Florida Prosperity Partnership
The FLORIDA
PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP is a statewide collaborative
dedicated to supporting working families through improving financial
literacy, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Outreach, advocacy and others.
Janet Hamer, Director
Senior Community Development Manager
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Jacksonville Branch
800 Water Street, Jacksonville Florida 32204
Janet.hamer@atl.frb.org
(904) 632-3588
Christine Chen
CHRISTINE CHEN serves as President of Strategic Alliances USA, a
consulting firm specializing in coalition building, institutional
development, and partnerships among the corporate sector, government
agencies, and the nonprofit and public sector. Her most recent clients
include: the Reform Immigration for America Summit, Pearl Gala - the
Asian American and Pacific Islander Inaugural Ball, 2009 NAAAP
Convention, Asian American Justice Center focusing on increasing the
number AAPI appointees in the Obama administration, National Asian
American Survey, Diversity Source and Booz Allen’s Asian Pacific
American Forum.
Previously, Chen served as the executive director Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote). a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. Profiled by Newsweek magazine in 2001 as one of 15 women who will shape America’s new century, Chen served from 2001 to 2005 as national executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), one of the leading APIA civil rights organizations in the country. Chen’s accomplishments at OCA included: increasing funding levels by 35 percent; expanding the national office by creating a West Coast branch office in Los Angeles; and managing the development and transition of national office staff from five people to 13. She has more than a decade of experience in organizing and advocating on issues such as immigration, hate crimes, affirmative action, census, racial profiling, voting rights, election reform, and various derogatory and racist media incidents. Her role as a trusted coalition builder has her effectively building relationships with key Congressional offices including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, federal agencies, and the administration.
Chen also was a member of the executive committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and served on numerous boards such as the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), Youth Vote, Gates Millennium Scholarship Advisory Council, and Board of Advisors for the Midwest Asian American Students Union, East Coast Asian American Students Union, and the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association. In 2003, she was a founding member of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund.
Chen currently serves on the Kennedy Center Community Advisory Board, Center for Asian American Media, Demos Board of Trustees, OCA Northern Virginia Chapter, and the advisory board for the Progressive Majority Racial Justice Campaign, Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMASA)
Contact: chrchen88@gmail.com
Angelina Castro, Esq.
ANGELINA CASTRO has
been working with refugees and immigrants for over 22 years. After
finishing her undergraduate work at the University of Missouri-Columbia
School of Journalism, she spent 7 years working in refugee camps in
Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. She worked as a teacher and refugee
case supervisor under the auspices of the Department of State US Bureau
of Refugee Programs, Save the Children and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees. In 1994, she attended the Refugee Studies
Program at Oxford University before returning to the U.S. to attend law
school at Northeastern University.
Ms. Castro’s legal career included positions at the Boston immigration
law firm of Kaplan, O'Sullivan & Friedman, the US Immigration Court in
Miami through the Department of Justice Honors Intern Program, the US
Federal District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, and the law firm
of Greenberg Traurig, PA, in Miami. Since 2001, Ms. Castro has managed a
general immigration practice for FIAC, while also providing the
community with direct services, and providing government, advocacy and
legal services agencies throughout the state with technical assistance
and educational outreach. Ms. Castro continues to coordinate
collaborative efforts with numerous partners and through the Florida Bar
Foundation's statewide plan to ensure that poor and vulnerable
immigrants have access to the most essential legal services.
Contact: acastro@fiacfla.org
Kee Juen Eng, Esq.
KEE JUEN
ENG is a
native Floridian born in Jacksonville, Florida and currently resides in
Davie, Florida. He is a graduate of Florida State University and has
received his Bachelor of Science degree cum laude and his Master of
Business Administration degree. He is a graduate of New York Law School
where he received his Juris Doctorate degree. His work experience has
spanned several diverse areas including the family’s restaurant business
in Jacksonville, as an attorney in South Florida in private practice and
for the State of Florida as an Assistant State Attorney and as an
Assistant Florida Attorney General. In a change of careers, he is
presently employed in local government as the Administrative Services
Manager for the City of Hollywood’s Public Works Department. Previously,
he has worked in the City’s Office of Management and Budget as a
Management and Budget Analyst.
Kee has served as president of the Asian American Federation of Florida,
president of the Organization of Chinese Americans, South Florida
Chapter, president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of
Florida, and vice-president of the Chinese American Benevolent
Association of Miami. Kee has also served on the National Board of the
Organization of Chinese Americans and as a board member of OCA’s
National Endowment Fund. He has served as a member of Broward County’s
Multi-ethnic Advisory Board and was asked in 2009 to be a member of the
Broward County Census 2010 Complete Count Committee’s Race and Ethnicity
Subcommittee..
In the South Florida community, Kee has been active in several
charitable and community organizations. He was the co-chair of the
Responding to Emergency Needs Panel, Allocations Committee, United Way
of Broward County; a former member of the Board of Directors, South
Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Diversity Venture Fund; Chairperson of the
Supervisory Committee, Sun Credit Union of Hollywood; member of
Leadership Hollywood, Class XXII; and former member of the Regional
Executive Committee and regional treasurer, National Conference for
Community and Justice, the NCCJ. He is a former member of the Florida
Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights
serving from 1992 to 2006.
