President Joe Biden with Fil-Am community leader Loida Nicolas Lewis, who has been nominated to serve on the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s board of directors.
UNITED States President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Filipina American community leader and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis to serve on the board of directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004 with strong bipartisan support, the MCC partners with the world’s poorest countries that are committed to just and democratic governance, economic freedom and investing in their populations.
The MCC is an independent agency separate from the State Department and USAID.
Lewis serves as Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC, a family investment firm. A lawyer by profession, Lewis made history as the first Filipino woman to pass the New York Bar without attending law school in the United States. Her landmark discrimination case against the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service paved the way for integration within the agency, where she served as General Attorney from 1978 to 1988.
Lewis was Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice International, a $2 billion multinational food company with operations across Europe, from 1994-2007. She assumed leadership of the company following the passing of her husband, Reginald F. Lewis, a pioneering financier and the first African American to acquire a billion-dollar company through his leveraged buyout of Beatrice International Foods.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Lewis is deeply invested in philanthropy and advocacy. She chairs the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, which supports institutions like Harvard Law School, the Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, and Virginia State University. A proud native of Sorsogon, Philippines, she has also contributed to the Lewis College in her hometown.
Lewis has co-founded numerous advocacy organizations, including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and U.S. Filipinos for Good Governance. Her lifelong commitment to justice and equity has inspired generations of leaders.
In a statement, NaFFAA celebrated and showed support for Lewis’ nomination.
“Loida Lewis’ nomination is a testament to her unparalleled commitment to service and justice,” said Brendan Flores, NaFFAA National Chairman. “She has been a trailblazer throughout her career, inspiring countless individuals with her unwavering dedication to uplifting communities and fostering meaningful change.” (AJPress)
