Team
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Staff
Marielle A. Reataza, MD, MS
(she/siya/ᜐᜒᜌ) Executive DirectorDr. Reataza works across health, socioeconomic, legislative, and global systems that impact the behavioral health of marginalized communities. As an immigrant from the Philippines and a person practicing recovery herself, her background in performing arts, education, medicine, research, health policy and law, and public health guide her work in promoting health equity and whole person-centered care. A strong supporter of harm reduction to address behavioral health and substance use disorder, one of Dr. Reataza’s priorities involves dismantling the stigma individuals face when speaking about mental health or seeking behavioral health services. Dr. Reataza studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was a Excellence in Research Honors Fellow at UC Irvine, Secondary Science Education at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Medicine at UC Irvine School of Medicine, and Health Policy and Law at UCSF-UC Hastings, where she investigated the evolving landscape of social media and its implications on shared decision-making, public health education, and patient/client-provider relationships. In 2022, she was awarded the UCSF Early Career Achievement Award. She currently serves on the SAMHSA Steering Committee on Harm Reduction and was recently appointed to the CalHHS Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Advisory Group and the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) Phase III Task Force. As a neurodivergent person, she enjoys a variety of hobbies and practices yoga and breath work, loves to cook and garden, and engages with art of all kinds. Dr. Reataza has native fluency in Tagalog and speaks basic Spanish. She is currently learning Mandarin Chinese and American Sign Language (ASL).
Vincent C. Basobas, MPH, CHES
(he/him/his) Programs ManagerVincent’s goal is to help those in need attain health equity. In the Public Health field, Vincent demonstrates broad experience, working at LACDPH, CDPH, and FASGI, a nonprofit organization in Historic Filipinotown. He finds his passion in community health because he believes that with a strong foundation in the community level, Public Health can flourish organically. He was a fellow for the Statewide Pacific Islander Asian American Resource and Coordinating Center (SPARC) where he was first introduced to the world of tobacco control policy. He is a Golden Eagle through and through. He graduated from Cal State LA in 2021 and 2018 with a Master’s in Public Health specializing in Urban Populations and a Bachelor’s in Public Health respectively. Outside of the workplace, Vincent loves to go thrifting, play basketball, and do sudoku puzzles. He is an avid listener of k-pop, R&B, and indie music. A fun fact about Vincent is that though he was born and raised in Los Angeles he is a huge San Diego Padres fan and was a fan of the Chargers prior to their move here to LA.
Pia Antoinette Vasquez
(she/they/siya) Senior Outreach CoordinatorPia is passionate about health equity and health literacy. Having earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education with a minor in Human Development from CSU Long Beach, she strives to make health data accessible for everyone. They believe anyone should be able to make educated decisions about personal, social, and community health and wellness. Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now living in Los Angeles county, Pia aims to work for and with the diverse communities that make her who she is today. Outside of work, they enjoy exploring the city for new food, sights, experiences. Pia loves listening to music, analyzing song lyrics, and creating playlists.
Lisa T. Nguyễn, MPH
(she/her) Project CoordinatorLisa serves as the Project Coordinator at NAPAFASA under the Tobacco Control and Prevention Program (TCPP). She aspires to promote health equity through education to LGBTQ+, youth, and communities of color. Lisa holds a Master’s in Public Health in Community Health Sciences from UCLA Fielding School of Public Health with certificates in Maternal Child Health and Health Education/Health Promotions. Outside of work, Lisa loves to visit art museums, listen to live music, crochet her friends’ gifts, and cook warm meals.
Gabriella Guerrieri
(she/她) Senior Communications CoordinatorGabriella is an avid supporter of public health and mental health awareness. Past research of hers include the absence of wellness and mindfulness in student Activists in the Washington DC metropolitan Area. This research project sparked a passion for wellbeing and mental health prioritization, specifically in marginalized communities such as children and communities of color. She graduated from George Mason University in the spring of 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Chinese language. After graduating, she went on to do case managing and client advocacy for a person injury law firm but then turned her sights on work that is more fulfilling. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting art museums, journaling, and practicing pilates. Her favorite genre of music is k-pop, hyperpop, and R&B. A fun fact about Gabriella is that she had collectively 17 cats growing up but then became severely allergic. Follow her on letterboxd: gabsguerrieri!
Suhong He
(she/她)) Community Engagement CoordinatorSuhong is a Master of Public Health student specializing in Community Health Science at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Policy from UC Irvine. She is interested in the intersection of public health and health equity, recognizing that marginalized and underserved communities often face significant barriers to accessing quality healthcare. With a focus on creating multicultural health interventions, Suhong seeks to address the specific needs, cultural backgrounds, and unique challenges of diverse communities. By understanding and respecting cultural differences, Suhong seeks to develop tailored interventions that improve health outcomes in ways that are both effective and equitable.
