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@lcsac.org

Introducing Lake Chapala Society's 2024 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.

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

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 from that of Canada, but are not missing the cold & snow.

I bring over 25 years of diverse and extensive experience in the Hotel Industry, steadily advancing through various roles and leadership positions. My career journey began as a Dining Room Assistant Manager and evolved through positions such as Dining Room Manager, Beverage Manager, Front Desk Manager, Convention Manager, Convention Sales Manager, and Food and Beverage Manager. This progression culminated in my roles as Assistant Hotel Manager and ultimately Hotel Manager. Throughout my career, Ihave honed my skills in guest services, operations management, and team leadership, making me a seasoned professional with a proven track record of delivering exceptional service and driving operational excellence within the hospitality sector.

Facilities Manager Lakeside Little Theater | San Antonio Tlayacapan, Jalisco, Mexico March 2021 - Current
• Manage vendor relationships and oversee staff
• Manage facilities operations, encompassing safety, security, capital improvements, and maintenance
• Serve as House Manager and assist in numerous ongoing entertainment venues

Managing Director September 1999 - December 2002 Lake Worth Playhouse | Lake Worth, Florida
• Took over as Managing Director of a 300 seat community theater that included a100 seat black box theater that was in deep financial and managerial trouble.
• Implemented numerous changes in personnel, ticketing systems, public relations and Internet presence
• Applied and secured numerous grants that ensured the financial stability of the organization

Licensed Real Estate Agent May 1997 - September 1999 Castles By The Sea Real Estate | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
• Helped clients improve sales chances by recommending value-added improvements and attractive staging.
• Obtained maximum sales prices with savvy sales and negotiation tactics.
• Advocated for buyer or seller needs with tireless dedication to customer satisfaction.

Managing Director Chesterfield Hotel March 1991- April 1997 Tollman-Hundley Hotels | Palm Beach, FL

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.

Stephen Balfour
President (to Aug 2024)

Yolanda Martínez Llamas
Vice President (to Mar 2025)

Timothy Boardman
Treasurer (to Mar 2025)

Mike Abe Platt
Secretary (to Mar 2026)

Christy Caldwell
Director at Large (to Mar 2025)

Greg Custer

Greg migrated to Mexico in 2015, having worked in Mexico tourism for over 40 years. He enjoys Latin American history, theater, exploring Mexico (he's been to all 32 States) and helping expats explore Mexico living.

After graduating with a BS degree in English literature from Brown University, I headed off to NYC and received an MBA in marketing from Columbia University. Following a brief stint at Citibank’s Visa credit card department, I struck out on my own as a freelance PR and event specialist.

At the age of 28 I landed a job as vice president of the fashion and luxury division at DeVries Global – a prominent NYC PR firm. Three years later, I was recruited to be a senior partner at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, serving as the head of U.S. public relations for the diamond giant, DeBeers. In 2000, I was awarded a Silver Anvil by the Public Relations Society of America, for the best “Integrated Communications Program” in the United States, for my campaign linking diamonds to the millennium.

Feeling that I had reached the pinnacle of my chosen profession, I returned home to Providence, Rhode Island where I accepted a position as head of marketing for Johnson & Wales University, with campuses in Providence, Charlotte, Miami and Denver. I remained in that position for 11 years, after which I moved to Ajijic.

Education: MBA, Management focus; BA, French and Linguistics

Professional experience (30+ years in business technology sales):
Sales Director positions at AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint: Managed global sales teams; led business operations and sales engineering teams.
Adobe Systems: Managed a Global Sales Enablement team; training and onboarding 10,000 global sales professionals.
ION-Success (independent business consultancy): Worked with emerging tech companies to help them plan and execute their GTM (“go-to-market”) strategy.

