Board of Directors

Margaret Saavedra President

After 30+ years as a school office manager and 20+ years as a member and president of the Classified School Employees Union, Margaret Saavedra retired from the local city schools in 2011. She then joined the Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities Group and is currently in her second year as president. She attended the Sister City International Conference in Washington DC in 2016 where her club received the Award for Best Overall Program with a population of 50,000 to 100,000. Margaret is also a member of the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, a philanthropic organization that helps many lower income families, seniors and other worthwhile organizations. She particularly enjoys being a member of Kids on the Block, a program that uses life size puppets to teach safety rules and good behavior to preschool and primary school students.

Tony de Paco – 2nd Vice President

Tony, was born in Mexico but has been a Santa Barbara resident most of his life. As one of SB/PV Sister City newer members, he was on the January Puerto Vallarta visitation where his experience with sister city projects and new found friendships infused great enthusiasm to participate more fully in the sister city program. Tony is retired. He has been involved in youth programs all his adult life including being a high school student sports coach. His interest in SB/PV Sister City Board service is to create a means to develop youth programs as well as helping in any way he can to promote the people to people citizen diplomacy mission of Sister City International which includes service above self in supporting the variety of socially and economically beneficial projects in Puerto Vallarta.

Alicia Sorkin – Recording Secretary

Alicia was born in New York City where she attended local schools.  She received a Master of Arts in Spanish Literature from Queens College in New York.  Alicia has lived in Carpinteria for 30 years.  She is bilingual and  taught Spanish at Santa Barbara High School for 18 years.  Prior to teaching, Alicia worked in business and gave bilingual tours at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  She also worked with journalists in the Office of Public Information at the UN.  Her background is Hispanic, and she has family in Costa Rica.  Naturally, this connection drew her to Santa Barbara Puerto Vallarta Sister City.  She has great admiration for  the Sister City relationship that has been established  between Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta and the many projects that have resulted from this special partnership.

Gil Garcia – Treasurer

Gil is a retired architect intensely involved in civic affairs  He is an active member of Rotary Club Santa Barbara North serving as president in 1989 where he generates cooperative alliances with Sister Cities and other organizations for the development of Social and Economic impact projects and programs in Mexico. He is past president of Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter and currently serves on its board of Governors as Senior Liaison US/Mexico relations. Past board member of Sister Cities International and currently serves on its Honorary Board.  Gil served 10 years on SB City Council (1992-2002) where he was active in the League of California Cities serving as president on the Community Services Policy Committee, president of the Local Government Commission, and Vice President of the National League of Cities Human Development Policy Committee. Mr. Garcia is a recipient of numerous community awards, including University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Honorary Alumni Award, Santa Barbara News-Press 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award, 1993 Santa Barbara Man of the Year award and various other civic awards and honors.

Bonnie Carroll-Corresponding Secretary

Bonnie is the former owner of BCPR, a public relations firm. She was honored for her civic contribution as board member and chairman of  the Malibu Ambassadors of the Malibu Chamber of Commerce. Bonnie has served on numerous boards, Coordinated major events, and represents the Santa Bárbara Bárbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee as a member of Santa Barbara Sister Cities Board. She is a local publisher of award-winning Bonnie Carroll’s Life Bites News, has traveled the world as an international travel journalist, and in 2022 won an Association for Women in Communication Clarion Award for the work.

Maria Sanchez-Chair membership committee

Born in Durango Mexico, has lived in Santa Barbara for 53 years, has volunteered in local schools, worked in varies employments in the Goleta high tech industry. Maria had an import business called Calico Cat located on Haley Street for a number of years and have participated in events and festival selling Mexican imports including traditional Mexican clothing. She has been a member of Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City for over 6 years, and this is first term on the board of directors. Traveling, working together as citizen diplomats in the goodwill mission of the sister city program is one of most gratifying and most enjoyable experiences and it highly motivates to invite friends and family to be part of the fun.

Alma Ruth Vaja – Board Member

Ruth, A long time members of SB/PV Sister City has traveled extensively with the group, not only to Puerto Vallarta but to other organized SB/PV Sister City trips to other parts of Mexico and to Sister City Patras, Greece. In addition to people-to-people citizen diplomacy these trips included educational workshops on alliances building with Rotary and Kiwanis International. Ruth is an active member of Santa Barbara Kiwanis Club since 1977 and as an SB/PV Sister City Board member she can see an opportunity for youth project cooperation with Kiwanis. Ruth`s education includes a Masters of Arts degree in Psychology and Healthy Aging Concentration which is also an area of interest for possible exchange of ideas with Sister City Puerto Vallarta. Ruth extensive community involvement would be an asset to the SB/PV Sister City mission peace through service. Ruth diverse work experience and community involvement brings interesting new ideas for SB/PV Sister City projects and education.

Scott Burns – Board Member

1. Scott Burns has lived in Santa Barbara since  1977, he has been active in the community as President of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce, President of Santa Barbara Sunrise Rotary Club, El Presidente of Old Spanish Days, along with being on the boards of other organizations. He was on the County Childrens commission and the City’s Park and Rec. commission. He has been married to Lisa since 1985 and they have one son, Matt.

Dr Joseph Mulvihill III – Board Member

Dr Joseph is a chiropractic physician with extensive experience in clinical practice, practice management, business development, and marketing. He is passionate about innovative neurological healing techniques, especially as related to psychological and substance abuse treatment and recovery. He is Founder & Managing Director Spirit & Science Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA 2011 – Present.
He founded a non-profit organization devoted to education and treatment of emotional disorders and addiction using integrative healing techniques.
Civic activity includes Meal Preparation Volunteer, Hotel de Riviera, Santa Barbara, CA Volunteer, Santa Barbara Integrative Medicine Forum Volunteer, Clinical Psychiatric Grand Rounds, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Activities & Interests include Opera, Pilates, Skiing, Sailing, Hiking,