Welcome Message 
From the President of
The Lake Chapala Society

In this time of Covid, as an organization, we work towards a new normal way of life in our community and within our organization.

Our Board of Directors, our small staff, our many volunteers and activity leads have risen to the needs of this period of time to focus on what we can do better. On how we can better serve the bigger community and how we can continue our role as leaders here at Lakeside.

If you are new to Lakeside or have been here for years, we believe that the Lake Chapala Society can play a valuable role in your experience here. We work to get past the reputation of a newbie's organization. We have tremendous focus that is guided by our LCS 2.0 Long Range Plan for the Lake Chapala Society. A plan that was overwhelming approved by our membership at our 2020 Annual General Meeting.

A key part of LCS 2.0 relates to our role in collaboration and integration of the many factors who make up the Lakeside community. These include, our members, the greater ExPat community, the local Mexican community, and our dedicated volunteers who play a key role in all of our services. LCS also plays a vital leadership role with the many governmental and political entities that have impact on the quality of life Lakeside. When our government leaders want dialogue with the ExPat community, they come to us. Likewise, when the Expats need a voice at the table, we are the ones that facilitate that dialogue. We have a close working relationship with the US Consulate, the Canadian Consulate, the offices of the municipality and relations with State of Jalisco officials as well.

For those who are new to Lakeside or considering relocating here, we have decades of experience we can share with you to help your relocation and planning for your next chapter of life. If you have been here for a while, we invite you to make LCS part of your moving forward plan. We have introduced many online programs and will shortly be adding additional on campus programs that can enrich your life.

Come and make a difference. The Lake Chapala Society has something for you.

Steve Balfour
president@lakechapalasociety.com

Introducing Lake Chapala Society's 2020 Board of Directors

Click the photos below for each Director's biographical details

The first part of Steve's career was spent working in the hotel and hospitality industry. He continued in the special events industry in the Hollywood, Atlanta and Boston markets. Since his earliest years Steve has been a part of the nonprofit sector with extensive experience in the fundraising area.

Steve has served with the Alzheimer's Association and the American Cancer Society in regional capacities, winning national awards for his efforts. With nearly 40 years exposure to the nonprofit sector, he has served a variety of roles for small grassroot nonprofits up to some of the largest national organizations. He has served as Board Member, Executive Director, Development Director, Vice President for Income Development and various other roles through the years. He has been most fortunate to have his success tied to the success of thousands of volunteers over the years who he has led in reaching towards each organization's mission and vision. As a Board Member, Steve produced a concert in Mexico City in 1994 for a children’s hospice with Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz.

Steve bought a home Lakeside 3 years ago and looks forward to giving back out of appreciation for the support he has received from volunteers over his career.

For these recent years Steve has served the Lake Chapala Society as a major donor, LCS 2.0 long range plan task force member, board member and Executive Director for the Lake Chapala Society.

Howard has been active in the Lake Chapala community since he arrived here in 2004 from Denver, Colorado. Early in 2009 he completed a three year term as Chair of Democrats Abroad Mexico, an organization that helps American expatriates remain involved in their country's electoral process. In addition, Howard served as LCS president from 2009 to 2014 and worked on the rewriting and adoption of its current constitution. He has worked with the Lakeside Little Theater and Naked Stage as an actor, director, stage manager and a number of other support activities.

Prior to moving to Mexico, he was a small business owner in Denver and was involved in a number of community projects including FasTracks, Denver's Transit Expansion program and has been a long-time advocate. Howard has recently returned to Lakeside after spending a "sabbatical" year fulfilling a longtime dream of sailing America’s Great Loop.

Born in Dewsbury [near Leeds] in the UK. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in the UK he and his wife Denise moved to Canada [Toronto] where he re-qualified as a Canadian CA and continued working in the profession for 10 years. After being recruited into the construction industry, he continued with the same group of Companies for 27 years until 2016 when he retired to Lakeside.

Tim & Denise live in West Ajijic with their 2 dogs and are still trying to get used to the different pace of life fromthat of Canada, but are not missing the cold & snow.

With forty year career in Information Technology (IT), his skills include business requirements definition, systems design, general and project management. More specifically strategic, tactical and operational business and IT planning, business process analysis, report writing, presentations, IT requirements analysis and definition, project planning and control.

