- Co-Presidents: Allison Morrill & Lisa Yulkowski
- Co-VPs for Program: Laurie Frey Baquedano (pro tem for Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado) & Alexandra Wesleysmith
- Co-VPs for Membership: Bettina Hirschi & Cate Hauser
- Co-Secretaries: Lucy Cash & Cathy Harrison
- Co-Treasurers: Marie Barchus & Anne Franks
Allison Morrill, co-President (1-year term)
I first came to Merida in 1979 with my husband Cliff. We were on our honeymoon! We went to Mexico City, Merida, and Cozumel. Twenty-five years later, in 2004, I bought a house here on calle 47 in Centro with a friend. After we had it renovated, she moved to the beach and I bought her out. The street is now lined with good restaurants, which suits me fine! I joined IWC in 2008.
When I am not in Mérida I live in Mid-Coast Maine. Long ago I was a lawyer specializing in divorce and child custody. Then I made a career change, got a degree in psychology and became a research scientist. I studied health-related behavior – especially HIV prevention and care, maternal and child health. I evaluated many public health programs, such as reducing tobacco sales, HIV partner notification, suicide prevention for youth. My last job was as a dean for research at a health professions university, helping the faculty to develop their research.
I retired in 2018, so now I am able to spend 5 months in Merida each year. My husband and I enjoy traveling in Mexico and in Europe when we can. We have two grown children and two grandchildren in Maine ages 15 and 14. I enjoy playing violin in a fiddle orchestra, doing genealogical research and writing, leading a dream analysis group, and in recent years I learned to play “petanca” here in Mérida. I’m delighted that since 2022 I’ve at last been able to contribute more to this wonderful organization by serving first as Secretary, and this year as co-President.
Lisa Yulkowski, co-President (1-year term)
I grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. But I have spent half my adult life in Latin America.
After majoring in Music and German, my first job was as an orchestral musician in Caracas, Venezuela in the early 80s, where I also met my Chilean husband, Patricio. This turned out to be an excellent opportunity to quickly learn Spanish.
From there, we moved to Milan, Italy in 1984, and then to the US in 1986, where I worked for 2 years as a high school teacher, and for 8 years as a sales manager for a building products manufacturer. In 1998 we moved with our two young sons to Santiago, Chile, where I worked as a journalist with Reuters.
We returned to the US in 2009, and in January 2018, after winding up my work as a senior financial consultant with a not-for-profit financial company in Charlotte, NC, we retired to lovely Mérida.
I have been impressed with the warmth and intelligence of the people that I have met at IWC, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with this incredible group of women.
Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado, co-VP for Program (1-year term, on leave)
My name is Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado. Born in North Vancouver, BC, Canada… I came to Merida in January 1976, met Jorge Rosado the next day. and we married a year later. Except for long and short vacations and travels, I’ve lived here full time, ever since.
Jorge and I have two children and one granddaughter. We are the founders of the college where the monthly IWC meetings are held. We both worked there for more than 30 years, and although we still own TTT and are consultants, we are now retired. I have many interests (reading, travel, cooking, painting, writing and more…) I love getting together with other women to share friendship and our mutual interests.
I have been a member of the IWC since Day One. During my first years in Merida, it was so hard for me to find women like myself. I figured we needed a way to meet each other. I also knew several women from here who had lived abroad for part of their lives, and they wanted the chance to meet women from other countries.
It seems clear that most women are not fully happy if they don’t have other women to share with. And with that idea, the International Women’s Club came to life in Merida. Many women tell me they’ve made some of their strongest Merida relationships at the IWC.
Over the years, I have served the Club in many ways… sometimes more actively than others. I look forward to the opportunity of sharing the VP Programming position with my lovely friend, Ellyne Basto. We are both bilingual and know many people here who we hope will speak at our monthly meetings. We will coordinate the breakfasts, coffees, teas and other events, and hopefully we’ll get some special outings organized.
Many of the activities we all enjoy are also fund raisers for needy causes. Ellyne and I cannot do this job alone, and we urge other clubwomen to come forward with ideas, and be willing to help support the different initiatives as needed. Many hands make light work… and in this spirit, we bring much joy to ourselves and others.
