Sue Patterson

Meet Our Founder

Sue discovered her passion for helping women as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural area of Colombia from 1966 to 1968, helping them learn about family planning and how to access it. Sue has lived in Antigua, Guatemala since 1996, when she retired from a 24-year career as a US Foreign Service Officer. Since then, Sue has devoted her time and energy to improving the lives of underserved Guatemalans, especially Mayan women in rural areas, without access to education.

In 1999, a Guatemalan friend contacted Sue asking for help for seven women, all with at least eight children, who wanted to undergo a tubal ligation. Sue contributed from her own funds and wrote to friends asking for donations. Within a few months she had received more than $4,000. She discovered the lack of a non-profit organization focused on family planning in Guatemala, and that led her to found WINGS (Women’s International Network for Guatemala Solutions).

Sue continues to be an active member of the WINGS Board and has contributed fundamentally to the growth of the organization.

Executive Team

Eleanor Unsworth

Executive Director

Eleanor has been the Executive Director of WINGS since 2021 and served as Programs Director for five years prior to that. She has two decades of experience in Sexual and Reproductive Health and nonprofit leadership spanning educational and youth programming roles, patient counseling, and service/program management. As Executive Director, Eleanor works to deepen WINGS’s impact by driving our responsible and ambitious growth, ensuring the coherent implementation of our organizational vision and strategy, leading the staff, and acting as an external spokesperson to diverse audiences in Guatemala and globally. Eleanor is passionate about applying a human rights focus to every aspect of her work, both within our team and for our external programming, and ensuring a continuous push towards strong systems approaches, transparency, and quality improvement in all that we do. Eleanor graduated from Tufts University with a degree in Community Health and Women’s Studies and holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University. Eleanor lives with her husband, Alex, in his hometown of Antigua Guatemala, their baby daughter and two rescue dogs. They can often be found out hiking around the many hills and volcanoes that surround their hometown.

Michelle Dubón

Medical Director

Since 2015, Dr. Dubón has overseen all technical aspects of clinical services provided by WINGS. She has been in practice since 2004 and has specialized in OB-GYN services since 2008. Michelle received her medical degree from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. She is committed to providing the highest level of reproductive health care to all her patients and is known for her gentle bedside manner. Michelle was part of the 2019 class of the Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship, a group of 25 leaders from the Global South who work on the frontlines of global development and health. She now serves on their Fellowship Team as part of the Expert Panel. (Check out all the details at https://newvoicesfellows.aspeninstitute.org/about/team/) As a trained ballerina and talented singer, she brings grace and creativity to her work at WINGS, often singing to her patients as she performs surgeries.

José Amaya

Finance Director

José joined WINGS as Finance Director in 2013. José oversees accounting, regulatory reporting, and financial analysis for WINGS. With more than 20 years of experience in auditing, accounting, and tax management consulting for private sector companies and NGOs, José leads the Finance team in understanding and managing the organization’s fiscal health. He is especially committed to assuring that WINGS meets the highest levels of both US and Guatemalan financial transparency. José is a proud dad of a son and daughter.

Julia Morales

Human Resources Director

Julia has worked in various roles at WINGS since 2012. She now oversees Human Resources for our growing team, with a focus on implementing best practices in recruitment, onboarding, and employee engagement. Julia has a degree in Computer Science and Business Administration from Universidad Galileo and recently received her postgraduate degrees in Human Resources Administration and Master’s in Human Resource Management and Development. Julia has been a significant aspect of WINGS’ recognized stability and longevity. Part of her commitment to and belief in WINGS’ work stems from her hope for the future of her two adorable daughters.

Erik Pocasangre

Programs Director

Erik joined the WINGS team in early 2022 after years working at partner organization, SERniña where he worked with boys and young men to develop positive masculinity and thus become agents of change in their families and communities. Born and raised in Guatemala City, Erik has rich experience as an activist and educator in Guatemala, having led a variety of environmental, development, and quality of life programs for the communities around the Lake Atitlán basin. Throughout his life he has dedicated himself to making the world a more just, inclusive, and equal place for all. Erik’s background in restorative justice, indigenous healing spirituality, and trauma-informed practices guide his approach to reproductive health programming at WINGS.

