About Me

I was born in the Philippines, in a place where poverty and corruption weren’t abstract concepts—they were part of the daily landscape. Growing up in a middle-class family that valued education above all else, I learned early that financial integrity and opportunity can change the trajectory of a life, a community, and sometimes even a country. Those early experiences shaped the way I see the world and the work I do today.

My journey has taken me across three continents. After completing my economics degree at the University of the Philippines Diliman—where I researched how foreign aid, education, and public investment influence national growth—I moved to Australia. Living in Sydney expanded my worldview even further. It was a place where cultures converged, where I studied photography and advertising, and where I learned how creativity and structure can coexist. It was also the first time I understood what it meant to have opportunities that many people back home never receive.

Eventually, my path led me to the United States, where I completed my MBA at the University of Miami through a graduate assistantship that made the dream possible. Later, I pursued a Master of Science in Accountancy at SUNY with a specialization in forensic accounting and valuation—full-time, during COVID, while raising two children. That chapter taught me resilience in its purest form. It also taught me that discipline, humility, and gratitude are not just personal values; they are professional ones.

Today, I bring that global, thoughtful perspective into every engagement. As a cross-border advisor, forensic accountant, executive finance leader, and digital asset governance specialist based in New York, I help organizations navigate complexity with clarity and integrity. My work blends Big Four forensic rigor with mission-driven leadership—from supporting cross-border M&A transactions in 50+ jurisdictions across APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and North America, to directing multi-million-dollar nonprofit budgets in compliance with state and federal rules and regulations.

I’ve architected a national nonprofit’s cryptocurrency donation program, authored a board-ratified digital asset policy vetted for GAAP and BSA/AML compliance, and completed certifications through the IMF and UNODC in risk-based AML-CFT supervision, money laundering, and counter-proliferation financing. But beneath all of that technical depth is a simple belief:

Financial systems should empower people—not overwhelm them.

Whether I’m supporting global tax teams, building internal controls, or engineering grant budgets, my approach is steady, intentional, and human. I partner with organizations the way I was taught to approach education as a child: with respect, diligence, and a commitment to leaving things better than I found them.

My life has been shaped by movement—across countries, cultures, and chapters. My work is shaped by purpose. And every client I support benefits from both.