JANET S. JALBUENA
Board Chairperson
Ms. Janet Jalbuena graduated from the University of St. La Salle with a Degree in BS Commerce – Accounting in 1972 and passed the CPA Board in 1972. She worked at the Bank of the Philippine Islands from 1972 until she retired as Manager in 2007.
She became a Foundation Member of NWTF in 1997 and was a Trustee from 1997 to 2005. She was also a Director of Dungganon Bank from 2012 to 2017.
She has been a Trustee of NWTF since 2017 up to the present, and a Board member of Dungganon Bank since 2018 up to the present.
IRMA MADONNA G. ECHAUS, EdD, RGC
Board Vice Chairperson
Dr. Irma Madonna Echaus is a mental health practitioner and academician. She has a Doctorate in Educational Management from the University of St. La Salle, and a master’s degree in Guidance and Counselling from De La Salle University. She was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of St. La Salle from 2011 to 2014.
She joined NWTF as a Foundation Member in 2017 and became a Trustee in 2019 up to the present.
SUZZETTE D. GASTON
Executive Director/ President
Ms. Suzzette D. Gaston is one of the Founding Members and an incorporator of NWTF. With her degree in Business Administration from the Maryknoll College, she has played a crucial role in the evolution and growth of NWTF as part of management for more than 30 years.
MYRNA L. DESABELLE, PhD, CPA
Trustee/ Corporate Treasurer
Dr. Myrna L. Desabelle is a practicing Certified Public Accountant, and the Managing Partner of Desabelle, Desabelle & Associates, CPAs.. She has a Doctorate in Business Management from the University of Negros Occidental – Recolletos, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of St. La Salle.
She joined NWTF as a Foundation Member and became a Trustee in 2011 up to the present.
CORAZON A. HENARES
Trustee
Ms. Corazon A. Henares is one of the three C’s of Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation. Before she joined Dr. Cecilia del Castillo and Suzzette “Ching” Gaston at NWTF in the mid-1980s, she was a Professor of Psychology at the La Consolacion College and the University of St. La Salle, and was Dean of Liberal Arts of Riverside College —all in Bacolod City.
Joining NWTF full-time as the Deputy Director of Operations and together with Dr. Cecilia del Castillo as the Executive Director and Suzzette Gaston as Deputy Director for Administration and Finance, they led the NWTF team in successfully implementing one of the first Grameen replications in the Philippines starting with four branches in Negros Occidental in 1989.
Ms. Henares spearheaded the research activities of NWTF while supervising field operations for the next 30 years. In 2016, she became the President of Dungganon Bank (a Microfinance Rural Bank), a fully-owned subsidiary of NWTF that was organized in 2005 to ensure that Microfinance clients who expand their business ventures from micro to small and medium enterprises are assured of continued access for financial assistance as they continue to grow their businesses, until they can confidently join the mainstream business community. She was elected to the NWTF Board of Trustee on March 24, 2022 for a 3-year term.
ATTY. ELMIRA P. MAGLASANG
Trustee
Atty. Elmira P. Maglasang is a retired Provincial Prosecutor. She joined NWTF as a Foundation member and Trustee in 1989 and has actively participated in the evolution of NWTF’s vision and mission whether she is a member of the Board or not.
Her advocacies include the welfare and promotion of orphan girls through the Bacolod Girls’ Home and activities and advocacies of the Rotary Club of Bacolod West.
ANNE MARIE G. JISON, MD
Trustee
Dr. Anne Marie G. Jison is a retired medical doctor. She is a founding member and incorporator of NWTF. As a medical practitioner, she advocated to provide health education and wellness to the NWTF clients, which led to NWTF’s pioneering role in providing medical missions and other health services for all its clients.