Kirsten Taylor

Development & Communications Director

Kirsten joined WINGS in 2017 to cultivate relationships with foundations and individual donors as well as coordinate marketing and evaluation activities. Her background as a Peace Corps volunteer and experience in community health led her to concentrate her skills in women’s and girls’ reproductive rights. Kirsten holds a Master’s degree in International Development & Social Change from Clark University. After over two years in Guatemala, Kirsten now splits her time between Antigua and Southern Colorado, where she leads her local rape crisis center and volunteers for the Colorado Human Trafficking Hotline.

Bernarda Jimenez

Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Bernarda is responsible for implementing evaluation plans and systems, training staff in data collection, coordinating and overseeing public health studies, and analyzing program results. She holds degrees in Marketing and Monitoring & Evaluation, having previously worked on social marketing analyses of reproductive health services in Guatemala and a secondary study on the high-risk sexual behaviors of Guatemalan farmers which was published in 2013 as part of the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey, developed by MEASURE Evaluation.

Our Team

Board of Directors

  • Kate Flatley
  • Kate Flatley

    Kate is the Executive Director and Founder of the Women’s Justice Initiative, a Guatemalan organization that improves the lives of rural, indigenous women and girls through access to justice, women’s rights education, and gender-based violence prevention. Kate is a lawyer with sixteen years’ experience working for nonprofit organizations developing and implementing projects and conducting research in the fields of human rights, women’s rights, access to justice, and public health. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Kate has lived and worked in Guatemala for 12 years. She is committed to supporting WINGS’ critical work in advancing sexual and reproductive rights for Guatemalan women.

  • Sue Patterson
  • Sue Patterson

    Sue discovered her passion for helping women as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural area of Colombia from 1966 to 1968, helping them learn about family planning and how to access it. Sue has lived in Antigua, Guatemala since 1996, when she retired from a 24-year career as a US Foreign Service official. Since then, Sue has devoted her time and energy to improving the lives of underserved Guatemalans, especially Mayan women in rural areas, without access to education. In 1999, a Guatemalan friend contacted Sue asking for help for seven women, all with at least eight children, who wanted to undergo a tubal ligation. Sue contributed from her own funds and wrote to friends asking for donations. Within a few months she had received more than $4,000. She discovered the lack of a non-profit organization focused on family planning in Guatemala, and that led her to found WINGS (Women’s International Network for Guatemala Solutions).

    Sue continues to be an active member of the WINGS Board and has contributed fundamentally to the growth of the organization.

  • Anne Kraemer
  • Anne Kraemer

    Having served on the WINGS Board since 2019, Anne is an anthropologist and a co-founder of Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq, an organization created in 2007 to transform health in rural Guatemala. She has served as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer since 2009. Her passion is amplifying the voices of women and girls to foster community-driven, high-impact, culturally and linguistically appropriate programs that promote health and reproductive rights in underserved indigenous Maya communities. Anne trained as a cultural anthropologist at the University of Kansas, where she received her master’s degree and completed doctoral coursework. She received a Fulbright scholarship in 2007. Anne lives in Guatemala with her daughters. She speaks Spanish and Kaqchikel.

  • Angel del Valle
  • Angel del Valle

    Angel is a social anthropologist with 12 years of experience in research, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation across thematic areas including adolescent girls’ empowerment, education, child marriage, gender-based violence, youth engagement and evidence-based advocacy to improve social protection frameworks. In his work, he has led experimental and mixed-methods evaluations of programs designed to empower adolescent girls in marginalized settings, including rural and indigenous populations. He has promoted the expansion of programs focused on adolescent girls in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and El Salvador and has supported efforts to reach Native American girls in the United States. He has also served as an advisor to national governments and multilateral institutions, promoting evidence-based policy design to meet the needs of the most marginalized populations, and has advised donors and foundations on grant-making strategies with a focus on education and girls. Angel currently serves as the Country Representative of the Population Council’s Guatemala Office.

  • Joel Weinthal
  • Joel Weinthal

    Joel is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist in Dallas, TX, specializing in the care of children with blood diseases and cancer, with a special interest in stem cell transplantation. He recently joined Cabaletta Bio, a biotechnology company, as a medical director. He has been an active supporter and participant in many charitable causes including the Make a Wish Foundation, Mazon, and Planned Parenthood. He lectures around the country on many medical topics and has authored many published articles, book chapters, and reviews. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and conducted his pediatric residency at Stanford and fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He has a long-standing interest in health care access issues for women and children.