Education - BA, York University, Toronto, Computer Science.

Relevant work experience
Toronto Public Library – Project Manager – 2 years
Directed consultants, vendors and Library staff on projects to: replace an existing email system with cloud-based MSExchange for 2,400 staff manage the installation of a gigabit fiber optic network to each of 99 Library locations.

TELUS Mobility (Telecom) – Projects Manager, Business Architect – 10 years
Responsible for the definition of IT requirements for the division servicing business and government wireless clients.Defined tactical IT plans to support the division's strategic goals. Managed multiple projects in the $3 to 5 million range.

Ontario Provincial Government – 11 years
Office of the Premier and Cabinet Office.
Managed all IT services including systems development, call center and computer operations.Ministry of Government Services. Managed IT services provided to the Real Estate division (account management role).Acting director of the IT Branch.
Management Board Secretariat
Participated in the creation of government-wide policy for the management of IT in the Ontario Government.

Larry Barnhardt spent 40 years dedicated to making a difference in the lives of students through his work as an instructor, executive director, college president and university dean, all in the area of post-secondary technical education. He holds a doctorate in community college administration with minors in psychology and sociology. Since retiring in 2007, he and his wife Glorine split their time between Lakeside and a RV touring the great roads of United States and Canada. They have traveled extensively through 20 countries on five continents. Despite their travels, they have not missed a single birthday of their five grandchildren. His joys include spending time with family and friends; Tai Chi; fitness; mindfulness; writing, traveling and volunteering. In 2019, Larry chaired the LCS' Master Redevelopment Planning Taskforce that lead to the Comprehensive Long-Range Plan, known as LCS 2.0. He facilitated LCS' Board Retreat and work sessions to establish annual priorities and to begin to shift the organization to a more collaborative culture.

Stephen Balfour
President

Howard Feldstein
Vice President

Timothy Boardman
Treasurer

George Radford
Secretary

Larry Barnhardt
Director at Large

Antoinette Brahm, President of Clean Air International. Clean Air International is a Mexican sister company to Clean Air America a manufacturer of industrial air filtration equipment for factories such as dust collectors and air purification equipment. Among its clients are Fortune 500 companies such as BMW and Johnson Controls Automotive division who gave the very first contract 24 years ago.

Christy Caldwell attended Ohio University with a degree in Speech and Theater.

Background:
1970-1980 - Lived ten years on a private resort island in St. Vincent & The Grenadines. (Palm Island Resort). Married the owner of the island's son (John Caldwell) in 1971. Owned a SCUBA shop and a boutique where I designed and made clothing. I started the first non profit day care center on a neighboring island and it is still operating today. Counseled local women on birth control and taught them to sew. Had both my sons there.
1980-1989 - Lived in North Central Florida town of Inverness (owned 2 businesses and had my own interior design studio). I also was a Florida certified Foster Parent (mainly teenagers) from 1987 to 1989. Lived in the Orlando Florida area and worked as an interior designer. Married a Jewish dentist and sang in the choir and also was the assistant cantor in the synagogue. Also acted and sang in community theater.
2009 - I went back to school to become a certified ESL (English as a Second Language teacher) I taught from 2009 to 2019.
2010-2011 - Lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 2 years.
2012- 2018 - Lived in both the east and west coasts of Florida. In 2012 I met and married an Argentine singer (cousin of Andrea Bocelli) and we formed Duo Romantico and performed "popera" and Broadway stage shows in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Europe.
2019 - Retired from teaching in April of 2019 and moved to Ajijic in May of 2019. I am a book editor and contributed my life story to an anthology of women's stories from around the world, A Mile In Our Shoes: Personal Stories of Women's Journeys.

Richard Chase

Relocated from Vancouver, BC with my wife Pat in 2013 and we have owned our home in Las Fuentes since 2014. We have six children, located all across Canada with our 12 grandchildren. Two dogs and two cats round out the profile.

Formal Education: B.Sc. Civil Engineer, U of Manitoba and MBA from Ivey, London Ontario.

