KKIS Team
Meet Our Board
Gayle Collins
Founder
After 36 years as a public high school teacher in the US, Gayle retired in Playa del Carmen. They say that once you are a teacher, you will always be a teacher – even after leaving the classroom, the desire to help children achieve their potential remains ever present.
Kelly Caldwell
Chairman
Kelly spent 21 years working in the banking industry as a change manager responsible for large scale technology projects. She moved to Mexico in 2011 and is passionately committed to making a real difference in the lives of young people here.
Suzanne Filsinger
Treasurer
Suzanne was born in Mexico City and grew up in the US. Her bi-cultural, education-focused upbringing gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities present in the Mexican education system.
Rubén Barahona
Notario
Over the past 26 years, Ruben has built a successful law practice in Cancun and Playa del Carmen specializing in Notary, Corporate, Civil and Real Estate Law. He is Public Notary Number 13 for the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, base in Playa del Carmen. A native of Cozumel, Mexico, Ruben also serves as a Board Member of COPARMEX Riviera Maya, the Red Cross in Playa del Carmen and on the Board of Trustees for his alma mater, Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia.
Jordan MacDonald
Founder, Grupo Events
Jordan’s team building and event planning company in Mexico executes amazing “give back” events benefiting KKIS supported schools and students. They have customized and given away bikes, landscaped school grounds, assembled shade sails, built picnic tables, outfitted a library and painted classrooms. His high energy and optimism is infectious!
Allan Lockhart
Co-owner of North American Standards Property Management
Allan brings to the KKIS Board years of experience in multiple industries and has the distinction of being a KKIS Sponsor from the beginning. He is an active participant in the KKIS English Conversation Club and a prominent fundraiser.
Briar Loewen
President of KKIS A.C
Briar helped KKIS formulate the high school and then the university scholarship program both of which have grown significantly over the years. She has been a Sponsor, a Mentor, an Advisor and now a Board Member!
Merry Hummel
Board Member
Merry Hummell is a mission driven leader with a passion for doing good in the communities she has lived in, including her native hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, where she currently resides. Merry has 35 years of strategic and operational management experience in diverse non-profit settings including: higher education, philanthropy, healthcare, and human services. Organization and project budgets range in scale from $100k to $80m. Her specialty is the vision, design and implementation of new programming.
Merry is the owner/operator of Hummell Consulting Services. As a consultant, Merry assisted the City of Fort Collins to design a digital inclusion program. She served as Interim Sustainability Coordinator at Crossroads Safehouse assisting with the financial stability and core functions of the organization during a transition phase between Executive Directors. She worked alongside community leaders to develop Outreach Fort Collins programming, including assessing options and establishing the fledgling program under the fiscal sponsorship umbrella of the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center. Merry worked with Larimer County to help craft and draft the Community Master Plan for Behavioral Health: Changing the Paradigm, the cornerstone of the Mental Health Matters initiative. After voters approved funding for behavioral health services, Merry created and helped to initiate the inaugural grant making in 2019, distributing $1M in invitation only and competitive grant rounds.
Concurrently, Merry serves as Director of the Health and Wellness Centers at Lincoln Middle and Centennial High Schools; part of Every Child Pediatrics, the largest nonprofit pediatric practice in Colorado, providing comprehensive, affordable health care to over 24,000 children. The Centers are two of 3,000 School-Based Health Care sites in the U.S. which prioritize serving at-risk youth with comprehensive and integrated medical, mental, and oral health care, regardless of a family’s insurance status or ability to pay. Prior to the pandemic, the Centers launched the first integrated, virtual-care model in an SBHC in the state of Colorado.
Meet Our Team
Gina María García Pérez
STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR (AND STUDENTS COUNSELOR)
Since she studied Psychology at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, in her hometown, Gina was very clear about her vocation and life path: supporting people in their integral development processes and promoting their well-being.
She has dedicated herself to working with various ages and in diverse contexts (educational, community, counseling). Her motivation to understand human beings in different cultures and her interest in learning languages led her to travel and live in the USA, Canada, and Germany.
Since last year she returned to Playa del Carmen, following her call to reconnect more deeply with her Mexican roots. She joined the KKIS team, with the great desire to support young people, who, from her point of view, require much assistance to develop their potential in an increasingly complex and demanding society.