  • Jackie Verity
  • Jackie Verity

    Jackie’s experience of 15+ years in executive and career coaching is complemented by more than 15 years of business leadership in senior human resource management, executive search, and consulting roles. In Houston since 1998, Jackie was born in England and has lived and worked in five different countries, providing her with a global perspective and multicultural awareness that she leverages successfully in her work. Jackie has an MBA with a concentration in International Human Resource Management from the UK’s Open University and BA and MA Honors degrees in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, England. In the area of non-profit service, two main themes ignite her passion – empowering women and helping those in career transition. Jackie is delighted to be part of the WINGS Board and contribute to empowering women, men and young people to access the education and reproductive health services that are so vital to breaking the cycle of poverty in Guatemala.

  • Theresa Weimerskirch
  • Theresa Weimerskirch

    In addition to serving on WINGS’ Board of Directors, Theresa Weimerskirch is a Senior Talent Performance Consultant at Cargill. Over the course of her career, she has developed a unique breadth of experience through leadership roles in finance, distribution, operations, innovation and development, and human resources. She holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management and an undergraduate degree in Math from Hamline University. Her long-standing passion for supporting causes that alleviate poverty through education led her to WINGS. Theresa joined the WINGS Board in 2017 and is delighted to support the essential reproductive health education and services that WINGS provides.

  • Lori Heise
  • Lori Heise

    Lori Heise has over 30 years of experience working in the areas of gender equality, social change, and women’s health, first as an activist practitioner, and later as a researcher. Early in her career, she founded and led two women’s health organizations—one dedicated to sexual and reproductive health and rights and a second focused on women’s HIV prevention needs. She is an internationally recognized expert on the causes and consequences of violence against women and currently serves as co-founder and Technical Director of the Prevention Collaborative, a global initiative designed to strengthen the ability of key actors to implement cutting edge violence prevention programs informed by research-based evidence, practice-based learning, and feminist principles. Lori worked in Guatemala 30 years ago and recently returned to become a permanent resident. She is also on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

  • Richard Yankwich
  • Richard Yankwich

    Richard has worked with groups advocating reproductive rights, providing health care services and education, and building community organizations for more than 30 years. He previously was on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the largest affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Kids in Common, a children’s advocacy group, as well as the Palo Alto Arts Center Foundation. He retired in 2013 as a partner in the international law firm of DLA Piper, where he was a member of the litigation department, the national recruiting chair, and a volunteer mediator in local courts. He joined the WINGS Board in 2018 and looks forward to assisting in expanding essential services to the people of Guatemala.

  • Kathy Hall
  • Kathy Hall

    Kathy Hall has worked in philanthropy and as a lawyer and advocate for gender equality for 25 years. She is currently Director of the Equality for Women and Girls Program at The Summit Foundation. Kathy was previously Deputy Director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation and Co-Executive Director of Just Detention International. She also helped build and later directed the Global Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Kathy has served on the boards of Funders for Reproductive Equity (FRE), the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and currently serves on the board of Kakenya’s Dream, which focuses on empowering girls through education in rural Kenya. Kathy is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School. Kathy first visited Guatemala in 1989 and is passionate about WINGS’ holistic approach to addressing the barriers to reproductive health and rights that so many women and youth face.

  • Austin Anderson
  • Austin Anderson

    Austin has been an Associate Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California since 2003, teaching land use economics and analysis of real estate markets. He is also a Consultant at ProForma Advisors, a firm specializing in land use and entertainment economics, with offices in Los Angeles and New York City. Austin has conducted assignments in 30 states and 15 countries for large corporate and government clients. His principal areas of experience involve projecting the performance of proposed or existing projects and facilities, business strategy formulation, investment analysis, and energy economics. Austin received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Previously he was a member of the Board of Councilors of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at USC, and an instructor in real estate economics at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

  • David Sterman
  • David Sterman

    David is a fee-only Certified Financial Planner based in New York State’s Hudson Valley at Huguenot Financial Planning. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Emory University and a Master’s degree in the Science of Management from Georgia Tech. David has long been active in the non-profit community. He is currently the Board Treasurer of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust, the Board President of the United Way of Ulster County, NY and has previously served as the Board Treasurer of Family of Woodstock. He is also active through volunteerism, working with groups such as the Restorative Justice and Community Empowerment Center of Ulster County and the Ulster Immigration Defense Network (UIDN). David is glad to support WINGS and its support of essential reproductive health education and services.

