WASHINGTON, DC (January 18, 2012) – The Filipino-American Youth Basketball Association (FYBA) enters its 5th year as a mature organization continuing to provide valuable programs to the Metro Washington DC community, especially to Filipino American youth. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of all the previous officers and past board of directors, that’s why we are what we are today,” said Russell Casapao, President of FYBA.
FYBA is expanding its reach in the region by providing open gyms and free clinics in the Oxon Hill and Fort Washington, Maryland area where there is a high concentration of Filipinos. New programs also include mentorship programs for high school kids, most of whom started playing in FYBA at a very young age. These college and college-bound kids will provide the basketball training to the younger children. As part of the 5th year celebration, FYBA will also host the biggest Filipino-American basketball tournament in the country, with the participation of 23 cities from the US and Canada. Sponsored by the North American Basketball Association (NABA), the tournament will be held on September 1-2, 2012 in the nation’s capital.
Amidst this backdrop of exciting events, FYBA announces its new board of directors who are tapped to provide oversight of the groups’ programs and to ensure that the Filipino-American community in the Metro Washington DC area, especially its youth, continue to benefit from the programs that FYBA provides. No strangers to the organization, the new members of the board of directors have been involved in FYBA, serving in some capacity by establishing his/her interests, volunteering in either coaching, outreach or fundraising. The strength of the new board comes from the fresh batch of new ideas from different backgrounds such as public office, private companies, and international organizations. They all bring different talents, skills and resources, and they pledge to work together with the officers of FYBA to provide a sustained effort to move FYBA into its next phase. They will be a welcome addition to the FYBA family.
Below are the bios of the new members of FYBA’s board of directors.
MARJORIE PAVIA
Marjorie and her family have been involved with FYBA since its inception in 2007. Her husband, Ronald, has assisted in coaching a number of FYBA house leagues in the division where their younger son, Jonathan (aka Gap), plays. Their older son, Matthew, is also involved in sports such as football and basketball. Marjorie has held various positions with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, where she has worked since 1990. Her main areas of responsibility cover donor relations/fundraising, budget and trust fund management, project management and business development. She is currently a Program Officer at the Global Corporate Governance Forum where she has developed a comprehensive understanding of governance issues, and has access to international governance experts and best practice materials that she can apply in her new appointment as member of the FYBA Board.
CESAR CONDA
Cesar Conda and his family have been involved with FYBA since its founding. Cesar and his wife Janice have five sons — Jared, Jeremy, Jorge, Jacob, and Caleb — all of whom have played in FYBA. Cesar has been a Head Coach for basketball teams the Bees, Peewee, Bantam, and Masters divisions (winning five house league championships) as well as an Assistant Coach for the 2010 NABA Bantam team. As Assistant to the Vice President, he was the highest-ranking Filipino-American staffer in the White House/Administration (2001-03) and is currently a Chief of Staff for a United States Senator. Cesar has served as a member of the Board of Directors a number of non-profit organizations, including the National Fatherhood Initiative.
TODD LANCASTER
Todd has been involved in FYBA for four years, his sons; Todd II and Trent have played in our league and NABA teams for the Bantam, Juniors and Juvenile. His wife, Evelyn, has also volunteered many hours to the FYBA family. Todd is a veteran; he served our country for seven years in the US Army as a Sergeant. Todd brings many years of experience as a coach. He has coached football (15 years) and basketball for (20 years). In 2010-2011 seasons he coached a Youth Basketball Association Team 9th grade to a Virginia State Championship, and 11th grade team to a National Championship 3rd place finish in YBOA Nationals in Orlando, Florida. Since joining FYBA in 2009, Todd has coached in the FYBA spring and winter leagues as Bantam, Junior, and Juvenile teams coach. Todd has coached the NABA Juvenile team in the last three years. Todd is currently a Technical Manager for Comcast Communications in which he has been employed for 20 years.
JUN TIRSO
Jun has been a member and supporter of FYBA since its inception. He is married to Carilu and has two sons – Carlo and Jerome. He loves the game of basketball and has been coaching for many years in the FCYBL, CYO, and of course, FYBA. He is currently a contractor to the federal government working in the field of biometrics and software development.
ROMEL SIMON
Romel Simon joined FYBA in 2008 with his son Mookie playing in the house league. An avid basketball aficionado, FYBA has given Romel the opportunity to coach during the regular season, the DC Juniors squad during the NABA tournament in Toronto, Canada in 2009, and the Juvi Virginia team during the NABA New Jersey tournament in 2010. He is the founder and director of Urban Ballers, an AAU team composed of diverse athletes in the Washington, DC area. He is the president of 21st Century Media Productions, a video production company and is also a Communications consultant at the World Bank Group. He has been actively involved in community building in the area since 1985.
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For more information, please visit www.fybaonline.com
Contact: Tess Malagar, Public Relations Officer
email – publicrelations@fybaonline.com
phone – (443) 538-4603
