John Leano Selected as 2020-21 Chair of Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association Board

John Leano of BRYAN’S Cleaners and Laundry was chosen as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association for 2020-21.

Due to the current pandemic, Leano will serve as Chair of the Board from July 1 to December 31, 2021.

Leano will be the first Filipino-American to lead the Board of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be chosen as Chair of the Board for 2020-21.” Leano said. “The Pasadena Chamber is a vital and important institution that focuses its energy on supporting the success of its members and helping create a thriving economy in the greater Pasadena area. I am happy to support that effort.”

Leano was elected to the Chamber Board in 2015 and has served the past three years as a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Member Services Committee.

Leano has been associated with BRYAN’S Cleaners for nearly four decades. He has been involved with the Pasadena Chamber for nearly 30 years.

BRYAN’S Cleaners has been a member of the Chamber for more than 80 years.

Leano was born at St. Luke’s Hospital and raised in Northwest Pasadena. He attended PUSD schools, is an alumnus of Marshall Fundamental School, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music at JSBC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Chair-Elect Raphael Henderson of Wells Fargo will take over as Chair of the Board on January 1, 2022 and serve until June 30, 2023. Henderson is district manager for Wells Fargo in charge of the North Hills Region that includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, La Verne, Monrovia and San Dimas.

He serves on various non-profit boards including Hillsides, the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center and the Lake Avenue Education Foundation. He also serves a commissioner on the California State Senate Advisory Committee on Cost Control. Henderson is an alumnus of the University of Southern California and an avid supporter of the university. He is a Board Member of the USC Black Alumni Association and was recently appointed to the school’s Board of Governors.

Henderson has served on the Chamber Board since 2015 and has been Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee since 2019. He will be the fifth African-American to serve as Chair of the Board of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

“John Leano has always been an active and contributing member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. He has faithfully attended networking events, fundraising activities and supported the Chamber throughout his tenure at BRYAN’S,” said Chamber President and CEO Paul Little. “As a Board member he has been focused on the prosperity of the members, especially our small business members, and the success of the Chamber. I look forward to working with him for the next 18 months.”

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association is a professional business organization. Since the earliest days of Pasadena, the Chamber has played a major role in the development of this internationally renowned city. Since 1888, when the organization was founded as the Board of Trade, the Chamber’s primary purpose has been the enhancement of both the business climate and the quality of life in Pasadena. The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce serves 1400 members.