- President: Lisa Yulkowski
- Program co-VPs: Laurie Frey Baquedano and Paloma Varela
- Membership co-VPs: Bettina Hirschi and Katharina Arnhold
- Co-Secretaries: Mary Ellen Clemens and Laura Hernández
- Co-Treasurer: Mary Saliba
- Scholarship Chair: Claudia Amaro Casteñada
Lisa Yulkowski, President
[Lisa served in 2022 as co-VP for Membership, and in 2023-2024 as co-President].
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.
Laurie Frey Baquedano, Program co-VP
Laurie was a member of the IWC in the 1980s and recently returned to the club in 2023. She is a fervent believer that when you join a club, you should be actively involved. For that reason, she volunteered to be on the 40th anniversary committee when an announcement was made that same year. Laurie was also president twice in the past, and so she brings some expertise and enthusiasm to the IWC.
Having a teaching degree from Iowa State is what she believes has given her leadership skills, and upon moving to Mérida in 1978, she volunteered and worked with low-income women in Colonia Hidalgo de Chuburná to prepare nutritious dishes. Later she created and taught a course at the Teresiano school, which included theory, cooking and sewing. In early 2000 she was allowed to do home visits within “Un Kilo de Ayuda” in Chablekal. Her use of Spanish was essential.
During the 1980s she had interest in the move to working in language teaching and administration, so she studied for an M.A. in English with an emphasis on TESOL in her home state of Illinois. She has had short jobs with the British Council, Pearson Education and done teacher training diploma courses at various institutions in the Yucatán Peninsula. In addition, she has taught English as a second language at numerous private schools in Mérida. All these activities have been marked by hard work, empathy for learners, and a friendly manner.
Laurie joined the IWC again because she became a widow in 2022, and her extra time living alone allows her to engage with new people. Both her daughters and six grandchildren have dual citizenship and live in the USA. She has three grandchildren from her second marriage living here. She feels she is deeply connected to the club, and has the energy to serve the IWC.
Outside of the club, Laurie finds that cooking, playing the piano, practicing German, and working in her yard in Chablekal bring her the most joy. Her new goal this year is to improve and promote her Airbnb of the “casita” in her backyard.
Paloma Varela, Program co-VP
Education, to me, has always been more about inspiring than simply teaching. While my academic foundation is built on an MA in TESOL and my current PhD research in Leadership and Education, my path to the classroom was unique.
Before transitioning into education, my career began in international law and finance. I served as an assistant to the General Attorney and eventually rose to the position of Deputy Director for Foreign Affairs for the Secretariat of Finance in Mexico. This early experience in high-level management and diplomacy laid the groundwork for my career in education, which spans over 20 years. Since then, I have authored over seven ELT coursebooks and now focus my research on “Leading the Digital Gateway”—creating equitable access to education through mobile learning.
My work has taken me across the globe with the British Council, from training over 800 teachers across Mexico to working with educators in Chile, Algeria, Armenia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Palestine. Some of my most meaningful contributions have been in crisis contexts, teaching Ukrainian refugees and delivering courses in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan. Whether I am advocating for the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence or fostering soft skills to build classroom communities, my goal is always to bridge gaps through technology and empathy.
This commitment to empowerment is what drew me to the International Women’s Club (IWC). I was deeply inspired by the association’s work in supporting and coaching girls throughout their education, helping them navigate the path to becoming professionals.
On a personal note, I am multiilingual, fluent in Czech and French, and I am currently enjoying the challenge of studying Maya. As a lifelong lover of blues and jazz, I am finally fulfilling a lifelong dream by learning to play the harmonica. I am married to a Mexican husband and have three children living abroad. While I am proud of my professional milestones, I am especially proud to be the Babuska (aka “Babipio”) to my two grandsons. I believe that whether in a global roundtable or at home with family, the power of connection is what truly changes lives.
Bettina Hirschi, Membership co-VP
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.
Katharina Arnhold, Membership co-VP
I visited Mérida for the first time in 2025 to see a friend of mine from Key West, where I had spent many years vacationing and running a small environmental nonprofit. I was enchanted by Mérida, and by the International Women’s Club, whose members showed such good will, generosity, and international sophistication that I joined the club at my first meeting.
I visited Mérida for the first time in 2025 to see a friend of mine from Key West, where I had spent many years vacationing and running a small environmental nonprofit. I was enchanted by Mérida, and by the International Women’s Club whose members showed such good will, generosity, and international sophistication that I joined the club at my first meeting.
I was born in Greifswald, Germany, a medieval university town, where my German mother and Russian father were studying chemistry. I was one of their successful field experiments. When I was 10, we immigrated to the United States.
My degree from Georgetown university in Russian and my native German language qualified me for a job at the Library Of Congress. President Johnson’s Great Society program and the Higher Education Act pumped money into all American libraries and I certainly benefited from his leadership. I eventually got my library and information science master’s degree and, at some point, became the vice president and chief Steward of the Library’s professional union with a bargaining unit of 1400 members, half of whom were foreign born.
After receiving my law degree at the age of 45, I worked for the FLRA (Federal Labor Relations Authority), writing decisions in federal sector labor law and investigating unfair labor practices. When I was transferred to San Francisco in 1997, I left the government, as anyone enchanted with the city would, and practiced law there after passing the California bar.
