Cybil Joy Pallugna-Saenz

Manager of Operations

Cybil Joy Pallugna-Saenz (she/her/they) serves as the Institute’s Manager of Operations. In this role, Cybil is responsible for assisting the accountant and vice president of operations and providing daily support to the Institute’s staff and programs. She serves as a spiritual care volunteer for the Institute’s Interfaith Spiritual Care Coalition and as a diabetes peer support group facilitator with Core Initiative. She joined the Institute in September 2023. 

Cybil is a seasoned administrative professional and first-generation Houstonian. Cybil has worked in a variety of industries, such as valve manufacturing, real estate, publishing, and various non-profit organizations. 

Cybil is committed to celebrating her Filipino ancestry and culture. A lifelong learner, she conducts extensive research on collective generational trauma among Filipino families and actively seeks to explore and record her family's ancestral lineage dating back to pre-colonial times. Cybil’s artist name is ATEh UBEh, or “Sistar Purple” in her ancestral language, Tagalog. She is also a founding member of the Filipinx Artists of Houston and vice president of the Houston chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

Cybil earned an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Houston Community College. She is also a certified yoga instructor through the Yoga Institute.