Filipino public servant is Silicon Valley’s 2025 Woman of the Year
By Harvey I. Barkin
Angelica Ramos-Allen, 41, was recognized as District 26 Woman of the Year last March 21 at a luncheon in her honor hosted by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley).
Ramos-Allen was chosen by State Assemblymembers and Senators from across California in Sacramento earlier this month for her many accomplishments in public service.
As director of Policy and Communications at Grail Family Service, she supports a large Latino and Filipino population by advocating for early childhood education, family resources and economic stability.
She is also president of the National Women’s Political Caucus of California where she created the organization’s first staffer fellowship program. One of her main goals is to ensure more AAPI – specifically Filipino – women are elected in the future with the necessary support systems to run effective campaigns and govern successfully after election.
Ramos-Allen is also vice-chair of San José’s Library and Early Education Commission where she led advocacy to increase funding to City libraries in the wake of the pandemic. She previously served as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, as well as a Law Program Facilitator for Fresh Lifelines for Youth, where she helped local youth caught up in the justice system.
But closest to her heart was the time she spent as the lead policy staffer for children and families for Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. Ramos-Allen built the policy initiatives that is the core of childhood education, child welfare and family services. It was the County’s first children-focused budget that included early learning grant funds and programs for sexual assault and gender-based violence victims.
Ramos-Allen says despite many Filipinos working as nurses, care-givers and domestic workers, child care remains largely inaccessible. “Many Filipinos rely on informal child care, such as grandparents or extended family members because they do not qualify for subsidized care or face cultural barriers in accessing available programs.”
To address this, she pushes for easier access to child care by expanding subsidy options, creating early learning facilities and ensuring worthy wages for child providers (many of who are Filipinos).
Ramos-Allen’s parents immigrated to the Bay Area in the aftermath of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquinos’ assassination in August 1983. Her mom was pregnant with her at that time. Her first care givers were her grandparents. Taking the bus home from school every day with Lolo obviously left its mark.
She has a BA in Law and Society from American University, a JD from Whittier Law School and a graduate certificate from the University of Florida. She is married to communications consultant Peter Allen. They have a two-and-a-half year old daughter named in memory of Lolo Emiliano.
Her dad is a retired physician Emiliano Ramos Jr. and her mom Yvonne was a nurse. He says, “it took a doctor and a nurse to pay for a lawyer’s education.” He is from Lingayen and she, from Dagupan. But Angelica’s food to die for is bistek Tagalog (pour on th thin-sliced potatoes and vinegar).
The Filipino values that remain with Angelica are compassion, empathy and education. According to her Lolo (maternal side), education is not just about personal success but it’s all about using that knowledge to uplift others, especially those who have been historically disenfranchised.
