4th Annual Hawaiʻi-Philippines Business Tradeshow, Symposium, and Reception
Event Speakers
Quick Links: Soya Bueno, Annalisa Burgos, Erick Medrano, Sherry Menor, Hilton Raethel, Xavier Ruiz, James Urbaniak
Soya Bueno
Soya Bueno is an Investment Officer for the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, where she leads trade and investment promotion initiatives to position the province as an emerging business hub in Northern Philippines. With over a decade of experience in the academe, she has taught tourism, hospitality, and foreign languages, while actively contributing to research and extension programs.
Annalisa Burgos
Annalisa Burgos anchors Hawaiʻi News Now’s Sunrise Weekends on K5 from 7am-9am, helping launch Hawaiʻi’s number one weekend morning show in January 2023. She also reports during the week and teaches journalism at the University of Hawaiʻi – Mānoa. She’s an international TV anchor and journalist with more than 22 years of experience covering news, business and lifestyle in Los Angeles, New York City, Manila, Singapore, and other cities across Asia and the United States. Annalisa was an anchor/reporter on KITV-4 and a 2019 Jefferson Fellow of the East-West Center. Before moving to Honolulu, Annalisa was news anchor and managing editor at the ABS-CBN News Channel, an international cable network based in the Philippines and broadcast worldwide as The Filipino Channel.
Erick Medrano
Erick currently serves as a Science Teacher at Highlands Intermediate School in Hawaiʻi, where he has been employed since 2023 through the J1 teacher exchange program.
He holds two decades of expertise and a profound dedication to excellence in science education. Erick earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2002, completed the Teacher Certificate Program in 2006, and achieved a Master of Arts in Education with a major in Science Education in 2021 at Mariano Marcos State University, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
Sherry Menor
Sherry Menor is President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, where she is the youngest and first female in the Chamber’s 175-plus-year history. Under her leadership, the Chamber has earned multiple national honors for excellence and impact, including Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’ Chamber of the Year in 2018, Hawaiʻi Business Magazine’s 2025 Excellence in Business Award and Nonprofit of the Year, and Hawaiʻi Business Magazine’s Best Places to Work 2026.
Hilton Raethel, MPH, MHA
Mr. Raethel has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Since May 2017, he has served as President and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi (HAH), the nonprofit trade association representing Hawaiʻi’s hospitals, skilled nursing, assisted living, home health, adult residential care homes, and hospice providers. He previously held executive leadership roles at HMSA, HPH, and Loma Linda University Health Center. He holds an MPH and an MHA.
Xavier Ruiz
Xavier Ruiz is a licensed urban planner and educator serving the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte as Deputy Head of Tourism and Provincial Cultural Officer. He co-leads destination marketing, festivals, heritage conservation, and cultural development programs across the province. He champions sustainable tourism planning, strengthens local creative industries, and fosters inclusive economic growth while safeguarding, promoting, and celebrating Ilocano cultural heritage, identity, and pride for future generations.
James Urbaniak
James Urbaniak is a Human Resources Officer with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education. A native of New Jersey, James attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey for both his undergraduate and graduate studies before moving to Hawaiʻi in 2007 to teach middle school English. After several years in the classroom, he went on to serve as a union organizer with the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association, advocating for educators across the state. He later transitioned into teacher recruitment, where he now leads national and international efforts, including the BridgeUSA J-1 Visa Program. James is a proud parent of children who attend Hawaiʻi’s public schools and, by marriage, an honorary Ilocano – deeply connected to the communities and cultures that make Hawaiʻi’s schools so special.