OUR board

Our strength comes from the dedication and diversity of our dedicated, all-volunteer Board. Collectively, we bring a wide range of expertise, lived experiences, and shared commitment to San Miguel. No fancy galas, no fanfare, no endless layers of bureaucracy. Just steady, behind-the-scenes stewardship that’s laser-focused on real community impact.

Sally Silver, Chair

Ben Zion Ptashnik, Treasurer

Jeff Spears, Secretary

Smiling older man wearing a checkered shirt and zip-up sweater, professional portrait for SMCF by by photographer Ted Davis.

Peter Lucas, MD

Elderly woman smiling warmly, wearing a purple cardigan and necklace, in a bright outdoor setting wi.

Rev. Deborah Moldow,
Chair Elect

Rev. Anna Copeland

Senior man smiling at SMCF healthcare center.

Kip Trienens

A senior man smiling indoors, close-up portrait, warm lighting, elderly care, happy senior.

William Simmons

Araceli Cerritos

Juan González

OUR STAFF

We’re proud to operate with just two dedicated staff members, making SMCF one of the most efficient charitable foundations in Mexico.

Our longtime Executive Director, Araceli Cerritos, manages grant applications, maintains records, and serves as the vital link between our board, donors, nonprofit partners, and the greater San Miguel community we serve.

OUR STAFF

We’re proud to operate with just two dedicated staff members, making SMCF one of the most efficient charitable foundations in Mexico.

Our longtime Executive Director, Araceli Cerritos, manages grant applications, maintains records, and serves as the vital link between our board, donors, nonprofit partners, and the greater San Miguel community we serve.

Araceli Cerritos

Juan González

OUR Fellows

In partnership with Arts4Impact, SMCF engages exceptional students through the University of Chicago’s prestigious Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Working alongside our team and local nonprofit partners, Fellows contribute to storytelling, community outreach, research, and special projects that strengthen San Miguel’s nonprofit sector. Their talent, curiosity, and commitment to service bring fresh perspectives to our work while helping cultivate the next generation of civic leaders.

Please join us in welcoming our 2026 Fellows: Jina Jeon, Sarah Liang, Faron Livinus, Dylan Furbay, and Marysabella Llamas.

OUR Gratitude

We’re deeply grateful to the local artists, storytellers, and photographers who elevate our mission and make our city shine.

Photographer Ted Davis' book of the beautiful colorful streets, people, and historic architecture in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

PHOTOGRAPHER TED DAVIS

Our website showcases the stunning work of Ted Davis, one of San Miguel de Allende’s most celebrated photographers. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Gentry Destinations, Caribbean Travel & Life, Islands, and St. Croix This Week, among many others.

Ted is also the author of the acclaimed, best-selling book Eternal San Miguel de Allende, a visual love letter to the city we all cherish. A portion of the book’s proceeds support the mission of the San Miguel Community Foundation.

Leading SMCF’s digital build and the 1 San Miguel campaign is Jacqueline von Edelberg, a social practice artist, digital creative, and nonprofit strategist.

Jacqueline brings three decades of experience applying creative thinking to seemingly intractable real-world challenges. She is nationally recognized for her school reform efforts and public art on progressive issues.

Jacqueline is the founder and Executive Director of Arts4Impact, a nonprofit that empowers boots-on-the-ground creatives to spark dynamic, authentic, non-partisan, exclusively positive activations that drive systemic change.Arts4Impact amplifies progressive causes that create community, strengthen democracy, and uplift the human spirit.

She is also the co-author of How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance and Memorial: Love, Loss, and the Art of Remembrance.

She holds a BA & Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Colorful Day of the Dead face paint with floral headpiece and traditional attire in vibrant celebrat.

Artist/nonprofit strategist Jacqueline von Edelberg

Leading SMCF’s digital build and the 1 San Miguel campaign is Jacqueline von Edelberg, a social practice artist, digital creative, and nonprofit strategist.

Jacqueline brings three decades of experience applying creative thinking to seemingly intractable real-world challenges. She is nationally recognized for her school reform efforts and public art on progressive issues.

Jacqueline is the founder and Executive Director of Arts4Impact, a nonprofit that empowers boots-on-the-ground creatives to spark dynamic, authentic, non-partisan, exclusively positive activations that drive systemic change.Arts4Impact amplifies progressive causes that create community, strengthen democracy, and uplift the human spirit.

