PEACE - Punta de Mita

Who we are

Founded in April, 2013, PEACE Punta de Mita, is a non-profit organization located on the North Shore of the Bay of Banderas in the State of Nayarit. The area comprises the communities of Emiliano Zapata, Corral del Risco, and Higuera Blanca. The charity was founded by a small group of part time residents, and its operations are funded through an increasing base of caring people from Mexico, Canada, and the United States of America.

Board of directors

Mariette Woestemeyer

Director and management oversight

Mariette has served on the PEACE Punta de Mita Board nearly since its inception, and has interfaced with multiple committees during her tenure. She has served on fundraising committees with various non-profit organizations and focuses her philanthropic endeavors primarily on education.

Bob Farquharson

PEACE Punta de Mita founding donor/director and finance committee

Bob brings to PEACE a vast amount non-profit experience in Toronto, Canada, including: Chair Emeritus, Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors; Trustee of The University of Guelph; Prostate Cancer Research Foundation Board; and Tarragon Theatre Board. Bob is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fraser Institute, an independent non-partisan research and educational organization based in Vancouver.

Roberto Santa Cruz

Director and community pride committee head and management oversight committee

Roberto joined the PEACE Board in 2014 and has served on multiple committees. He has served on the Board of The American School in Guadalajara. He is a member of YPO/WPO, and founder of the YPO Chapter in Guadalajara. In the Punta Mita area he was one of the founders of The Punta Mita Foundation. He has participated in the Vigilance Committee of Hacienda de Mita, and was past President.

Juan Pablo (JP) Stone

Juan Pablo (JP) Stone has been a lifelong resident of the greater Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit area. His architectural and construction company, Stone Contractors, is a preeminent builder of many of the best homes both inside and outside of the gates of Punta Mita. He has a reputation of honesty, integrity, commitment, and excellence in all he does. In addition, JP was an early on prime mover for charitable works in the area and most recently, he has supported PEACE Punta de Mita by developing concepts and volunteering the expertise of his company. JP and his wife, Celeste, reside with their beautiful family in Nuevo Vallarta, and they are also members of the Punta Mita community.

Mandy Shapansky

Mandy, a Certified Public Accountant by training, is former Chairperson and CEO of a large technology company in Canada where she won national acclaim. With husband and their four children, Mandy has been involved with hands-on international development, beginning more than 20 years ago with the building of a school in Kenya, and then partnered with a micro finance charity to bring loans to underprivileged entrepreneurs.

Alfredo Bonnin Erales

Alfredo has a long professional career in tourism projects, being General Director of DINE Punta Mita, in addition to being Director of the American School of Puerto Vallarta, which allows him to be a great support for PEACE Punta de Mita when it is necessary to work with Government at the state or local levels and not only that, thanks to his experience he manages to contribute greatly to one of our strongest service categories, education.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Omar Covarrubias

Administrator AND HR

Omar was born in Aguascalientes. He studied accounting at the UASLP graduating with a diploma in finances. He has worked in various places as an administrator within the Bahía de Banderas region such as PSAV at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and Wildmex Surf School. Omar started to work for PEACE in 2018 as an administrative assistant and, after a year he was appointed as Administrator and HR.

María Rangel

Community Pride Manager

María was born in Mezquitíc, Jalisco. Since she was in high school she has enjoyed working hand in hand with the community, which is why she applied for a scholarship for community leaders to study in New York through the SEED program by USAID, where she continued to perform in social work during her stay in US, receiving recognition from “The President’s Volunteer Service Award” led by “The Corporation for National and Community Service” (CNCS).

Lourdes Orozco

Casa Campesina Overseer

Lulú is originally from Nayarit. She has lived in the Bahía de Banderas area for 12 years, joining the PEACE Punta de Mita team in 2015 to oversee our Community Center, Casa Campesina. Lulú is a fundamental piece to the success of our organization as she is great support for the students.

TEACHERS

Karina Orozco

English and Campeones Teacher

Originally from Toluca, Estado de México, Karina majored in Hotel Management in Universidad Iberoamericana of Mexico City, she worked in Secretaría de Turismo del Estado de México (State of Mexico Tourism Secretary), she also spent 3 years in Canada, working and studying ESL, when she returned to Mexico, she worked for Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and later joined the PEACE team.

Alexis Ornelas

English Program

Alexis was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, México. He obtains his law degree in 2018 at the University of Guadalajara (UDG). He is certified in English by TOEFL and The Trinity College London. He first joined PEACE in March 2015, and after three years in China teaching English and working in other administrative positions, he returned to take charge of the educational reform of English Program.

Ana Orozco

IT Teacher and Programer

Ana grew up in California. In 2000, she settled in Punta de Mita and taking interest in new media, Ana took to studying technology, specializing in Web Page Design at the UTBB in Nuevo Vallarta. Ana teaches students about various computing programs such she feels are essential for their career advancement.