  • Lisa Van Dusen
  • Lisa Van Dusen

    Lisa is a seasoned social impact leader with experience in social innovation, media, marketing, business and leadership development in Silicon Valley. Lisa serves as Executive Director of the Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF), channeling local resources—financial and otherwise—to nonprofit organizations serving Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, California. Passionate about protecting reproductive rights for all, Lisa served on the board of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (San Francisco, California) and has been an engaged supporter of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (Northern California) for multiple decades. Lisa first spent time in Guatemala as a college student, returning as often as possible ever since. She enthusiastically joined the WINGS board in 2019 and is committed to supporting WINGS’ compelling work throughout Guatemala because “it all starts with reproductive rights.”

  • Board Member Emeritus, Kathie Amble
  • Board Member Emeritus, Kathie Amble

    Kathie Amble graduated from St. Catherine University with a BS in Nursing, and then earned an Adult Nurse Practitioner degree and a Masters of Arts. For many years Kathie volunteered at Common Hope in Guatemala, where she helped set up and manage the clinic pharmacy. She also created health classes for rural women and developed protocols for the clinic. Kathie saw that many Guatemalan women didn’t have access to reproductive health education and services. She became passionate about making these needed services more available. She joined the new WINGS Board in 2001 and became President of the Board a year later. During the nine years she served in that role, she helped build WINGS’ organizational capability and networked tirelessly on behalf of the young NGO. She remains an active fundraiser and performs key tasks in the WINGS US office as a volunteer.

  • Board Member Emeritus, Sue Wheeler
  • Board Member Emeritus, Sue Wheeler

    Sue is a certified coach, facilitator and organizational consultant, partnering with individuals and teams to get to the heart of what matters to them and be their best and bravest selves. Sue spent much of her career as a leader inside organizations, both corporate and nonprofit, and now works independently. One of her leadership roles introduced her to the rich culture of Guatemala, back in 2002, and to the kind and wonderful people who live here. She served the WINGS Board for 10 years.

    Lynn Bakamjian, who succeeded Sue as Board President says “The Board of Directors and staff of WINGS are very pleased to name Sue Wheeler as Board Member Emeritus. We honor her for her passion, leadership and wisdom during her long tenure as Board member from 2006 to 2015, during which she served in many capacities, including President. Sue was instrumental in leading the WINGS Board to strengthen its governance practices to ensure a healthy organization, and for setting in motion a sustainable path to enable WINGS to serve the family planning and reproductive health needs of women, men and youth of Guatemala. Her generosity and wisdom have inspired us all, and we are grateful for her continued association with WINGS.”

    Sue continues to be a passionate supporter of our work and our dreams.

Our Financials

Since WINGS’ establishment in 2001, we have held ourselves to the highest professional standards by placing great emphasis on accountability, financial transparency, and open donor communication. Click below to view our most recent Annual Report and financial highlights. Should you ever have additional questions about our programs, administrative operations, or finances, we invite you to write to us at info@wingsguate.org.

Our tax identification number is 31-1759515.

See Our 2022 Annual Report

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We Couldn't Do It Without Our Supporters

Current Funders

  • Ann C. Dater Fund
  • Blue Oak Foundation, Holly Myers and Kirk Neely
  • Bright Wings Foundation
  • Center for Central American Empowerment
  • Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation
  • The Erik E. and Edith H. Bergstrom Foundation
  • Focus Central America
  • Foundation for a Better World
  • Hands of Healing
  • International Community Foundation: Central America Grants Fund
  • Luis von Ahn Foundation
  • Marc David Foundation
  • Morris S. Smith Foundation, Sterling Franklin, Trustee
  • Move 92
  • The Overbrook Foundation
  • Population Connection
  • Robinhood Cove Foundation
  • Samuel Rubin Foundation
  • The Spafford Foundation
  • The Ward Foundation
  • WestWind Foundation
  • World Centric
  • Younger Family Fund

Past Funders

  • Adventures for the Mind Belizean Grove
  • Appleton Foundation
  • Carson Foundation
  • Cure Cervical Cancer
  • Daniele Agostino Derossi Foundation
  • Forix Foundation
  • International Planned Parenthood Federation
  • The Isabel Allende Foundation
  • Lick-Wilmerding High School Philanthropy Class
  • Miracles in Action
  • Mundito Foundation
  • Pathfinder International
  • Population Matters
  • Together Women Rise: https://togetherwomenrise.org
  • Women’s Foundation of Colorado Beyond Our Borders

91% of our patients live in rural areas

Guatemala faces major health and development challenges, including infant, child, and maternal mortality, malnutrition, poverty, and gender and ethnic inequality. Our programs provide vital health care and education to help familes thrive.

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