Laura Gehring
Executive Director
Executive Director
As the Director of Maya Traditions, Laura is responsible for advancing the mission and vision of Maya Traditions. Laura first came to Guatemala to intern at a small organization in August of 2010, shortly after Hurricane Agatha had ravaged the Western Highlands. Inspired by the resilience of the indigenous people, she has interned and worked in various capacities at different institutions around Lake Atitlan ever since. Notably, she served as Coordinator of a Student Sponsorship Program and Director of Organizational Development at a non-profit organization in Panajachel for 3 years. Originally from Virginia, she holds Bachelor's degrees in Spanish Languauge and Geographic Science and a Graduate Certificate in International NGO Management from James Madison University. Through her experience in non-profits and her commitment to working towards the mission of Maya Traditions, Laura works to ensure sustainability of the foundation, realizing the vision of founder Jane Mintz.
Floridalma Pérez Sicay
Production Manager
Production Manager
Flory has worked with Maya Traditions since 2005 in a variety of roles including Accounting, Office Administrator, National Sales Representative, and currently as Production Manager. Flory is from the community of San Antonio Palopó and speaks Kaqchikel, Spanish, and is an avid English student. She graduated from high school with a certificate in Bookkeeping & Computer Science. Before joining the Maya Traditions’ team, Flory worked as a Secretary and Accountant with schools in San Antonio and Santa Cruz, as well as a volunteer with a local judge, translating Kaqchikel to Spanish. Flory has been a valuable member of the Maya Traditions team and is currently responsible for national sales, coordinating orders with the weaving groups and sewers, maintaining a high level of quality control on finished products, and office administration.
Marisol Morales Calel
Programs Coordinator
Programs Coordinator
Marisol is responsible for the Youth Education and the Community Health Programs with Maya Traditions Foundation. She is from the village of Panimatzalam, San Andrés Semetabaj and speaks four languages: K'iche, Kaqchikel, Spanish, and English. In 2010, she spent two years at Modesto Junior College in the United States on a scholarship from Georgetown University to earn a diploma in Agrobusiness. Upon her return from the US, she volunteered with Maya Traditions, translating documents from English to Spanish and assisting with monitoring and evaluation activities in the medicinal plant garden. Marisol started as the Community Health Program Coordinator in August 2012 and her position was expanded to include Youth Education in January of 2013. She collaborates closely with the Atitlán Ajq'omanela’ Association, Maya healers, towards the promotion of indigenous Maya medicine and the development of their roles as health advocates in their local communities. She also works with the students of our artisans, organizing workshops throughout the year, distributing scholarships monthly, and providing consistent support.
Jeaneth Rabbé
Finance and Administration Manager
Finance and Administration Manager
Jeaneth is originally from Guatemala City, but has been living in Panajachel for the past six years. Jeaneth has worked in banks, hotels, and non-profit organizations, giving her extensive experience in accounting and human resources, with a strong focus on problem solving. Jeaneth is currently studying Business Administration at the Rafael Landívar University. She looks forward to supporting the work of Maya Traditions and improving the financial and administrative organization of the Foundation.
Isabel Chalcú
Artisan Development Program Coordinator
Artisan Development Program Coordinator
Isabel is originally from Panajachel, Sololá, where Maya Traditions Foundation is based. She is currently attending the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala in Sololá, studying Specialized Bilingual Intercultural Education. As she enters her third semester, her goal is to become completely fluent in reading and writing in Kaqchikel. From 2012 to 2013, Isabel served as the 'Indigenous Queen of Panajachel,' representing the Maya Kaqchikel town in a wide range of activities. With this experience, Isabel was able to travel throughout Guatemala, meet many new people, and learned how to confidently speak in front of large groups in her native language of Kaqchikel. As the Artisan Development Coordinator, Isabel represents the link between the Foundation and the weaving cooperatives. She is responsible for traveling to the communities, ensuring that we are best representing the artisans with whom we work, and coordinating workshops with them based on their needs.
Edgar Tuy Vicente
Organic Medicinal Plant Gardener
Organic Medicinal Plant Gardener
Edgar is originally from Sololá, but currently lives in Panajachel. He attended the Instituto Adolfo B. Hale in Quiché where he received his high school degree in Agronomy. He is currently working towards his university degree in Agricultural Engineering with a focus on management at Rafael Landívar in Quetzaltenango, where he studies on Saturdays. He speaks both Spanish and Kaqchikel fluently, and can also converse in Tzutujil and K’iche. Edgar’s responsibilities at Maya Traditions Foundation include gardening, production of medicinal products, and hosting educational tours and workshops. Edgar is excited to work towards the preservation and promotion of medicinal plants in Guatemala, and specifically to increase productivity in the garden.