When my son asked me to move back to Washington DC and “to act more like a grandmother,” I gladly complied and also took up more contract work involving German language law cases, in the fields of patent, contracts, banking and foreign corrupt practice issues. In 2016 I was even sent to Stuttgart, Germany and to London to work on the Volkswagen diesel exhaust fraud case filed by the EPA. These were certainly strange twists and turns in a rather simple life.
Now that both my grandchildren have graduated from college, I am free to explore new places and languages. I’m here to study Spanish and enjoy the new culture with my exciting friends and ex-pats. And I am very happy to be a member of this wonderful club and to serve in a helpful capacity.
Mary Ellen Clemens, co-Secretary
I was raised in the mountains and valleys of Northern California. After receiving a degree from San Francisco State University in design and graphic arts I began a career in marketing and graphic arts. Early in my career I worked in broadcast marketing (radio and TV) and created and managed two non-profit organizations. I then developed and owned an advertising agency for 10 years prior to moving into government work for the remaining 20 years of my career.
In my civil service capacity I was a Public Information Officer and managed the Community Engagement division of a large parks department. My work in government provided me with extensive experience in fundraising (both private and corporate), program development and management, and senior executive level communications. My work has been recognized with awards from state and local entities and I have raised well over $1,000,000 for various community-supporting projects.
Over the course of my career I was selected to serve on two mulit-year government task forces, have been an officer on six non-profit boards, owned a tax and accounting firm for 15 years, and lived through being the mother of a child with cancer. I have three grown children.
In my free time I spent 40 years as an endurance athlete participating in distance running and swimming races, triathlons, and bike racing. I am an avid seamstress and stained glass artist. My summers away from Mérida are spent hanging out with my family and sailing my little sail boat on local lakes in Northern California.
As the IWC Secretary I pledge to be ethical, honest, transparent, and help manage our club for the benefit of all members.
Laura Hernández, co-Secretary
I was born and raised in Mexico City, the second of three children. I am an architect by training and hold a bachelor’s degree in architecture. I began my professional career as a project manager and later became certified as an ISO 9000 Lead Auditor (quality control and service) and an ISO 14000 Lead Auditor (environmental guidelines) while living in Monterrey.
Later, due to my partner’s career, we lived in Guatemala and Chiapas. These experiences greatly enriched my perspective, particularly in areas related to railroads, community development, and migration from Central America into Mexico along railroad routes.
In 2004, we moved to Mérida, where I joined the International Women’s Club (IWC) and have been a member ever since. That same year, I was part of the committee that organized the celebration of the club’s 20th anniversary and helped develop its first digital archive. From 2005 to 2007, I served as editor of the club newsletter, The Backyard Fence. I was also a member of the IWC Red Cross Carnival dance group.
From 2007 to 2008, I served as Treasurer of the IWC, and in 2007 I received the Outstanding Service to the Club Award in recognition of my contributions. I later returned to serve as Treasurer in 2015-2016, and in 2017 I had the honor of serving as President of the IWC.
Since arriving in Mérida in 2004, I have developed a career in real estate. My area of expertise focuses on assisting expatriates and Mexican nationals from other parts of the country who are relocating to Mérida. I have been happily and successfully doing this work for over 20 years.
On a personal note, my life took a wonderful turn in 2008 with the birth of my first child, Miles, followed by my second child, Laura Priscilla, in 2010. Both were warmly welcomed and much loved by the club ladies at the time. While motherhood kept me busy, I remained connected to the IWC as much as possible and continued supporting the club whenever I could.
At this stage of my life, I am especially interested in neuroscience and how it helps us better understand ourselves, our emotions, and the way we relate to others. I also enjoy crocheting, which I find both creative and meditative. I place great value on honoring personal time and creating tranquil, balanced environments—both at home and in everyday life.
Mary Saliba, co-Treasurer
I was born in Montreal, Quebec. I moved to Ottawa, Ontario to attend university. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education. I obtained my specialist in special education as well as additional qualifications in guidance and co-operative education.
Over the next thirty plus years I was involved in many initiatives, including the development of a school program for young mothers, as well as a day program for youth with substance abuse issues. Eventually, I was offered a Department Head position. I was responsible for supervising guidance, special education and co-operative education.
Prior to my retirement I started thinking about future goals. I wanted to travel and continue working. So, I signed up for mandarin language classes as well as a TESOL course in business. The following year I was off to Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in Nanchang, China. I taught and travelled for one year. The second year I was vice principal of a private sino Canadian High School.
When I returned to Canada I resumed my usual summer volunteer commitments, one of them as a volunteer at the Ottawa Jazzfest. The first evening back at the Jazzfest I was introduced to a new volunteer. During our break she told me about her travels to Mérida. It sounded wonderful so I decided to spent a couple of months in Mérida. That was seven years ago! I am now here five months a year.
As much as I love beautiful Mérida I may not have returned. Travelling solo, it’s sometimes difficult to meet new people. I was very fortunate to meet Viviana at the MEL library. She invited me to the next IWC meeting. I was greeted by thoughtful, interesting women who were making a positive difference in the lives of others. I’m still here!
Claudia Amaro Casteñada, Scholarship Chair
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 Yucatán 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.