Board of Directors
The day-to-day running of Pasitos de Luz is overseen by its two Directors, Yolanda Sánchez (Founder and Director of Operations) and Arturo Ayala (General Director).
In May 2017, Pasitos de Luz elected a new Board of Directors, which works very closely with Yolanda and Arturo. This single Board of Directors replaced two previous boards. Up to May 2017, Pasitos de Luz operated with a local board of directors, while Casa Connor operated as a separate entity with a separate board of directors. In January 2017, the major operations of Pasitos de Luz moved into the Casa Connor building. It was deemed timely to pursue the creation of a single Board of Directors.
We are pleased to introduce the current members of the Pasitos de Luz/Casa Connor Board of Directors, as well as our Ambassadors for Pasitos de Luz below them.
Yolanda Sánchez (Founder and Director of Operations at Pasitos de Luz)
Humanitarian / Pasitos de Luz Visionary
Yolanda was called to help those in need after the death of her sister Astrid Elizabeth at the age of 21 from respiratory failure on May 23, 1997.
Yolanda would feel her absence, and felt she needed to help, to do something. She knew there were so many in need who have to fight for so much, like parents with a special child with a disability. After offering her services as a volunteer, Yolanda realized she could still do more, so she chose to dedicate her life project to helping children with disabilities and to help their families.
On December 2, 1999, Yolanda joined together a group of mothers and 8 children with disabilities. She and the mothers were supported and advised by a specialized therapist.
Yolanda believed there must be a “light” for these mothers and that our “duty” is to help lighten their load. So Pasitos de Luz, “Little Steps of Light”, was born.
It was born with all the enthusiasm and love she feels for these children and especially to provide support for mothers who need to work and raise their very special children. Yolanda is integrally involved in the day-to-day operations and focuses on therapy, treatment, love, empowerment and care for the children.
Arturo Ayala Jr. (General Director at Pasitos de Luz)
Biomedical Engineer
In 2013 Arturo graduated as a Biomedical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. After completing the program, Arturo felt compelled to volunteer and provide service where help was needed at Pasitos de Luz.
His interest in Pasitos de Luz was and is linked to his moral beliefs and the development of his personal self. His plan was to donate a year of service to Pasitos but after that year he was hooked and it became an ongoing commitment.
Arturo has found purpose in his life from the children of Pasitos and lives his values through his work with and for the children. He uses his strengths and talents to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities.
As director, Arturo provides leadership in the overall management and public relations, and acts as a community liaison. Working with Yolanda, Arturo helps to ensure a caring, inclusive and empowering environment for the staff and children at Pasitos de Luz.
Brian Collins (President)
Entrepreneur / Business Owner
Brian is a leader in business. He is an owner and co-owner of restaurants in Canada and Puerto Vallarta and is highly respected in the construction sector. Brian and his wife Lynn work with a number of charities and have provided much-needed assistance to local Vallarta charities, including Pasitos de Luz.
Brian provided leadership and played a fundamental role in the building of Casa Connor. Brian’s philanthropy and love of good causes in Vallarta is evident in all that he says and does. Brian has assisted in the development of processes that demonstrate the credibility of the causes he supports. He provides time, expertise and financial/fundraising support.
Mike Sortino (Vice President)
Entrepreneur / Investor
Mike has 40 years of experience owning and investing in Transportation, Warehousing, Distribution, Food Manufacturing and Commercial Real Estate.
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, he currently splits his time along with his wife Anna between Nebraska, Nevada and Puerto Vallarta. Mike and Anna support a wide variety of family charities around the world through ReRuns R Fun, a charity founded by Anna Sortino in 1995.
Barbara Bremner (Secretary/Treasurer)
Retired Teacher / Educational Administrator / Educational Consultant
Barb holds a number of university degrees, culminating with a doctorate in higher education administration/leadership. She taught mathematics and physics for several years, followed by management positions including dean, and associate vice president academic & research at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
She has served on academic boards and service boards, including chair of a provincial post secondary education board. She has also served as president of condominium boards for over 10 years. Barb has been self-employed as an educational consultant since 2011. Puerto Vallarta has been a part of her life each year since 1975.
