Meet The Speakers

Bernadette is an advocate and educator of individuals with all abilities for the past nine years. She became the Assistant Program Leader for Curriculum and Instruction in 2019, then the Program Leader for Functional Education in 2020 in One World School Makati. In 2021, she headed the Mental Health and Wellness Program of The Vanguard Academy. She was the Co-Director of the Transcend Program in the same institution which aims to empower young adults of all abilities in college, the workplace, and in the community. At present, she is the director of the Allied Health and Related Services of the school.

She graduated cum laude in Bachelor of Elementary Education with a major degree in Special Education from the University of Santo Tomas last 2016. In the same year, she became a licensed professional teacher. Bernie is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Psychology major in Clinical Psychology in De La Salle University, Manila.

Toni is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University. A registered psychologist, she is an Affiliate Member (Clinical Psychologist) of the Department of Psychiatry at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City. She previously served as Managing Director, Director for Assessment Services, and Director for Customized Services at the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (CORD). Toni has co-authored psychological tests, published in local and international journals, and contributed as editor and chapter author to the books Workplace Well-being in the Philippines: A Guidebook, Filipino Leadership: Stories and Science, and Organization Development Practice in the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University Press), as well as Lifeline: A Layperson’s Guide to Helping People in Crisis (Anvil Publishing, Inc.).

Gary's professional training has been teasingly described as a journey from left brain to right brain. His undergraduate degree is BS Industrial Engineering and has an MBA, both from UP. For twenty years, he worked full time as a pastoral worker in a religious movement/community. Eventually, he took his MA in Counseling Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila. As a licensed psychologist, Gary practices privately and as a consultant for the Ateneo Jaime C. Bulatao Psychology Services Center. From 2016 to the present, he has held the position of Director of the Office of Guidance and Counseling of the Ateneo Higher Education. Gary is also very much involved with the Center for Ignatian Spirituality as an associate, spiritual guide, and resource speaker.