Board of Directors
Myron Dean Quon, Esq.
(he/他的) Executive Director, Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS)Myron Dean Quon is a highly accomplished attorney and nonprofit leader, known for his work in civil rights, community advocacy, and mental health services. He has served as Executive Director of several organizations, including Pacific Asian Counseling Services and The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, and has successfully litigated cases related to student rights, asylum, and disability discrimination. Mr. Quon has been recognized for his work with numerous awards and has been featured in national media outlets. He holds a JD from Boston University School of Law, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. He is most passionate about the need to increase language access and cultural accessibility for our community members who are unable to access behavioral health services due to the privileging of Western models of mental health and well being.
Princess Mae Visconde, MPH
(she/her/hers) Community Engagement Manager, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health ForumPrincess Mae Visconde manages a network of over 170 community-based organizations, manages health-related programs, and advocates for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Born and raised in Ewa Beach, Hawaiʻi, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Saint Mary’s College, and Master of Public Health, Health Policy, and Management, and a Certificate in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Princess Mae has extensive experience working for nonprofit and government organizations including the Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network (HCAN) as a Public Health Research Fellow, the Lili’uokalani Trust (LT) as a Community Change Initiatives intern, and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) as a disease investigator. Most recently, she was a project coordinator for the DOH-UH Contact Tracing Training Program and a Public Health Advisor contracted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her education and experiences developed her passion for service, diversity, and healthcare justice leading her to a career in serving others. Princess Mae is committed to leading with empathy, dedication, integrity, and humility while creating space for diverse communities to feel connected, supported, and heard. During her time as a NAPAFASA board member, she hopes to be an ambassador for the organization and think innovatively and strategically about the impact NAPAFASA can have on AA & NH/PI communities.
Carol Almeda
(she/her) Retired Community AdvocateCarol Almeda has over three decades of experience in union and community organizing, policy advocacy, and research in both the Philippines and the United States. Her extensive background includes roles as a community organizer, union organizer, instructor, and leader in various non-profit organizations. Carol’s passion for social change has driven her to lead campaigns for job security, wage standardization, and environmental protection. With a deep commitment to education, she has organized public school teachers and played a significant role in critiquing and improving the Philippine educational system. Carol’s leadership and dedication to her work have left a lasting impact on the communities she has served, making her a respected figure in the field of advocacy and social justice.
Maileen Mamaradlo, PEERS®
(she/her/siya) Asian American Program Coordinator II, Asian American Everyone Counts Campaign at PEERSAt PEERS, a mental health nonprofit in Alameda County, Maileen Mamaradlo integrates H.O.P.E (Healing from Our Pasts and Expectations) to identify the root causes of Asian American stigma towards mental health. Her lived mental health experiences as a child of Asian immigrants shaped her into the person she is today. Before working at PEERS, Maileen was highly involved at San Jose State University, where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and a Minor in Atypical Child Studies. Her favorite jobs and leadership experiences as a student were in nonprofits like Braven, San Jose State Associated Students In Solidarity Network, and Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI). Her exceptional involvement in college during the pandemic sparked her passions in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), social justice, behavioral health, and mental health outreach for underrepresented populations. Those values and previous work experiences led her to NAPAFASA. As a Board Member, she hopes to use her values and experiences as meaningful guides to improving mental health disparities that our communities face. As a relatively young Board Member, she also wishes to grow as a leader in the nonprofit industry. Outside of work, you can find Maileen going to concerts and making playlists on Spotify: she listens to thousands of different artists every year. She likes going to small business markets and collecting earrings from women of color businesses. If anyone asks her to get boba, she will usually say yes!
Dean Nakanishi, MBA
(he/him/his) Former Chief Executive Officer, Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Inc. (Retired)Dean Nakanishi was named Chief Executive Officer of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) in 2021, previously serving as Administrative Director at AADAP for over 20 years under Mike Watanabe, former AADAP President and CEO. AADAP is one of the largest, longest serving substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs in the Second District in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, having provided services during the crack epidemic, the Northridge earthquake, and the Civil Unrest following the Rodney King injustice. Dean is passionate about addressing the economic, social, and emotional well-being of vulnerable populations who suffer from substance use disorder, especially in light of the gentrification he has observed in neighborhoods and how it affects the economic, social, and emotional well-being of its residents. He has overseen all aspects of AADAP’s business planning, fundraising, and operational design, and is proud to have been involved in expanding the organization’s services, including employment services, HIV/AIDS outreach, and sober living homes. Dean has a Bachelor’s in Business Management and an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business. He has been happily married since 1998 and is an avid fisherman who enjoys traveling and spending time in his home garden. He has joined the NAPAFASA Board to support the legacy of Ford and Frances Kuramoto in establishing NAPAFASA and hopes to bring his life experience and knowledge to benefit the staff team of the agency and the community for future generations.