Barb met Yolanda and Pasitos de Luz in 2011 and it changed her life. It has been a labour of love to help the children, coordinate fundraisers, write newsletters and newspaper articles, and assist with management processes to further the mission of Pasitos de Luz. She and her husband, John, spend fall and winter months in Vallarta each year.
Ariana Alcantara
Holistic Nutritionist
Ariana is a holistic nutritionist and has a background in accounting. She is originally from São Paulo, Brazil and lives full time in Puerto Vallarta.
On a visit to Casa Connor, she fell in love with the cause and, subsequently, joined the board of directors. She also works as a volunteer serving the Pasitos de Luz children with the staff. With the energy of love, she believes that the secret to living a fulfilled life is to do things for others than yourself.
Brendan Connolly
Entrepreneur / Business Leader
Brendan is an entrepreneur and business leader. He has been the Chief Executive Officer for a building maintenance company for over 20 years and a business partner for restaurants in Canada and Puerto Vallarta.
Brendan has played an integral role in advancing programs for kids in the inner city of Edmonton. He has been a committee member for the Cure Cancer Foundation since 2014, as well as a board member for the McAuley Cup, a group that promotes a hockey program for inner city kids for the past five years. He spent 10 years helping an inner city church increase revenues every year for its annual golf tournament.
Brendan has experience and interest in supporting and helping kids to be the best they can be. Brendan joined the Pasitos de Luz board of directors in May 2018, based on his desire to help children who need help the most.
Clarence Weening
Entrepreneur / Business Owner
Clarence is President of Rainbow Contractors Ltd., a family-owned business and manufacturer of commercial millwork, since its establishment in 1971.
Clarence and his wife Jean attend the same church as the parents and grandparents of Connor Vanderveen, who was handicapped and passed away at age 15 from Hunter Syndrome.
Clarence and Jean became involved with Casa Connor through this affiliation. Clarence took on a lead role of capital fundraising to help move Casa Connor forward to its completion in a timely manner and to meet the needs of the children of Pasitos de Luz.
He and his wife have been crucial financial contributors, both personally and as a corporation. Clarence is a member of his church board, Board of Governors and executive for The King’s University in Edmonton, and Board of Governors for the foundation of The Kings University, whose role is to undertake special fundraising for capital projects and needs of the university.
Clarence’s involvement with Casa Connor and Pasitos de Luz is driven by his desire to help those in need. He strives to help with capital fundraising and in bringing awareness to what they believe is a very worthwhile and life-changing project – the children of Pasitos de Luz.
Gloria Peña
Business Owner
Gloria is the owner and managing director at Destination Management Company – Vallarta Travel Advisors (DMC – VTA), a company that coordinates all services for groups (congresses, conventions, incentives, special events and weddings) around the bay.
She was born in Mexico City and studied a technical degree in tourism (Colegio de Bachilleres #4 – CDMX). Gloria worked in a variety of positions in hotels until opening her own business in 2004.
When she opened the business, she decided to look for an association to help and found Pasitos de Luz. She came to know Yolanda and saw the great work happening at Pasitos. Gloria believes Yolanda’s faith is her example to follow and she asks God to allow her to be close to Yolanda to learn more about the true propose in life: help our brothers in need.
Gloria sees the great opportunity to help, she is in love with the project and when she can, she would love to work closer to or inside Pasitos because for her “that’s where God is”.
Mario Jiménez
Entrepreneur / Business Owner / Disability Advocate
Mario was born in Guadalajara and moved to Puerto Vallarta in 2003. He opened the local business Print PV in 2005. Mario began working with Business Network International as an initial member of the first BNI chapter in Banderas Bay and has taken on leadership and mentoring roles for new businesses for a number of years.
In 2019, Mario had significant involvement with the Pasitos de Luz Illumination event in providing acrylic replications of large pieces of art. The project saw over 300 acrylic art pieces produced for fundraising purposes for Pasitos de Luz
Mario is married with two children. His youngest son David, who is 12, presents on the autism spectrum. He strongly believes that with the right therapy and support, his son, and others with the same condition, can improve and have independent lives. Mario has a strong belief in community and is committed to the cause. “I am more than honoured to be around Arturo and Yolanda. Their heart is authentic and being around them is just a blessing.”