Oseas Chiquirin Aju
Groundskeeper, Office & Garden Assistant
Groundskeeper, Office & Garden Assistant
Oseas first began working with Maya Traditions in 2001 as the groundskeeper with founder Jane Mintz. He is originally from Panajachel and speaks Spanish and Kaqchikel. Through support from Maya Traditions, Oseas has had the opportunity to continue his studies. He will graduate from high school in late 2015 with a degree in Accounting. Through his time with the Foundation, Oseas has worked in the areas of maintenance, custodial, gardening, finance, production of medicinal plant products, and currently as the sales manager of the products made in our garden. Oseas is an integral part of the Maya Traditions´ team and has witnessed the growth of the Foundation in the past decade. He is most excited about working with the dynamic team of Maya Traditions and collaborating with volunteers.
Elisiana Diaz-Martin
Product Development & Sales Manager
Product Development & Sales Manager
Being half Salvadoran, Elisiana traveled regularly to Central America to visit family and was raised surrounded by Guatemalan textiles. She received her B.A. in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and, after managing design spaces in Chicago and New York City, she decided to work for a NGO in South Africa. There she realized she wanted to continue to work with a purpose. She brings 14 years of sales experience and business management skills to Maya Traditions Foundation, and is looking forward to contributing its success in the global market while providing social and economical empowerment to the artisan cooperatives. She is excited to showcase the beauty and complexity of Guatemalan textiles with our new wholesale catalog, and is looking forward to continue and grow our retail and design partnerships.
Claire Serizay
Community Tourism Coordinator
Community Tourism Coordinator
Claire joins Maya Traditions with ten years of experience in tourism development and marketing. Originally from France, Claire received her MA in International Tourism Management from the University of Queensland in Australia. In the past ten years, she has worked as a project manager in marketing and local development in French tourism institutions. Most recently, she served as an advisor to an NGO based in Burkina Faso working towards the economic empowerment of women. Driven to explore the intersection between tourism and community development and benefit, Claire is excited to join the Maya Traditions team. As Community Tourism Coordinator, Claire has the honor of bringing visitors out into the field to see our programs and artisans in action, and educating visitors about the stunning traditional Maya art form of backstrap weaving.
Edgar Humberto Morales López
Organic Medicinal Plant Gardener
Organic Medicinal Plant Gardener
Edgar was born and raised in Panajachel. He joined our medicinal plant garden in February 2016. His parents, Herlinda and Pedro are passionate and intuitive gardeners. They taught him to respect nature, and how to care for plants. Edgar graduated with a degree in accounting, but he prefers to work in the garden. He takes every opportunity to learn more about plants especially the medicinal plants of Guatemala. In the future he plans to pursue a bachelor´s degree in Agronomy, and strengthen the health and productivity of the garden.
Paula Milano
Paula is currently a business consultant focused on helping small companies and international NGOs develop effective business processes. Over the past six years, Paula has worked in various countries with organizations, like Maya Traditions, to support their efforts in helping the women in their community. Paula became a consultant after retiring from her 29-year career in the technology industry. As an owner of software technology companies during her career, Paula developed and implemented business strategy, developed strategic alliances, and built marketing & sales teams. She also worked with manufacturing and distribution companies to develop effective internal business operations, as an implementation supplier of Enterprise Resource Planning systems. Her goal, on retiring, is to leverage her experience to help other women around the world to become self-sustainable. Paula has a Bachelor’s degree in economics and a Masters degree in business from UCI. She shares her time between California and Montana.
Alison Wandschneider
Alison is originally from St. Paul, MN but currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Alison has extensive experience in the non-profit sector, mostly with organizations that support the Latino community. Through this work, she became passionate about finding creative ways for non-profit organizations to work towards financial sustainability through transitioning to a social enterprise model. Alison holds a BA in International Affairs from Lewis and Clark College and an MBA with a focus in environmental sustainability and social justice from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle, Washington. After working with Maya Traditions from 2014-2015 in Guatemala, Alison is excited to continue to support our mission in the United States in the areas of development and marketing.
Armando Alfonzo
Armando brings a wealth of experience with over 30 years working in development with indigenous peoples and communities in Mexico and Central America. Formerly the Executive Director of Maya Educational Foundation and Plumstock Mesoamerican studies, Armando currently works as an Independent Consultant. He provides support to the Maya Traditions team in terms of program development.
