Committees
Advisory Committee
Carlos Celdran is a performance artist, writer, multi-media personality and a reproductive health advocate. He is currently the Producer, Director, and Performer for Walk this Way! Historical Walking Tours of Manila. The tours are a series of one-man, multi-venue performances set within the historical districts of old Manila. The tours put special emphasis on issues surrounding Philippine arts, culture, and international geo-politics in order to place Philippine history within a global context. Carlos is also a member of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) and has devoted his efforts to lobbying for the passage of a Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines.
Prior to launching Walk this Way!, Carlos was the Assistant Director of the Heritage Conservation Society Philippines. He is also an artist and his work has been featured in many exhibitions in Manila and New York City. Carlos has been involved with many artistic organizations in different technical and production capacities including several dance companies and theaters in New York City, Repertory Philippines, Ballet Philippines, and Walang Pamagat Performance Art Company. Carlos has also been a cartoonist/illustrator, and is a writer whose articles have been featured in the Lonely Planet, the Philippine Daily and Sunday Inquirer, and several airline travel magazines. Over the years Carlos has been awarded multiple special grants and awards and has been featured on radio and television shows and in print including BBC Radio, BBC Television, Living Asia Channel, Vogue Espana, Time Magazine, the Australian Financial Review Magazine, Travel + Leisure and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Carlos received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States, and also spent two years at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, in the Fine Arts department.
Edna Imelda Fernandez-Legazpi (Mae) is an Associate Professor of Palawan State University where she teaches English courses in the College of Teacher Education. She became the Chairperson of the Department of Languages and Literature from 2000 – 2001. Prior to her joining the pool of PSU professors, Mae was a faculty member of the Philippine Normal University in Taft Avenue, Manila from 1988-1998. There she obtained her degree in AB/BSE English in 1988 (Magna Cum Laude) and M.A. in Education with a major in Language Testing . She made her mark in the academe with her involvement in CONSTEL ENGLISH (Continuing Studies via Television) as a teacher-host and teacher-demonstrator of several episodes aired over the Knowledge Channel and NBN 4 . Using television as the medium of instruction, this project aimed to upgrade the competencies of teachers in English. Mae has co-authored a book entitled Palawan Flora and Fauna and has presented a number of papers in local and international fora. She is married to Judge Leo Legazpi of RTC Branch 49 and is mother to three boys-Karl, Franz and Rafael.
Dr. Junice Melgar has been a Community-based health program practitioner and advocate for over 25 years. She is co-founder of the Likhaan Center for Women’s Health and has been its Executive Director since 1995.
Likhaan is a group of grassroots and professional activists dedicated to transforming health policies and programs for women based on social justice, women’s empowerment and participatory democracy. Junice has also authored/co-authored multiple articles on women’s health and reproductive rights.
Junice is a member of several women and health organizations, including: the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) (as Secretary General for 2010-2011); East Avenue Medical Center Ethics Review Board; UNFPA 6th Country Program National Management Committee; core faculty, UPCSSP fellowship project on Population-Reproductive Health- Environment Leadership Course 2007-2009; Board of Directors, Asia-Pacific Research and Resource Center for Women (ARROW) up to 2010; Steering Committee, International Initiative on Maternal Mortality as Human Rights (IIMMHR); Co-convenor, WomenDeliver Philippines conference 2010; Universal Health Care (UHC) core group, Philippines.
Junice completed her Doctorate of Medicine at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine
Narcy Sardovia Bolasa Mikkelson is the Assistant Director of Aloha House Inc., a Child Caring Child Placing & Community serving agency based in Puerto Princesa. Together with her husband Keith Orlando Mikkelson, they founded this NGO in 1999. She is a member of the Local Council for the Protection of Children in Puerto Princesa City and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council of the Province of Palawan. She also served as the President of the Area-Based Standards Network (ABSNET), a network of agencies involved in Social Welfare work, from 2005-2008. Her involvement with ABSNET helped other NGOs in the licensing and accreditation processes with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and bringing in much needed training for social development workers in the area of Case Management and Community Organizing.
Narcy graduated from the Mindanao State University, Marawi City with a BSBA major in Economics and a Pre-School Education from the Philippine Normal University, Manila.
Sara Reysio-Cruz serves Ugat ng Kalusugan both as a member of the Advisory Committee as well as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. Sara is currently a full time mother and homemaker and is very actively involved with her church, Greenhills Christian Fellowship North. She taught Sunday School to various age groups over several years and now carries out writing and editing of church materials and is a co-leader of a women’s growth group. From 1989-1993, Sara worked for the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ with their campus ministry. Sara earned her MA in Educational Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2001 and graduated cum laude with a degree in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She lives in Quezon City, Philippines, with her husband, Mark, and their three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Joshua.
Development Committee
Kathleen Berroth has spent the majority of her career balancing her interests in Asia, business and social entrepreneurship. After receiving her BA in Japanese Studies from Wellesley College, Kathleen spent a summer in South Africa working on a consulting project related to field research on and development of a microfinance program for Create Africa South. Afterward, she moved to Hong Kong for two years to teach at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on the Wellesley-Yenching Fellowship, study Mandarin Chinese, and volunteer for Legislator Emily Lau. In 2008, Kathleen received her MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, and now works in Healthcare Equity Capital Markets at Barclays Capital. Kathleen is frequently involved in Team in Training endurance events and enjoys photography, travel and meeting new and interesting people. Kathleen is excited to bring her love of Asia, her business acumen and her dedication to unique solutions to social issues to her service to Roots of Health. Kathleen is currently serving as the Head of Development for Roots of Health.