Neil Balter
Entrepreneur / Business Leader / Disability Advocate
At 17, Neil Balter founded California Closets®, which grew from his dad’s garage into the world’s largest custom closet company. In just under a decade, he expanded the company to include over 166 franchises in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
Neil has continued his entrepreneurship in several ventures, including writing a book designed to help new entrepreneurs. He is currently President of Organizers DirectTM, working with more than 500 closet dealers in the U.S.Neil Balter is a founding member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and a former president. Neil is a frequent speaker for the organization. He has also been the recipient of numerous prestigious professional awards.
Neil is married with two children, one of whom is autistic. Together, with his wife Lynn, the Balters’ are committed to raising awareness for autism as well as raising critical funds. Neil and Lynn are also passionate about helping families navigate autism, which has been the attraction for Neil in joining the board of Pasitos de Luz.
Stephen Verhoeff
Entrepreneur / CEO
Stephen is a proven executive and leader in business. He has founded or co-founded six business & non-profit organizations. Stephen took Hemisphere GPS public in 1996 and as the CEO, he grew the company from startup to $80M in revenue.
Currently in his role as a Co–President of Canwest Flooring and Orange Room Services , Stephen has grown the businesses to become a national service provider for The Home Depot. He is also currently active as a major shareholder of Trading Post Brewery.
Stephen is active in non-profits. He founded CCRE (Canadian Carpet Recovery Effort) and serves on TWU Spartan Foundation. He is a past board member for Promise Keepers Canada and is currently active as a fundraiser and speaker with Opportunity International as an advocate for the poor. Stephen has a lifelong interest in helping others in need. Stephen has a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Calgary, graduating in 1986.
Ambassadors for Pasitos de Luz
Ambassadors for Pasitos de Luz play a vital role as champions of our work with the children. They focus on using their sphere of influence to promote the Pasitos de Luz mission. The ambassadors reach out to current communities and focus on bringing in new communities to expand the support for our work. They utilize personal and professional networks for fundraising, encouraging volunteers and promoting sustainability for the cause.
Dora Luz Luna de Diós
Business Owner
Dora Luz Luna has experience managing various companies for 20 years. Dora has collaborated in projects and activities in those companies in the areas of finance, human resources, sales, and general resources. Dora is currently a partner in Marina Spa Salon and Marine Institute. At the Marine Institute, Dora is mainly in charge of courses related to Personal Development.
Dora collaborated with the builders of Casa Connor, acting as the external administrator. Through her work with Casa Connor, Dora came to know the work of Pasitos de Luz, which has moved her deeply.
She has been touched by the children, as well as the dedication and altruistic work of so many people. Dora’s interest in collaborating and working with Pasitos de Luz is related to a commitment to the service of others.
Teena Oudman
Retired / Humanitarian / Casa Connor Visionary
Teena retired in 1999. Teena and her husband Peter purchased a motor home and travelled for three and a half months down the east coast for their first trip. What they did not realize is that it would also be the last trip in their motor home.
Shortly after returning from that trip, they found out that their three and a half year old grandson, Connor, had Hunter Syndrome. Connor passed away on October 10, 2011, aged fifteen.
Teena, Peter and their family were able to provide everything that Connor needed in his short life, but they had been to Pasitos de Luz and saw with their own eyes that this was not the case for everyone. Teena and Peter met Yolanda in 2007 and fell in love with her and Pasitos de Luz.
Teena had a vision to build a castle for the children with disabilities in Banderas Bay. When she told her daughter, she said – we can call it Casa Connor. Teena and Peter volunteer for many causes in their communities of Puerto Vallarta and Calgary. They devote time, effort and love to so many in need and, in particular, the children of Pasitos de Luz, who all know both Teena and Peter very well, based on their frequent visits to help the children. For Teena and Peter, it is the best retirement they could ever wish.
