Bill Greenfield, Executive Director, started volunteering with Casita Linda shortly after arriving in town. He has held numerous administrative leadership positions and served for more than 30 years as a Professor of educational leadership and policy foundations, most recently at Portland State University. He and his wife, Joan Strouse, both career academics, retired from active university teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities and moved to San Miguel de Allende in August, 2006.
|
Saul Whynman, President, before retiring to San Miguel de Allende, was a professor of English, an Associate Dean of Faculty, a member of a local board of education for 9 years, and a volunteer fireman in his local community. He has worked on every Casita Linda home except the very first one, and truly believes that Casita Linda builds hope for families one home at a time. He considers it an honor to be associated with the people and the mission of Casita Linda. |
Donna Phillips, Secretary, and her husband, Bud, originally from Kansas City, Missouri and living for a time in Cleveland, Ohio, became permanent residents of San Miguel de Allende in July 2008. Donna spent 25 years as Director of Sales and Administration at Hyatt Legal Plans, having helped build the business from the ground up. Her clients included Human Resource executives at AT&T, Caterpillar, AmEx, Pepsico, GM, and H&R Block (among others). Donna and Bud began volunteering with Casita Linda in 2009. Donna says, "The joy in the faces of the parents and grandparents and children who live in our casitas paints a picture of the success of this organization. The impact of our efforts is visible and encouraging. A big bonus for us is working closely with other Casita Linda volunteers. They've enriched our lives, and we have FUN!"
|
Jack Harrop, Treasurer, was born in Regina, Canada. After teaching for 30 years in Canada, which included a 3-year stint as a teacher at a Canadian Military base in Germany, he retired to teach overseas. After another 7 years of work and travel he and his wife, Rosa, settled in San Miguel. Jack comes from a family which has had a long association with organizations which worked to better those in need. He is happy to carry on in the family tradition. |
Kathy Patterson, Board Member, is a native Texan, and considers herself a Mexican stuck in a Gringa body. She attended the University of Texas, and then worked for the Mexican government for 13 years before becoming an educator and administrator in California. She is fluent in Spanish and in 2004 she taught locally at the Vasconsuelos Bilingual School here in San Miguel. Kathy began working with Casita Linda in 2009, and is a key player as our Family Selection Team Coordinator. She orients and supports volunteers at our building site, helping them get there and offering guidance on how they can best contribute. She can always be found hard at work helping with building the casitas and constructing the Patsari stoves that now are provided to families. She has 4 wonderful sons, 2 super daughters-in-law, and lives with her father, also a volunteer for Casita Linda. |
Terry Weathers, Head of Construction, is an Electronics Engineering professional and was a Project Manager for Electronic Data Systems at the time of his retirement in summer of 2005. Immediately following retirement he moved to San Miguel de Allende with his wife, Christen. Terry started working as a volunteer for Casita Linda in the Spring of 2007 and is now the site construction coordinator. |
Gordon Logan, Board Member, has been volunteering with Casita Linda in the construction of houses since the summer of 2006. He is past president of Rotary Club San Miguel de Allende-Midday. He recently founded Logan Construction Consulting to help foreigners build homes in San Miguel. He and his wife Muriel moved to San Miguel full-time in 2002. |
Michael Koen, Board Member, has an extensive background in the business world, having completed a 25 year executive career with Sears, and then co-founding and operating a small business marketing high quality quilting supplies to 3000 independent shops in the U.S. and 40 countries. He brings many skills in administration, marketing, and fund raising to Casita Linda, and continues to be active as a volunteer and board member with several organizations in the Chicago area. In his words, he "volunteers with Casita Linda because of their impact on improving the basic housing of the least fortunate families in the municipality of San Miguel. It is exciting and heart-warming to see the faces of the families as they move into their new home." |
Irma Rosado, Co-Founder and Board Member, has a degree in Business Administration. She has contributed to capacity building of several non-profits in Mexico dealing with issues such as street children, human rights, women's rights, HIV/AIDS and social development. Irma won a fellowship from the Ashoka Foundation in 1991 for her work on the fight against HIV/AIDS. She participated with WHO and the Royal Tropical Institute of Netherlands to contribute to the improvement of health services for people with AIDS. |
Roslyn Colley, Board Member, was born in Canada and moved from San Francisco to San Miguel de Allende in 2005. While living in San Francisco Roslyn volunteered with and was on the board of Family House. She joined Casita Linda in 2007 as a volunteer as well as volunteering with other NGO's in SMA since 2005. |
Sid Martin, Board Member, grew up in the Eugene, Oregon area, graduating from Springfield High School in 1960, attending the University of Oregon for a year. He then joined the US Army, serving in Alabama, Oklahoma and Germany. Shortly after his return to the University of Oregon, he began working at his father's sheet metal shop. He worked at that trade for over 30 years, retiring in 1996. Since 2006 he has volunteered with Casita Linda, sharing his construction experience and especially his welding and metal fabrication skills, and providing guidance to our crew in fabricating and welding the doors, railings, and windows for each house. In his words, "The volunteers for Casita Linda, are among the best people I've known, and the smiles on the faces of the recipients of the homes we build, are two of the reasons I say "I am having the time of my life!" |