Marta Lynd-Altan
Martha first met Jane Mintz when she was an anthropology major and weaverfor a US market for weaving groups. Martha conducted a needs assessment in the communities in 1996 and was instrumental in initiating the Foundations’ health and education projects. She is also the author of, The International Craft Market: A Double-Edged Sword for Guatemalan Maya Women, featured in Artisans and Cooperatives: Developing Alternative Trade for the Global Economy (2000). A long term resident of Panajachel, Martha now resides in San Marcos La Laguna with her family, and continues to remain committed to the vision that she and Jane first developed.
Dana Geffner
Dana has been working in the Fair Trade movement for over 10 years. She began as founder of Pachamama, A World of Artisans, an organization that educated consumers about the importance of Fair Trade and brought fairly traded handicrafts to the US marketplace. In 2008, Dana started Global Exchange's wholesale division working directly with over 30 producer groups located in 10 different countries. In 2010, she co-founded the Fair World Project, an Organic Consumers Association independent project started in order to promote and insist on integrity in Fair Trade, and cultivate a holistic approach to global economics. She has held a nominated position on the Fair Trade Federation Board. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Domestic Fair Trade Association in the United States.
Murray Mintz
Originally from Buffalo NY, Murray spent all of his adult life in California, before moving to Guatemala in 2010. He graduated from film school in 1968 and worked in the film industry as a writer and director for the next 40 years. He currently is a member of The Director’s Guild of American and The Writer’s Guild of America. He was married to Jane Stiller Mintz from 1971 until 1984, but remained best friends with her until her passing in November 2009. After Jane died, his primary goal has been to keep the foundation sustainable and to preserve the memory of Jane’s work benefiting the artisans and their families, whom she knew and loved. His goal for the next few years is to help raise funds to assure that the Foundation continues on a path of growth and sustainability.
Carol Engel-Enright
Carol Engel-Enright is an apparel design instructor and internship coordinator in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University. She holds degrees in fashion design from Kansas State University and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and a business degree from Kansas State University. Carol has also taught apparel design classes at the Art Institute of Colorado and Emily Griffith Opportunity School in Denver. Ms. Engel-Enright has her Master of Science in Design and Merchandising from Colorado State University and is completing her PhD in Education incorporating Social Sustainability and Entrepreneurship in Apparel and Textiles. Before becoming an educator she worked as an assistant designer in New York City and owned a boutique in Lawrence, Kansas. Her retail management experience includes department manager and assistant buyer for The Denver Department Store and Montaldo’s Department Stores. She has designed costumes for Boulder Dinner Theater and free-lanced as a couture designer of apparel and interiors. Ms. Engel-Enright is currently on the Board of Directors of the Denver Design Incubator and is the former Regional Director for Fashion Group International of Denver. She has been highly involved with the Rising Star Awards sponsored by Fashion Group International of Denver to recognize new fashion entrepreneurs and successful companies in Colorado. Carol’s doctoral research is incorporating handcrafted cultural textiles into contemporary products through co-design. She is the co-founder and designer for Vivodec, LLC, an emerging home décor and apparel company incorporating Mayan hand woven textiles working with Maya Traditions. She has also coordinated the Colorado Apparel Manufacturing Summit the past two years working with industry professionals to expand manufacturing and entrepreneurship opportunities in Colorado.
Erin Kökdil
Erin is a storyteller interested in expanding, enhancing consciousness, and inciting social change through the power of film. She graduated from Smith College in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Latin American Studies and Spanish. In 2012, Erin moved to Guatemala where she worked and volunteered with a wide variety of non-governmental organizations. She served as Executive Director of Maya Traditions from 2013-2016. She is currently pursuing a Master's of Fine Arts in Documentary Film & Video at Stanford University.
Carly Burson
Carly, the Founder and CEO of lifestyle brand Tribe Alive, has extensive experience working in the fashion industry and spent most of her career focusing on store and visual design for some of the industries leading brands. Tribe Alive was born from Carly’s decision to utilize her years of experience in the fashion industry as a platform to alleviate poverty among women in the developing world. By promoting the development of artisanal traditions and connecting women to the global marketplace, she has seen her outreach grow rapidly in a year’s time: from a small group of artisans in Honduras to the development of partnerships in five additional countries, the Tribe is alive and well. Carly believes that ethical fashion has the power to change lives, and it is her hope that Tribe Alive’s artisans will be empowered with the means to care for their families.
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