She is also the co-author of How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance and Memorial: Love, Loss, and the Art of Remembrance.

She holds a BA & Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Artist/nonprofit strategist Jacqueline von Edelberg

Elegant man wearing a white fedora hat with a black band and glasses, enjoying a relaxed moment in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Marketing expert John Spencer

Spearheading SMCF’s digital effort to unite San Miguel’s nonprofit ecosystem is John Spencer, a marketing executive whose career spans more than forty years in the advertising and data-driven communications industry.

John concluded his career as a Senior Vice President and Leadership Team member at Publicis, where he led business development for the firm’s Data Division. In this role, John worked closely with more than 1,000 commercial clients and nonprofit organizations, helping them leverage data, analytics, and technology to drive growth, improve engagement, and achieve measurable outcomes. He was known for building trusted client relationships, aligning complex solutions to real business needs, and mentoring high-performing teams.

Publicis Groupe is one of the world’s largest and most influential advertising and communications organizations, with operations in over 100 countries and tens of thousands of employees globally. The company provides end-to-end services across advertising, media, data, digital transformation, and technology. It is consistently ranked among the top global leaders in the advertising industry by scale, innovation, and revenue.

Turning Generosity Into Lasting Impact Since 1976

Adding her voice to SMCF’s 1 San Miguel annual campaign is beloved Country and Tejano music artist and hometown hero, Stephanie Unbina Jones.

Blazing trails from Texas to Mexico, Stephanie and her history-making Honky Tonk Mariachi are telling a new story in American music, blowing hearts and minds wide open with their mix of classic country rock with a twang and the intoxicating, joy-filled sounds of Mexico.

This new style, fondly called ‘country music with Chili Peppers’ is inspiring and building bridges between worlds. From the first gritos to the last yee haws, from the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry to the two-stepping dance halls of Texas to festivals around the world, Jones and her fiesta platter of love (percussion, trumpets, violins, vihuelas, guitarróns, guitars y mas) are sharing culture, stories, and songs that bring people together.

Stephanie tours internationally, having performed in fourteen countries, including appearances at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival, Magic Town Music Fest in Mexico, Festival Country Rendezvous in France, Country Gold in Japan, Gstaad Festival in Switzerland and the Belladrum Tartan Heart Fest in Scotland; plus the CMA Music Festival, Americana Music Festival, Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, and performances on the Grand Ole Opry. Stephanie is a Kerrville New Folk Finalist, #1 Texas Country Artist, and #1 Billboard Country Songwriter.

Colorful traditional Mexican dress with floral decorations at entrance.

Singer/Songwriter Stephanie Urbina Jones

Colorful watercolor landscape featuring San Miguel de Allende's mountains, trees, and valleys in vivid shades.

Artist CAthy Taylor

Co-curating 1 San Miguel’s arts initiative is Cathy Taylor, an award-winning mixed media artist, educator, and SMA creative force whose work celebrates the rich textures, colors, and storytelling inherent in the natural world.

Known for her extraordinary range — from intricate alphabetical compositions like the beloved Florida Shell-A-Bet, to whimsical collages and multidimensional abstracts — Cathy’s art is held in museums, nature centers, and private collections across the U.S. and abroad.

Cathy’s work has been widely licensed for textiles, apparel, and home goods, and her fine art prints were distributed nationally through representation by a leading New York licensing agency. Cathy’s contributions to the field have been recognized repeatedly: her collages were juried into the National Collage Society’s Annual Exhibition in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2012. Her articles, Anthologies, The Nature of Art, Rethink Alcohol Ink, and Creative Spirits, have been featured in Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine.

She is the author of the acclaimed book Pigments of Your Imagination: Creating with Alcohol Inks and appears as a featured artist on ArtAcademyLive.com, where she has created two instructional DVDs: Watercolor Collage and Mixed Media Collage. Cathy is a Signature Member and multiple award winner of both the International Society of Experimental Artists and the National Collage Society.

As co-Curator of 1 San Miguel, Cathy brings her lifelong commitment to creativity, community-building, and visual storytelling. Her artistic sensibility and deep respect for San Miguel’s cultural fabric help shape an initiative centered on unity, belonging, and shared pride across all who call San Miguel home.

Cathy lives in San Miguel de Allende with her husband Scott and a lively household of much-loved creatures: pups Elle and Oliver and Walter the red-foot tortoise.