Contact: keng@hollywoodfl.org
Antonio H. Wong, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
DR.
ANTONIO H. WONG is a
graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his
graduate training in Family Practice at the University of Miami/Jackson
Memorial Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident in Family Practice.
Currently, Dr. Wong is a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Academy of
Family Practice and a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical
Examiners. His professional affiliations includes: Society of Teachers
of Family Medicine, The American Medical Associations, the American
Academy of Family Physicians, The Broward County Medical Association,
and the Florida Medical Association. Dr. Wong is on active staff at
Memorial West Hospital, Memorial Pembroke, and the Cleveland Clinic
Hospital of Florida in Weston. Professionally, Dr. Wong is the founder
and Medical Director for Doctors Plus Medical Centers and the Urgent
Care and Walking Center in Silver Lakes. Dr. Wong is listed in Who is
Who in America, Who is Who in Medicine, and Outstanding Young Men in
America. Dr. Wong is also an active preceptor for the department of
Family Practice of the University of Miami School of Medicine, and for
the Nurse Practitioner Program for the University of Miami and Florida
International University.
Contact: drantoniowong@yahoo.com
Al Pina
AL PINA is considered one of the foremost
authorities of Community Economic Development (CED) of Hispanic
communities with over 20 years of top corporate and CED experience. Al
Pina has received several national and regional awards for his corporate
and CED accomplishments and now serves as Vice President of Development
for TELACU, the country’s largest Hispanic Community Development
Corporation (CDC).
Al Pina currently chairs the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment
Coalition (FMCRC), which he founded and developed in partnership with
the Greenlining Institute of California, for the purpose of enhancing
Community Reinvestment and accessing capital for minority community
organizations of Florida. FMCRC represents over 52 Florida Minority
Community Development Organizations in Florida. FMCRC aims to help build
self sustainability, and empower low-income and minority communities by
promoting the for profit model and attracting investments for health,
education, home ownership, employment, and minority entrepreneurship
through a holistic advocacy approach. Al Pina successfully negotiated
with Wachovia/SouthTrust, Bank of America, AmSouth, Colonial Bank,
Regions Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase regarding their specific commitments
for Florida, and continues to work on his goal of obtaining a minimum of
$300 billion of committed community reinvestment from financial
institutions for Florida minority and undeserved communities over the
next 10 years.
By using the Community Investment Act as leverage, FMCRC strives for
substantial commitments by financial institutions into minority
Communities of Florida. FMCRC’s strategy revolves around leadership
development and education, community reinvestment into minority
organizations and communities, sustainable development, campaign finance
reform, health, consumer protection and financial/home ownership
literacy education for minorities. Al Pina’s view of advocacy and
public-policy is that the above programs are all interrelated and should
be dealt with through a comprehensive approach.
Contact: pina@prodigy.net
Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal
DR. PIYUSH C. AGRAWAL is a rare combination of a professional
educationist, a successful businessman, a community activist and a
philanthropist.
Dr. Agrawal served the United Nations as a UNESCO EXPERT in the field of
education and retired as Superintendent of Schools from New Jersey.
From a Community activism perspective, he was the National President of
the Association of Indians in America (AIA) the oldest Indian American
grassroots organization and is the current National Coordinator of an
International Organization of the Indian Diaspora: the Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) - an advocacy group for
25 million strong Indian Diaspora.
He served the US Census in 2000 as the Chairman of the Asian Advisory
Committee. He is one of the founding members of Asian American
Federation and is the Current Chairman. Also, he is the Chairman of
Florida Department of Health Advisory Committee on Health Disparities. He
also serves on the Florida Fund for Minority Teachers.
He runs two businesses -- APS Technologies and Allied Joint
Venture in Miami.
Recently, he started a Degree College for Girls in Rural India where he
was born in the name of his Parents.
Contact: SUDHAPCA@aol.com
Nilda E. Cruz
NILDA E. CRUZ is a Tax Consultant within the Stakeholder Partnership, Education & Communication organization of the Wage and Investment Division of Internal Revenue Service.. As a Tax Consultant, Nilda is responsible for establishing and maintaining stakeholder/ partner relationships and for providing education and outreach to VITA Coordinators and volunteers. Nilda joined the IRS in 1999 as a Contact Representative in Jacksonville, FL.
Contact: Nilda E. Cruz, Tax Consultant
Stakeholder Partnership, Communication & Education
(407) 620-5538
Maritza Rabinowitz
MARITZA
RABINOWITZ is a Senior Stakeholder Liaison within the
Communication, Liaison and Disclosure organization of the Small
Business/Self Employed Division of the Internal Revenue Service. As
senior stakeholder liaison, Maritza is responsible for establishing and
maintaining stakeholder relationships and for providing education and
outreach to the small business community and tax professional
organizations. Maritza joined the IRS in 1980 as a Revenue Agent in the
Examination Division in Manhattan, New York.
Contact: Maritza Rabinowitz, Senior Stakeholder Liaison
Small Business/Self-Employed Division, Internal Revenue Service
(407) 902-8858
Bank of America Asian Leadership Network
BANK OF AMERICA
ASIAN LEADERSHIP NETWORK
Denise J. Freedman (813) 283-8320
Wynne Lum (415) 699-0989
Nicole Broward (904) 982-9690
Ajumon Zacharia (732) 977-9377
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