
Judge Justine Cephus (Source: Facebook)
Justine Cephus, of San Mateo County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the San Francisco County Superior Court. Cephus has served as a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney's Office since 2026. She served as an Assistant District Attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office from 2012 to 2026 and as a Deputy District Attorney at the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office from 2011 to 2012. Cephus served as a Volunteer Deputy District Attorney at the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office from 2010 to 2011. Cephus received a Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ross C. Moody.
Stephanie Gancayco, Creative Consultant and DJ
Stephanie Gancayco (Source: Instagram)
San Francisco-based Gancayco is a creative director, cultural producer, DJ, and founder of Hella Pinay, a media platform and creative agency centering Filipina and AAPI voices across print, digital, and live experiences. She has over a decade of experience spanning fashion design, event production, content strategy, and cultural storytelling. As a DJ, she brings diasporic and experimental sounds to art spaces, brand events, and nightlife events, curating sonic environments that reflect the same cultural depth and nuance found in her editorial and visual work. Gancayco's practice is grounded in care, culture, and connection. She is focused on expanding Hella Pinay's impact through new collaborations, partnerships, and creative productions.
Tante Urban, Chef
Chef Tante Urban (Source: Fil-Am Voice Maui)
At the age of 18, Urban moved to Hawaii. His father came to Hawaii in 1946 to work on a sugar cane plantation. Urban's first job was as a busboy at the King Kamehameha Hotel, where he earned $2.75 an hour. He attended Hawaii Community College in Hilo and graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 1970. He and his wife established the Tante & Araceli Urban Foundation "to promote and support education, culture, the arts, and to provide for charitable causes like relief for the poor, the distressed, the underprivileged, the aged, or the sick." He is a member of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce; assisted in the formation of the Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise; organized and became the first president of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Kona; and was a former member of the Ilocano Club of Kona in 1984, where he expanded its membership to include not just Ilocanos but the entire Filipino community, transforming it into the Filipino Organization of Kona. Local Grindz in Kona is the brainchild of Tante and his daughter, Bernu Urban Smith, who claims to serve the island's only oxtail loco moco and fiery halo-halo dessert. The family has been serving Filipino food for more than 40 years.
Bianca Catbagan, Director
Bianca Catbagan (Source: bia-film.com)
Catbagan is a Filipino director and writer based in Los Angeles. Before leaving to pursue her master's degree abroad, she worked as a commercial director and independent filmmaker, directing films like Suntok sa Buwan, Laya, and a documentary called Letters to the Future, a personal project that chronicles what it was like to be young in Manila in 2014. In 2018, she graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Film Directing.
She has participated in countless talent labs around the world, the most prestigious being the Asian Film Academy in 2012. Her film Paraluman was nominated for a Golden Egg at the ReykjavÃk International Film Festival in 2016. Most recently, her film Supermodel won a grant from the Cinematografo International Film Festival and screened to a sold-out audience in San Francisco. She also dabbles in development and producing, most recently for the show Family Style, a food and travel series by Indie Pop Films, YOMYOMF, and Warner Bros./Stage 13.
Liezel Chan Lucero, Domestic Violence Advocate
Liezel Chan Lucero (Source: Inquirer.net)
Lucero lost her daughter, Frances, when she was trying to flee an abusive relationship and was shot and killed. The killer received a sentence of 64 years to life in prison. A decade later, Cavite-born Lucero sits on a board of five female residents from diverse backgrounds appointed to advise the Daly City Council on issues confronting women and girls. They meet once a month to identify unmet needs and recommend programs to improve the lives of women of all ages in their city. At its Women's History Month celebration, the commission singled out Lucero as a "Woman Warrior" for her courage and commitment to fighting for justice against domestic violence.
Mark A.J. Nazal, Visual Effects
Mark A.J. Nazal (Source: LinkedIn)
Nazal is an Emmy Award-winning visual effects supervisor, filmmaker, and creative executive known for his work on high-profile and genre-defining series including Gotham, Lucifer, and Westworld. His career spans both studio and independent productions across film, television, and publishing. He is the Director of Digital Content at a North American film and television post-production studio, working on a number of high-profile shows and movies.
He is committed to telling stories that blend sci-fi and fantasy elements with real-world themes and current issues in a globalized, multicultural setting while showcasing new stories from underrepresented cultures in the mainstream media.
Source: Google and Wikipedia
No comments: