SMPAC Board Members

Earl de Berge, Chair
As Chairman of SMPAC, Earl de Berge leads the organization's goal-setting and coalition-building efforts. Earl brings 40 years of experience in the social sciences, business and urban planning to the challenges of sustainable development in rural Guatemala. With his wife Suzanne, Earl has been visiting and working in Guatemala since the late 1970s.

Suzanne de Berge, Treasurer
Suzanne de Berge is Treasurer of SMPAC and participates in the organization's community development and health initiatives. Suzanne's interest in traditional culture and women's issues finds expression in her work within the context of rural Guatemala. Although Suzanne and her husband have been visiting Guatemala regularly since the late 1970s, volunteer work in Chocolá in 2004 inspired their current work with the town.

Harold "Hal" Green, Archaeology Committee Chair
Harold Green retired from his law practice some years ago to pursue his love of Maya archaeology, specializing in archaeo-astronomy. Hal's pioneering work on the alignment of the village of Chocolá vis-a-vis the night sky has garnered acclaim within the circle of professional Mayanists. As Archaeology Committe Chairman, Hal regulates and coordinates SMPAC's efforts to preserve and protect the ancient Maya city of Chocolá.

Eric Kingsbury, Development Committee Chair
Eric Kingsbury brings 15 years of business and international development experience to his efforts to promote sustainable development in Chocolá. With professional certification in Sustainable Development, Eric and the Development Committee are working to find opportunities to promote economic strategies and agricultural methods that result in improved environmental and economic outcomes for rural Guatemalans.

Anne Kraemer, Community Enrichment Chair
Anne Kraemer is currently living and working in Chocolá, Guatemala, on a Fulbright Scholarship in Anthropology, and is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Kansas. Anne has formed close ties with the local community and she currently works daily on community enrichment programs that range from organizing the football/soccer league to promoting community health practices.

Jeff Hurst
W. Jeffrey Hurst, Senior Staff Scientist at Hershey Company Technical Center and a distinguished author in the field of laboratory robotics and food analysis and is recipient of the Pioneers In Laboratory Automation Award in 2000, and a retired Air Force Major. Dr Hurst and his wife are also voluntary librarians and help build the children's library in Chocolá.

Derek William Steele
Profession: Market Information, Marketing Consulting. Managing Director of Gamma Servicios Integrados, S.A. and Technical Director of Datos en Información, S.A. a company specialized in the administration and enhancement of large data bases for the retail trade and custom direct marketing efforts. He is a specialist in quality data management and information driven marketing and has presented his views in numerous seminars and workshops on the subject. Derek supports social marketing projects on a national level and is a co-director of a private conference center that focuses on creativity and innovation. He has remained on the Board of Trustees of the Guatemala Development Foundation, FUNDESA for over 20 years.

Patrick Paterson

Tom Reiley, MD
Tom Reiley is Treasurer of Amigos de Chocolá and a member of Earthwatch Chocolá in 2005. He is a pediatrician and child neurologist in Colorado. A graduate of Purdue University and Duke University College of Medicine, Tom has served on the faculties of the Universities of Utah, the Tulsa Medical College and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He currently teaches at Denver Children's Hospital and serves children in five rural communities as well as through his local practice. He has a Master's Degree in Healthcare Systems. He and his wife Linda reside in Golden.

John Hill
John Hill is Chairman and CEO of Amigos de Chocolá and a member of the SMPAC Board. In the LA County Sheriff's Department for 22 years, retiring in 1996 he worked as a Police Monitor for the United Nations and then managed a not-for-profit social service agency for 7 years. John incorporated Amigos de Chocolá, an assistance agency responding to community needs of the people of Chocolá. Most recently John has been volunteering on the Gulf Coast rebuilding project in Mississippi and Louisiana. John resides in Claremont, CA with his wife Brenda.

Rodrigo Aparicio