Our Staff
Lolita Kintanar (MSW): Co-Director
Lolita Kintanar has worked in the SoMa community for over 17 years as Program Manager and later Director of Senior Services of the Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco. She is a community advocate who has had extensive ties with social services agencies in the area as well as with community members, especially seniors. As a social worker, she has experience providing direct services and facilitating access to needed resources. She has experience conducting oral history sessions with seniors and has compiled some of their stories in a booklet produced by Canon Kip Senior Services. She also facilitated participation in several community events such as the Parole Festival and Pistahan.
Susan Araneta (MPH): Director of Fund Development
Susan specializes in designing community programs, conducting research and evaluation and in grant proposal writing. She has a Masters in Public Health degree from the University of California in Los Angeles and worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for 17 years in programs ranging from HIV/AIDS Prevention, Maternal and Child Health and Tobacco Control. As a consultant, she worked extensively with non-profit organizations both in the Philippines and in California. She has astrong commitment to promoting community health and sustainable community development.
Teresita Zaragoza (MSW): Co-Director
Teresita has a strong background in political advocacy and community organizing. She worked for Congressman Ron Dellums for many years and was engaged in both national and local politics. She later worked the California Transplant Donor Network where she provided the community with valuable information on organ and tissuetransplants and the importance of participating in organ donation. She later provided regional coordination for the 2010 Census where she met with community groups to advocate for participation in the US Census.
Steve Arevalo: Director of Community Organizing & Advocacy
Steve is a community advocate who has worked for the Filipino American community for over 40 years. He worked for WestBay MultiServices back in 1975. He provides valuable historical perspective about the Filipino Community in San Francisco and San Jose. He has engaged community in various social and political organizing efforts focused on the development of community empowerment, leadership and implementation of community services. He worked to ensure Filipino community participation in local government and co-founded the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of California and organized 12 Filipino American Democratic Causes in the state. He has worked on engaging youth and in gangprevention by advocating for Youth Employment Training programs in San Francisco and in San Jose.