National Association of Professional Women Announces Ma. Consuelo Almonte, Executive VP, PAGASA Social Foundation, Inc., as a 2014 Professional Woman of the Year
Garden City, NY (PRWEB) June 17, 2014 -- NAPW honors Ma. Consuelo Almonte as a 2014 Professional Woman of the Year. Ms. Almonte is recognized with this distinction for her leadership. As the largest organization of women in the country, spanning virtually every industry and profession, the National Association of Professional Women is a vibrant networking community with over 600,000 members and nearly 300 Local Chapters.
After emigrating to the US from the Philippine's in 1968 as a young widow, Ms. Almonte attended Hunter College. Eventually, she applied for a position at the Pakistan Mission to the UN. Now, after 43 years, Ms. Almonte, 76, recently retired from her position as Press Assistant to the Press Minister of the Pakistan Mission. She didn’t stay retired for long, though. She soon received a telephone call from the founder of PAGASA Social Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit advocate for Philippine American senior citizens, asking her to join the organization as Executive VP. Although she was also serving as VP of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association, NY Chapter, she agreed to take on the role at PAGASA (Philippine American Group for Aging Seniors in America).
Since joining PAGASA, Ms. Almonte has been working tirelessly to improve the social lives of Philippine American senior citizens. “We have programs every month such as health fairs, Bingo, cultural events,” she says. “Many of these seniors are retirees and quite isolated.” The programs provide the men and women an outlet where they can socialize and get important information. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, NY, Ms. Almonte’s goal is to expand the organization’s reach throughout the state.
Ms. Almonte’s commitment to excellence is evident in all that she does. During her career at the UN, she received numerous awards. Invited by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to receive her Tamgha Kidmat (meritorious service award), she and her spouse Mark Shaffer traveled to Pakistan in 1996 as government guests. She was also recently elected to VP, Eastern Region of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of America. Recently she was honored by Las Islas Filipinas.com and The Nursingoffice.com for her silent contributions promoting Filipino tradition. Earlier in her career, Ms. Almonte worked as a manager at a number of popular NYC restaurants including Le Steak French Restaurant and BBQ Dallas Jones. “I needed more income so I worked in the evenings,” she recalls. “I always wanted to be in business.”
Lisa Mancuso, NAPW, http://www.napw.com, +1 516-453-6111, [email protected]
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