My 40+ year business career consists of leadership positions (President, VP, GM, Director, etc.) in both publicly traded corporations and smaller private companies in a variety of business sectors including petroleum, forestry, mining, retail, distribution, environmental and manufacturing. Scope of involvement covers both domestic and international relationships in operating and financial roles. Operated I am involved in several local A.C.s and charities in various capacities.

Brian came to live in Mexico following a long business career in the United States. He was raised in Oregon and studied forestry at Oregon State University and later studied financial management at New York University. He worked many years for International Paper Company in the areas of marketing management, customer service, budgeting, IT systems applications, and product development. Following retirement he operated a small family business in Portland, Oregon. Prior to arriving in Mexico he helped manage a cattle ranch in Texarkana, Arkansas.

Education:
Oregon State University. B.S. Forest Products Management.
New York University. Graduate studies, finance and business administration.

Background:
International Paper Company. 33-year career in management & business administration.
Metal Supermarkets, Inc. A small business venture in steel and metal supply.
Turkey Creek Company. Ranching, farming, and timber management.

Skills:
Business experience; financial analysis; budgeting; customer service; market research; organizing; IT systems development; problem solving; individual contributor.

Personal:
Brian has been a lifelong bachelor and has family members living in Oregon and California in the U.S.A.

Formacion Academia:
• Universidad Richard M Daley College, Chicago, Illinois
• Roma Beauty School, Chicago, Illinois
• Universidad Regional Loyola Chapala

Habilidades:
• Amplio historial de liderazgo
• Emprendedora
• Excelente manejo de tiempo
• Trabajo en equipo
• Excelente motivación personal
• Excelente manejo del Inglés, oral y escrito
• Buen manejo de relaciones publicas
• Buen manejo de la computadora
• Primeros Auxilios Basicos

Experiencia:
• Amnistía EUA 1986, Chicago, Illinois
• Mujeres Latinas en Acción, Chicago, Illinois
• Presidenta Voluntariado, DIF Problemas Intrafamiliares, Chapala, Jalisco
• Consejera, Cámara de Comercio Ribera de Chapala, Chapala, Jalisco,
• Presidenta, Cámara de Comercio Ribera de Chapala, Chapala, Jalisco
• Consejera, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Chapala, Jalisco
• Presidenta, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Chapala, Jalisco
• Propietaria, Estética Yoly’s Unisex, Ajijic, Jalisco

Antoinette Brahm
Director at Large

Christy Caldwell
Director at Large

Richard Chase
Director at Large

Brian Dalziel
Director at Large

Yolanda Martínez Llamas
Director at Large

Graduated from Georgetown University with an AB in Economics.

General Electric --- various positions from order entry to advertising to sales.

Graduated from George Washington University with an MBA in Accounting.

Peat, Marwick, Mitchell in San Antonio, TX and obtained CPA.

South Texas Drilling and Exploration --- CFO. Took company public and listed on American Stock Exchange.
Pepsi Cola Bottling Group --- Area Controller, Eastern Division Controller, Director of Management Systems Development and Eastern & Western Division Controller.

Area Franchisee for Mail Boxes Etc. and The UPS Store. Opened first Mail Boxes Etc. in Boston in 1986 and obtained Area Franchise rights to Suffolk County and the town of Brookline in Massachusetts. Merged areas with my two partners in 1992 and we eventually acquired all of the Area Franchise rights for the state of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Southern New Hampshire. When I sold my interest to my partner we were responsible for supporting 140 franchisees in our area.

Retired and relocated to Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. Joined the Audit & Advisory Committee of LCS in August 2012 and led the 2012 audit of LCS. Elected Treasurer of LCS in 2013.

Elizabeth Villaseñor Ramírez

Elizabeth is from Colima city and has lived in different cities and countries because of her job or studies. She decided to move to Ajijic in 2017 after being in some LCS's Saturday activities and being a board member at Programa Pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago AC in Ajijic. She also has participated in different community activities around the lake.

EDUCATION

Investment Advisor Certified by the AMIB (The Mexican Association of Securities Intermediaries).
Computer Systems Engineer - Colima, Colima. Instituto Tecnológico de Colima. 1992-1996
English as a Second Language - Philadelphia, Pa. 1997-1998

BACKGROUND

Lately working at Bx+ Banco (Ve Por Mas Bank) attending the International Transaction Banking position where she specializes in the national and international corporations as well as Expat communities.

