Our Team

We are…

Dedicated volunteers working to uplift and serve the Fil-Am community in New York.

Rachelle Peraz Ocampo, President

  • Rachelle Peraz Ocampo, EdM is the current President of the NYS Chapter of National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA-NY). She currently leads public health initiatives through communications and advocacy, at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. She is also a Producer and Lead Co-Host for Makilala TV, the first and now longest-running Filipino American TV Talk Show in the NY metro area. Her other roles in the Filipino community include being one of the founders of Raised Pinay, a FYLPRO alum, and board of trustee of UniPro. She is also a mommy to 4 year old Alexander and 2 year old Adelina.

Secretary

Azja Ragasa, Community Liaison

  • Azja Ragasa (they/she) is a volunteer member of NaFFAA New York. They previously served as Treasurer for NaFFAA NorCal since 2022. Born and raised in San Francisco and Daly City, California, Azja has been a notable advocate for the Filipino American Community in the Bay Area, being heavily involved through various executive roles with the Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) on the Pistahan Parade and Festival for over 15 years. They also worked for CA State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and at 19 years old, was the youngest commissioner in Daly City while on the Library Board of Trustees. In their political advocacy career, they were the Chair of the Pro Choice California Action Council as well as a member of San Francisco’s United Demotic Club. They hold 2 degrees in Political Science and Journalism from Skyline College, as well as a Critical Pacific Islander Studies Certificate from City College of San Francisco. They graduated from the Coro Northern California’s Women in Leadership Program in 2018, as well as an Alum of Ignite National. She credits her love and passion for the Filipino Community to her parents, who met in a Filipino Studies classroom at San Francisco State University, as well as her Lola Mating, who traveled to the US from Iocos Norte as a Filipino Cultural ambassador to the US in the 1960s.

Manny Dizon, Vice President

  • Manny Dizon, serves the NY Chapter of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA-NY) as Vice-President. In this position, Manny plays a senior leadership role that supports the President, executive team, mission, strategy, and day-to-day effectiveness of the organization. His love of community and philanthropy was fostered at an early age by his parents, Lito and Mila Dizon of Staten Island, NY by way of Tarlac, Pampanga. He is currently a registered Financial Advisor/Wealth Manager with Edward Jones and has served in various capacities in the financial services industry for over 35 years. His practice is located in Newburgh, NY where he resides with his wife Rose and three children. When not serving the community, Manny enjoys golf, socializing, traveling, fine dining and is an avid fan of the Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers.

Clifford Robin Temprosa, Director of Public Policy

  • Clifford Robin Temprosa is the Director of Public Policy of the NYS Chapter. Born in the Philippines with a Filipino and Fujianese background, Clifford specializes in developing strategies to build social and political power for AAPI communities on local and national levels, and advance transformative public policy by educating, mobilizing, and empowering AAPI communities to be involved in public participation and democracy by mentorship, building the AAPI electorate, running for office, building community power, launching and advising nonprofits, attain public funding, and driving social impact.

    He most recently worked at the New York State Legislature where he became a leading AAPI operative, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families where he oversaw a campaign over 100 organizations to secure over $60 Million in investments for Asian nonprofits, and has managed political and public policy campaigns executing peak budgets of over half a million dollars. Clifford recently launched his consulting firm, Dare to Change, Inc which specializes in driving social impact and transformative justice through an AAPI lens in the private and public sectors through grant writing, digital strategy, research and data, data driven storytelling, nonprofit strategy, and political and policy campaign strategy. His firm launched with the spearheading of a national AAPI democracy project focused on engaging Millennial and Generation Z Asian American voters. He is deeply committed to building political power, amplifying social justice, and cultivating a movement of an unapologetically engaged and united AAPI Diaspora rooted in power by bridging AAPI communities into a collective voice that is ready to take action. 

    Clifford sits on the board of OCA New York, the Youth Advisory Board of Young Invincibles, is a brother of Delta Epsilon Psi National South Asian Fraternity, Inc and a Knight of Rizal. Clifford has received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, awarded Change Agent of the Year amongst the National APIDA Panhellenic Council, and has been featured as a 2023 New York Power Player Rising and 2024 AAPI Power Player in PoliticsNY.

Carlos Alfiler, Treasurer

  • Carlos Alfiler is a proud Filipino-American Certified Public Accountant and the Co-Founder of Auxiliary Business Partners, a Brooklyn-based accounting and advisory firm dedicated to helping businesses build financial discipline, operational clarity, and long-term sustainability. With experience supporting entrepreneurs, creative professionals, specialty trades, professional service firms, and medical office practices, Carlos is passionate about empowering the Filipino-American community through financial education and strategic guidance. His work focuses on helping individuals and business owners navigate bookkeeping, tax planning, compliance, and business growth with confidence. As Treasurer of NaFFAA-NY, Carlos is committed to promoting transparency, accountability, and strong financial stewardship in support of the organization’s mission to uplift and advocate for the Filipino-American community across New York. Carlos believes in using his professional expertise to create meaningful community impact and looks forward to supporting NaFFAA NY through collaboration, education, and service.

Sabrina Tesalona, Director of Digital Engagement

  • Sabrina Tesalona serves as the Director of Digital Engagement for NaFFAA-NY, where she leverages her expertise in digital design to amplify the chapter's online presence and community outreach. A current MFA Design and Technology student at Parsons School of Design and a UX Design Intern at IBM, Sabrina is also an Impact Entrepreneurship Fellow. In this role, she is developing a hybrid learning program to improve tech literacy for senior citizens, specifically focusing on supporting non-native English speakers within the diaspora. Sabrina earned her degree from Boston University in 2022 with a B.S. in Business Administration and Management, concentrating in Marketing and Information Systems. She brings a professional background from her time at Ogilvy and Oracle, as well as three years of service on the FIND, Inc. District One Board as Community Chair, PR Officer, and Co-Chair. Outside of her professional and community work, you can find her trying out a new cafe or lately updating her portfolio!

Leslie Flores, Director of Community Engagement

  • Leslie J. Flores, MS, MSEd (she/her/siya), is an NYC Public Schools special educator and Math for America master science teacher fellow. A proud Queens native of Filipino-Peruvian heritage, Leslie is an advocate for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and culturally responsive-sustaining education. Her expertise as a STEM educator is matched by her commitment to systemic equity and community building in support of the Filipino diaspora in New York. As NaFFAA-NY’s education liaison to the REACH Coalition, Leslie advocates for the integration of AANHPI history into the New York State social studies curriculum. Her dedication to cultural preservation is woven throughout her work—from serving as the founding advisor of the Filipino Club at the high school where she works, to developing the Filipino language program for the Ganda Girls Club. Prior to teaching, Leslie spent five years in the nonprofit sector, including the Public Allies New York apprenticeship program, where she specialized in asset-based community development. Her roles focused on program development, event planning, outreach, and volunteer management. Leslie’s commitment to service began as a member of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and continues to drive her work today. A lifelong learner, Leslie holds a BA in psychology and sociology from Boston University, an MSEd in adolescent special education from Long Island University, and an MS in science education from Montana State University. She continues to deepen her connection to her roots through Filipino language and culture studies at the University of Hawai’i.

Aine David, Community Liaison

  • Aine David joined NaFFAA-NY after volunteering for one community event and felt a desire to promote bayanihan through positive and meaningful social services in Little Manila, Queens, where she has lived for the past 10 years. By trade, she is a Coordinator of Physical Therapy services at VNS Health, serving the community of Western Queens for over 18 years.

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