Cristina Regalado,
Senior Program Officer, Special Projects
 ristina Regalado’s life choices have been guided by a passion for equity and social justice. These guiding principles were instilled in her by her family and the education she received at a Catholic boarding school in the Philippines.
   “The nuns who taught me struggled with the oppression of the Filipinos during a period of dictatorship and with what the church and the government were telling them to do,” Regalado said. “They stood by their beliefs and fought for social justice, and many ended up leaving their order. This impressed me and taught me the importance of standing up for what I believe in.”
“My experiences as a newly arrived immigrant provided me with a perspective that has informed my work in the nonprofit sector.”
In 1984, Regalado moved to Los Angeles with her husband Jesse and daughter Nicole. This transition period proved valuable in her life’s work.
“My experiences as a newly arrived immigrant provided me with a perspective that has informed my work in the nonprofit sector,” she said. “The challenges of being in a new country and learning to navigate the system are things I relate to because I’ve been there.”
Regalado received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of the Philippines and took several graduate-level sociology, business administration and feminist spirituality courses in the Philippines and in Los Angeles.
In 1986, Regalado began working at Community Counseling Services (CCS) in Pico-Union, a Los Angeles community composed largely of Asian and Latino immigrants. In her capacity as director of development at CCS, Regalado created new programs and was active in bringing community residents, leaders and police together to prevent violence and address other issues of concern to the
Pico-Union community.
Regalado’s interest in women’s issues attracted her to the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation, where she began working in 1993 as program director. In 1998, she became vice president for administration and programs and also served as acting president for several months in 2000.
Many programs developed by Regalado relate to redefining philanthropy with a social change agenda and include projects related to women’s health and reproductive rights, violence against women, leadership development, economic literacy for girls, globalization, economic justice for communities of color and immigrant issues.
“I think it is important to listen to diverse voices and to those most affected by the issues when seeking to make significant societal change,” Regalado said. “TCWF knows this and has an ear to the ground in terms of identifying community needs and responding to them accordingly.”
Cristina Regalado joined TCWF’s staff as a senior program officer for the Special Projects Fund in September 2000. She was drawn to the organization by its broad view of health and its understanding that a population’s health is affected by many factors including economics and education.
“By adopting this global perspective and examining where these seemingly different areas intersect, we can create effective solutions to improving the health of individuals and communities,” she said.
Regalado expressed enthusiasm for the flexible nature of the Special Projects Fund, which allows TCWF to address emerging health needs of underserved communities.
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