Laurie Frey Baquedano, co-VP for Program (pro tem for Joanna)
Alexandra (Alex) Wesleysmith, co-VP for Program (2-year term)
I was born in New Orleans. My family immigrated from Argentina. I grew up in two distinct worlds: Anglo Argentine and US. I always had friends from Latin America, so I decided to move to Mexico to rediscover/ experience Latin culture.
I arrived in Merida on Thursday, March 2, 2023, with my two dogs. Not knowing a soul here, I saw a posting on Facebook for the First Friday at the Fiesta Americana, the next day. My sister and I attended specifically to meet some IWC members. Soon afterwards, I connected with Christine, who cheerfully and graciously shared the IWC activities with me.
I am a planner by nature and profession. I have 40 years planning experience as an urban planner and special event experience ranging from youth group activities to The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival and university events in New Orleans, and later community and disaster planning.
Thank you for welcoming me into the IWC and providing this opportunity to support the membership and broader community by nominating me as co-VP for Program.
Bettina Hirschi, co-VP for Membership (2-year term)
I was born in Switzerland, went to school there, graduated in law and worked for almost twenty years until I married my husband Rolf and moved to Montreal, QC, Canada.
There I started a second “career” in tourism, something that is perfect for me since I really like to be around and work with people. I used to accompany groups on long haul tours which I don’t anymore but I still enjoy doing City Tours in/of Montreal by bus or walking during the summer months.
Since I’m not working in the winter I happily agreed to spending the cold season somewhere in the south when Rolf retired about 15 years ago. Through friends who lived here for a while and I had visited, we decided to come to Merida and spend a month here. The following year we came for three months. A couple of years later we stayed for 5½ months and in 2016 we decided to purchase a house. We still spend over 5 months in Merida over the winter.
We have a great circle of good friends and look forward every fall to coming back and getting together with them again. I joined the IWC the second year we came here and found many of my friends in the club. I enjoy their different backgrounds, life experiences and stories.
I thought I could never take on an office in the club since, I am and will always be a “snowbird.” Since we now have co-positions I can. I’m happy about that and am looking forward to working with the board and its members for the upcoming term.
Cate Hauser, co-VP for Membership (2-year term)
I’ve lived in Mexico for over nine years and specifically in Merida for almost five. I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and lived for a short time in Colorado. Athletics play a large role in most of my life, as I enjoy a variety of sports. Mexico has a rich cultural history and is a fascinating, diverse country and I’ve been exploring it since my first visit 27 years ago. Travel is on my agenda, here and to countries around the world, and I’m checking places off my wish list.
My last job before retiring was owning high end coffee shops in St. Paul. We had a large drink and food menu focusing on roasting the coffee beans for wholesale and retail sales. Amore Coffee was the first cafe in the Twin Cities to feature gluten free items.
I have been fortunate to serve on many boards, my favorite being VP for Sobriety High Foundation. The Foundation oversaw five high schools that offered a safe place for students in recovery. All campuses were drug and alcohol free.
Politics has occupied much of my adult years, on a neighborhood/local level to campaigning for my governor and Senator in Minnesota.
I had a talk radio show called “Radio Cafe: like having a good conversation in your locally-owned coffee shop.” There was always a fun trivia contest and plenty of rousing political talk.
In 2009 I was interviewed about my ownership of Amore Coffee for an article in the main Minnesota newspaper. The last question was, “what’s next?” My answer: “…I hope to retire to Mexico”. Tada! Yes, dreams do come true!
I’ve been delighted to be involved with IWC with our great charitable work and socializing with the wide array of diverse, wonderful women.
Lucy Cash, co-Secretary (2-year term)
I first came to Mérida in 1998 after I married my husband, a native of this city, although we did not move here permanently until much later. At the time, we lived in Washington, DC, where I was born. Now we live in Mejorada with our two young adult sons, 25 and 21. Our older son is about to become engaged to his wonderful girlfriend who likewise is a native of this city, and I am tickled they intend to remain here.