Non-profit experience (volunteer and paid):
American Cancer Society: Legislative Ambassador (lobbyist for cancer-related legislation); Community Organizer: managed volunteers for Northern California
Organizing for America (President Obama’s field team): Community Organizer (for the Affordable Care Act); managed volunteers for rallies, phone banks, signature gathering, and town hall meetings with legislators.
Unity Church, Oahu, HI: member of the Board of Directors
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for Foster Children in Alameda County, CA
Battered Women’s Alliance: member of the Board of Directors
Hayward Chamber of Commerce: Membership Director
Unity Church of Ajijic: volunteer Social Media Coordinator

Skill Set
Strategic planning
Management processes
Sales planning, execution, and negotiations
Presentation, training, and public speaking
Team building, mentoring, and coaching
Volunteer organizing and management
The ability to roll up my sleeves and get stuff done!

Linda Lou Goman had a long career in the telecommunications industry working for AT&T and Verizon in Los Angeles and Sacramento. During that time she earned a MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Pepperdine University.

After retiring she became very involved with the non-profit, Assistance League of Sacramento, chairing several committees. She also volunteered her time narrating audio books for the California State Library’s program for the blind and disabled. She also “voiced” radio commercials for several Sacramento businesses.

Linda and her husband, Stan, moved to Lakeside as permanent residents in August 2021. Since then she has acted in numerous productions at Lakeside Little Theatre, Bare Stage and Bravo theatre. Linda and Stan are both very active with the Lakeside Little Theatre. Linda is currently serving on the Board of Directors and Stan is the Bar Sales Manager. He also serves as President for the Chula Vista Homeowner’s Association.

After graduation from Delta State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration, Steve moved to Dallas/Fort Worth to begin a career in Human Resources. Most of his career was in Information Technology companies or Telecommunications Services or Research/Development companies. Steve had PHR and SPHR certifications.

After retiring in 2015, he lived in Sarasota, Florida where he was the co-chair of the annual stewardship campaign in 2018 for his Episcopal church. The church raised more than the ambitious goal set for that year.

After moving to Lakeside in 2021, Steve volunteered for the Lake Chapala Society as a Docent/Amigo. There he wrote a tour of the campus for the Docents/Amigos to give to membership prospects.

As a member of the Rainbow Alliance committee, they have raised over 300,000 pesos for local charities since September 2023.

Steve has owned a home in Riberas del Pilar since 2021.

Greg Custer
Director at Large (to Mar 2025)

Greg Distefano
Director at Large (to Mar 2025)

Madera Elizabeth Glenn
Director at Large (to Mar 2026)

Linda Lou Goman
Director at Large (to Mar 2026)

Stephen Dewitt Graham
Director at Large (to Mar 2026)

Hunter and his wife, Jennifer, started their move to Lakeside in 2017 after his 45- year career in community development, public sector service, and nonprofit management. The couple made their first trip to Mexico in 1965, have traveled throughout the country ever since, and settled on Ajijic as the perfect spot. LCS was a major factor in their decision and Hunter has participated in a range of programs and activities including serving on the Program Committee, a team leader for Reaching Out, and helping create and support the Mudlarks Pottery Studio.

His professional career ranged from increasingly responsible position in the San Francisco and Emeryville, California, Redevelopment Agencies, to 10 years of providing consulting services guiding clients through the intricacies of building diverse housing types, creating economic development strategies, writing applications for federal, state, and local funding programs, strategic planing, and building organizational capacity. He finished his career leading LINC Housing as the nonprofit organization grew from two employees to 75 with a core operating budget of $6 million and annual property throughput of $60 million.

Education:
Hunter’s education includes a BA in Sociology from the University of Tulsa, a professional degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and executive education programs at Harvard University.

Community Contributions:
He has held a number of nonprofit and public sector governance roles including:
• Palm Springs Airport Commission
• Palm Springs Public Arts Commission Chair
• The National Housing Conference Board of Directors
• California Housing Consortium Board of Directors and Co-Founder
• Steering Committee of the International Housing Partnership, Chair
• Palm Springs Art Museum Artists Council Secretary

We do not currently have a bio for this board member.

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.

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.

Hunter Johnson
Director at Large (to Mar 2025)

Leon Felipe Muñoz
Director at Large (to Mar 2025)

George Radford
Director at Large (to Mar 2026)

Carole Wolff
Immediate Past President

Luis F Pacheco
Executive Director