Loida Nicolas Lewis, Philanthropist/Author, was born and raised in Sorsogon, Philippines, the daughter of Francisco Nicolas and Magdalena Mañalac. She earned her B.A. in Humanities from St. Theresa's College Manila, and her Bachelor of Laws (LL. B.) from the University of the Philippines - Diliman. She placed 7th in the bar exams conducted in 1968.
Loida Lewis is Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC, a family investment firm, and Chair of The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation. A lawyer by profession, she is admitted to practice in the Philippines and New York, being the first Filipino and Asian American woman to pass the New York bar without having studied law in the United States. After serving 10 years as General Attorney in the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (currently U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services), and having won her discrimination case against INS in 1979, Mrs. Lewis co-authored the best-selling guidebook for immigrants, “How to Get A Green Card”, now on its 14th edition. Mrs. Lewis loves giving back to the community, but the role she loves most is that of being "Grandma" to her five grandchildren.