From 2015 to 2020, Elizabeth worked at Intercam Banco S.A. as Business Director, and from 2012 to 2015 she had the same position but for Intercam Casa de Bolsa S.A. de C.V. in Colima. In this financial group she mainly drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, new opportunity business and long-range planning as well as assisting with marketing strategy creation and advertising initiatives to better promote to the public.

From July 2010 to Feb. 2012 she worked at Ixe Banco, S.A. (Now Banorte Bank) Zapopan having the International Transaction Banking position in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

From Oct. 2006 to July 2010 she was the Sales Director at Phytosan, S.A. DE C.V. in Zapopan, Jal.

She's worked for different Companies such as: Brun Produce S.A. in Villa de Álvarez, Colima; Holcim Apasco S.A. de C.V. Tecomán, Colima; Aerocalifornia (airline) in La Paz B.C.S.; English Club in Colima.

SKILLS

Accomplished and creative Director with 15 years of experience and proven ability to re-energize and restructure organizations, develop strategic initiatives and capture emerging business opportunities.

Results-oriented, decisive leader adept at forging lucrative relationships with key partners, vendors and clients. Recognized for turning around struggling company operations to achieve sustained growth.

Customer-oriented meticulous leader and strategic planner focused on increasing sales and promotion. Adaptive and deadline-oriented with capacity to execute and complete multiple projects in high-stress environments.

Carole and her husband Bill have been living in the Lakeside for 8 years. Carole came from San Francisco Area and Bill from Austin, Texas.

Education:

• Post Graduate Public Relations , DePaul University, Chicago, IL
• Master of Arts with Distinction/Curriculum Administration, DePaul University, Chicago, IL
• Bachelor of Arts, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL
• University of Illinois, Springfield, Illinois
• Gulf Park College, Gulfport, Mississippi

Background:

• Blue Boy, Lake Bluff, IL: 20 years in Sales & Administrative in a family business.
• Woodland Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest, IL: Director of Development & Public Relations.
• Tao Associates, Lake Forest, IL: Director of Organizational Development in Theater, Education and the Arts for fundraising.
• Associated Press, New York City: Office Manager and Assistant Director of the Wire.
• Gallerist-Chicago/New York/San Francisco: 17 years as an art administrator, curator and directed over 320 exhibitions with international artists.

Skills: Focusing on developing individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations with a strong base constituency tosupport and promote their mission thru the building of relevant databases, public relations and social networking.

Member of Organizations:

• CASE (Council for Advancement & Support of Education) attending Conferences For Fundraising in Chicago and development & promotion of a Can DoComputer Program for the Arts at the conference.
• Independent Schools Association: Participated in conferences in Boston and Kansas City.
• Press Club of Chicago
• Cathedral District of Chicago
• Public Relations Society of New York City
• Sausalito Women’s Club, Sausalito, CA
• Rotary Club of Ajijic: Secretary 2011-2016
  President 2016-2017
  Treasurer 2017-2018
• Lake Chapala Society: Secretary 2014-2018

I am Luis Pacheco. I am 45 years old, married to a wonderful woman with whom I share my life, and we have 2 children. I was born in Mexico City, where I grew up with a sister and wonderful parents who have been great teachers and companions in my walk to date. I have been fortunate to be able to work with many diverse projects and organizations, from the indigenous world in Acteal Chiapas, through poor suburban spaces in Chalco, human rights defense centers like Vihas de vida in Guadalajara, and more recently with ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara and ISIA in Oaxaca. With each of them, I had the good fortune to be part of high decision-making, but at the same time I have also had to roll up my sleeves in order to build the foundations of their mission in order to strengthen their ability to deliver their services.

What brought me here wanting to share my life with you is largely the same as what has led many of you to become a part of LCS: leaving a legacy of service and transformation of the world. I believe that a world like the one we live in is open to reinventing itself constantly to provide better opportunities for all. This implies building intercultural communities.

 

Michael Searles
Director at Large

Elizabeth Villaseñor Ramírez
Director at Large

Carole Wolff
Immediate Past President

Luis F Pacheco
Executive Director