Rick Toone
DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
Rick worked on his first TV commercial while still in college. Ojce he left college he did rock and roll tours for a few years working with artist like Whitney Houston, Heart, Englebert Humperdink, The Temptations and many more.
After a few yers he moved to Los Angeles and got into the film business where he worked on over 1000 national spots and over 50 Super Bowl commercials. Working with the top agencies and directors at the time he learned about targeting the right person, what feelings move people to buy and split testing. While in LA he was nominated for an Emmy, has 3 projects in the MOMA permanent collection and worked on numerous top commercials each recognized by the Cannes Lion awards.
After 20 years in LA he moved across the country and worked on 3 different innovative app where he learned digital marketing. Honing his skills in social media and web sites he learned how to move the needle in each of the start ups.
Working with KKIS as the marketing director, he has doubled the annual revenue, doubled the number of students because of the revenue and increased attendance at the annual gala.
Ad the director of development he is moving KKIS to a new level with local and national partnerships, continuing to increase the revenue and managing a small team of marketers.
Why does he work with KKIS? he says “once you meet the amazing students, your heart melts. When you think just a few dollars stands between them and greatness you can’t help but be involved”.
She has dedicated herself to working with various ages and in diverse contexts (educational, community, counseling). Her motivation to understand human beings in different cultures and her interest in learning languages led her to travel and live in the USA, Canada, and Germany.
Since last year she returned to Playa del Carmen, following her call to reconnect more deeply with her Mexican roots. She joined the KKIS team, with the great desire to support young people, who, from her point of view, require much assistance to develop their potential in an increasingly complex and demanding society.
Malú Martínez
STUDENTS SERVICES MANAGER
Malú Martínez is from Calvillo, Aguascalientes, Mexico, and has lived in Playa del Carmen for 10 years. She has a degree in Marketing and Media Communication and is completing a Master’s in Public Relations and Management Processes. Despite financial challenges, she pursued her education with determination, becoming the only member of her family to obtain a degree.
Her professional career includes roles such as Promotion Coordinator at UNID University, Operational Coordinator of the Women’s Institute of the Municipality of Solidaridad, and Director of Public Relations of the Municipal DIF System. Since 2016, she has been involved with the KKIS Project Foundation and is currently the Manager of School Services.
In media, Malú hosts “MCV Noticias,” runs a podcast called “Ya en Confianza con Malú,” and creates social and cultural reports. She has nearly 14 years of experience in media, including hosting a radio show focused on women’s contributions to society.
Passionate about social impact, communication, and public relations, Malú believes in the transformative power of education and approaches her work with commitment, responsibility, and empathy.
Emmanuel Flores Chanes
MARKETING ASSOCIATE
A strong community, international, and social services professional skilled in turning necessities into opportunities and ideas into turnover. Proficient in photography and video editing, specializing in social and event photography. Experienced in social media marketing for Argentina and LATAM, film and commercial video production, and hospitality and public relations in the Mayan Riviera.
Melina Molina
MARKETING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGER
Originally from Argentina, she transitioned from studying Law to Systems Engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, where she soon discovered her passion for Marketing. To pursue this new interest, she enrolled at Universidad Blas Pascal for a Digital Marketing Diploma. With over 8 years of experience and 13 certifications from Google, HubSpot, Meta, Zapier, and more, she has helped businesses in Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and the United States overcome their marketing challenges.
As a digital marketing strategist, she blends technical expertise with human-centric skills, focusing on automation, AI, and data-driven strategies to drive business growth. Her expertise spans SEO, content marketing, social media, email marketing, and creating impactful automation workflows.
Continuously exploring new technologies, she strives to enhance marketing effectiveness and deliver meaningful results.
She chose to work at KKIS because she firmly believes in the transformative power of education.
Miguel Valencia Dominguez
WEB DESIGNER
Charismatic web designer who specializes in creating attractive and functional digital experiences for entrepreneurs and business owners with a personal brand.
With over 7 years of experience in the industry, he is dedicated to transforming ideas into websites that not only look great but also perform flawlessly, helping his clients achieve their goals.
Additionally, he is the host of “”Fracasando con Éxito,”” a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs to share their stories, lessons learned, and failures, inspiring others to keep moving forward on their entrepreneurial journey.