My father was a developmental economist, my mother a teacher. I am very much shaped by my experiences of them. I studied literature and creative writing at American University and I continue to write daily. I especially enjoy “IWC Writes”, the writing group I helped start a year or so after I joined IWC.
When I am not writing I am counting native bees and other insects. My favorites are Nannotrigona perilampoides, which is a tiny, stingless bee with a can-do attitude and Euphoria yucateca, which is a rather large flower chafer that sports antlers. I typically spend about four hours a day out of doors, although sometimes it is much more.
Some of my other interests are fútbol (América!), word games such as Scrabble and Boggle, street art, family time, and our two dogs, Rómulo and Minerva.
The very first time I opened the IWC website and saw the three stated goals (friendship, community service, self-improvement) I happily exhaled. I was so pleased to join and meet other women who had similar stories of coming to Yucatán, as well as others with very different backgrounds. I am amazed at all the ways the Members reach into the community to give back, some known but many not.
My professional background includes safe relationships, so if at any time you would like to discuss any aspect of that, please reach out to me.
Marie Barchus, co-Treasurer (1-year term)
I have lived in wonderful Mérida for 20 years now. Well, before this 15-year-old photo was taken, LOL!
During that time, I have gained an in-depth knowledge of the real estate market with specific expertise regarding communities, local ethical agencies, and home buyer and selling services. I have also purchased and renovated four homes in Mérida and then sold three of those homes for good returns over the years.
I am a past President of the Mérida International Women’s Club and have also been on the IWC Board in charge of Membership, as well as an active consultant and assistant in the organization of fund-raising events for charities.
Once per week I visited the O’Horan Hospital’s children’s cancer ward to deliver hand-made hats, small toys, and activity materials individually to the children. We also now buy liquid prescriptions for the smallest patients who are in financial need. I started this program 8 years ago. To see the children and their families smile is such a heart-warming experience for me. I hope to be able to do in-person visits again with the children, once it is safe to do so.
Mérida is my home and it is important for me to give something back.
Claudia Amaro Casteñada, Scholarship Chair (Board Appointment)
I was born in Mexico City and studied Biology at the Faculty of Sciences at UNAM university; then l began to study at the Marine Science and Limnology Institute of UNAM. While studying there, I traveled to Jamaica to study ascidians (sea squirts) at the West Indies University.
Later, I met Gildardo at the UNAM, and we got married. Gildardo was just hired by the Mexican Navy as an officer, with focus on marine environment, so we were sent to Yucatan a couple months before we had to go to Aberdeen, Scotland to do his Masters. lt was there that we had our first child. Then we came back to Mexico City where our second child was born; we lived there for 3 years.
My husband was transferred again to Yucatán in 1996 to set up a Marine Research Center for the Mexican Navy in Progreso. Our family moved to live at the navy officers’ housing, just in front of the sea. We raised our children educating them with the love and care that we have for nature, and of course teaching them to always look for marine creatures during our walks at the beach.
While living in the navy officers’ housing, an American wife of a Mexican navy officer arrived to live there. As the only one of the ladies able to speak English, I got the assignment to welcome her and to make her feel at home, because she was living in a foreign country, with a different language and, in addition, she was pregnant. Jane and l became very good friends, but I soon realized that she needed more friends. While doing research, I came across an international group of women who spoke English and got together. So the next meeting I brought her in. I was ready to leave the room and come back later to pick her up, when Jane and Tila Parks (the VP for Membership at that time) realized I was going to leave the room. Both told me “No, no, no, you stay too!” I said “no, thank you. She is the one who needs to be here,” to which Tila responded “You are going to gain a lot, in many ways belonging to this group. If you do not, then come and complain to me”.
She was right! l met a lot of wonderful women and made very good friends that are like my family. Two years later, l was invited to be Secretary of the IWC and then I was honored being elected as President and reelected for another year. During that time l was very interested in the Scholars, and after my term l began to help looking after them. I have also been helping the Club, as a Mexican, to help understand the education system here, at the college level. I believe that Education is really important, especially for women, because it has a positive impact on society, giving a better future to women, their relatives and their children.