Rene Astudillo immigrated from the Philippines and has spent his last two decades in the U.S. working and volunteering for multicultural community organizations dealing with LGBT issues, health concerns and the media. His extensive professional career is focused on non-profit management, meeting & event planning, fundraising, program development & evaluation and training & facilitation.

He is currently the executive director of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California. Previously, Rene was executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association, program coordinator at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, executive director of the Filipino Task Force on AIDS, and education director of the Life Foundation, Hawaii’s AIDS Foundation based in Honolulu.

He is a member of the board of directors of the Philippine International Aid , and national treasurer and governing board member of the Asian American Journalists Association for 2011-2012.