Our Team

The backbone of our organization is our incredible permanent staff and our volunteers.

Vicki Horsfield, Executive Director

Vicki is our Executive Director. She manages programs, events, external communications, financial operations, and our organizational registration in Canada and in the US. She also teaches our staff English classes and supervises our interns.

William Garcia, Assitant Director

William is our Assistant Director. He takes on our human resources needs, assist in program development, and oversees our organizational registration in Guatemala. He manages our property in San Antonio and oversees repairs and renovations so that our organization can continue to grow. He also leads our welding program and construction skills program.

Egidia Pérez López, Teacher

Egidia is our middle school and high school teacher. She helps students with reading, writing, mathematics and homework. In our after-school programs, our students have one hour of math lessons, one hour of English lessons, and one hour of homework help. When volunteers come, she oversees art classes, games, and music classes. She loves helping her students with homework the most, and wants others to know that through our programs, students in San Antonio have the opportunity to improve the quality of their education.

Cecilia Telón, Accountant and
Assistant to the Executive Director

Cecilia is our in-house accountant. She does our books and oversees the dispensation of school fees, donations, and loans to local families. She also manages our inventory and works as an assistant to the Executive Director. Cecilia loves working with numbers and keeps our finances on track.

Jessica Zamora Hernández, Librarian

Jessica is our librarian. She leads activities with the students to increase their love of reading, expanding on themes and reinforcing themes that students do not understand. She helps younger students to read well and helps students easily locate books at their reading level, teaching at the same time how to care for books. She loves working with children and being a mentor to our students.

Rosa Magdalety, Teacher

Rosa is our preschool teacher here at Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans. She helps students master numbers, the alphabet, and vowels. In the afternoons she teaches grades 1-3, helping them with their homework and reinforcing their mathematics. Rosa loves teaching our young students!

Maribel Santos Santos, Social Worker

Maribel is our social worker. She conducts home visits for new and current families to understand the social and environmental context in which our students live and develop. These visits allow us to get to know the families, their students, and earn their trust. Having grown up in San Antonio, Maribel understands her community's dynamics and culture. She administers various social programs here at our organization, including but not limited to programs on dental care, eye care, reproductive health, and career advising. She collaborates with other organizations in Sacatepéquez to ensure that the needs of our families are being met, and when needed, she helps families to navigate social services outside of their community.

Rosa López Pérez, Nutrition Program Coordinator

Rosa administers our nutrition program. She prepares the daily snack for our students. She also leads workshops with mothers in the community to teach them about nutrition and healthy, balanced diets. She also facilitates other health and hygiene programs, such as our dental care program. The best part of her job, she says, is getting to cook and create new healthy snacks.

Board of Directors

Andrea Chisholm, President

Ontario, Canada

I am a retired Canadian litigation lawyer, university instructor, administrative assistant for family business; I completed several years of post graduate work in the field of education, leadership and policy. I have volunteered with various organizations in Canada and abroad to advance education and human rights.

I come from a family of teachers and have benefited all of my life from excellent education supports, mentors and systems. Being involved with Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans allows me to pay this forward by sharing the skills, experiences and resources that my education has given me with others in the human family in need. My journey has led me to Guatemala and to my ongoing commitment to understanding, serving and supporting the education and wellbeing of students and families in our community.

William Josue Garcia Barreno, Vice-President and Assistant Director

Antigua, Guatemala

As a child I was sponsored through Common Hope until I finished school in administration. I grew up in a big family where there was little money for food, let alone education. I believe that life can teach you to appreciate what you have and makes you ask yourself how can I help others in the same situation. At least this is true for me. I believe in Christ and that all good things are possible. My personal experience is the asset I bring to the organization. I know the daily challenges our families face.

Sue Bohenstengel, Secretary/Treasurer

Chicago, IL currently residing in Guatemala

I am a retired Director of non-profit organizations with a BS in Elementary Education, Masters in Business Administration, Certified ESL teacher. I am currently serving on the boards of Antigua Street Dogs Guatemala, Friends of Antigua Street Dogs NFP, USA, and CatVando NFP, USA.

For the majority of my life, I have worked in the non-profit sector. Retirement to me means finding another meaningful activity which rewards me in more ways than a salary would. I'm involved in the organization because I'm impressed with the leadership and staff of the organization.

Nosberto L. Lou, Director

Guatemala,Guatemala and Ottawa, Canada

I am a Civil Engineer, MBS, Masters Degree in Family Education. I am currently working as a Consultant for Apartments Development in Guatemala.

As a Guatemalan Rotarian for more than 30 years, I am aware of the many needs that Guatemalans have in health, education, and social issues. When I met COFG, I could see within the organization the passion and willingness to help Guatemalans get out of poverty by education and by discovery of better ways to achieve a greater future. Living part of my year in Ottawa and the other in Guatemala, I try to bring my local expertise to the organization.

Riley C. Starr, Director

Montreal, Canada

I am co-founder and senior consultant at Les Ateliers du Nouveau Gourmand and a

former Master Brewer.

I spent several years managing production for two craft breweries in Montreal and have committed the last ten years of my life as an entrepreneur in chocolate and confectionery. My passions in life all center around good food and drink in some way. My travels have led me to become acquainted with the people of Guatemala and the work that Creating Opportunities is doing there. My support for the organization is driven by the belief that nobody should have to go to bed on an empty stomach.

Dustin Johnson, Director

Denver, Colorado

I am a Canadian CPA, currently working full-time at a charity in Colorado.

My wife, Nancy, and I first connected with COFG by volunteering there in 2018. We have two wonderful daughters, Ali and Katriana, who live together in Florida.

Vicki Horsfield, Executive Director and Founder

Montreal, Canada, currently residing in Guatemala

I am a former Physiotherapist as well as a Science and Math Adult Education teacher.

I went to Guatemala in 2012 for language school. In April of 2014, I started Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans along with William Garcia, our Vice-President. As a teacher, I know that education is the only lasting means of breaking the cycle of poverty. With an education, the children sponsored through our program will not only have a more prosperous future but their children and grandchildren will not experience the poverty that their families live in at present. With an education, they will also be able to make better decisions for their community and their country.

EDUCATING TO END POVERTY