BOARD MEMBERS / MIEMBROS DE LA DIRECTIVA
Maria Christina Moroles – President
Born in Corpus Christi in 1953 to migrant workers Maria and Jose, Maria is first generation Mexican American, the eldest daughter of a traditional family of 6 children.
Maria began to study natural healing in 1974, and has continued to learn traveling throughout North America and to Peru, studying under other traditional indigenous healers.
She moved to Arkansas in 1976 and co-founded Arco Iris, which holds in trust 370 acres of wooded land adjacent to Rancho Arco Iris, the healing retreat center that she and her partner Miguela have built from the ground up using Permaculture techniques and practices. Maria’s daughter and son also live at Rancho Arco Iris with her and Miguela.
Maria Christina Moroles -Presidente
Nacida en Corpus Christi en 1953 a padres trabajadores migrantes, Maria y José. Maria es primera generación Mexicana-Americana, la mayor de seis niños en una familia tradicional.
En 1974, Maria empezó a estudiar la curación naturalista, y sigue aprendiendo. Ella ha viajado por Norte América y al Perú, donde ha estudiado bajo indigenas curanderos tradicionales.
En 1976 se mudó para Arkansas, y fue una de dos fundadoras de Arco-Iris, cual contiene en fideicomiso 370 acres de tierra con monte, junto al Rancho Arco-Iris, y también, contiene el centro de retiro para curación que ella y su compañera Miguela han fundado del nivel de tierra para arriba usando practicas y tecnicas Perma culturales. La hija y hijo de Maria viven tambien al Rancho Arco-Iris con Maria y Miguela.
Janis Walters – Treasurer
Janis Walters was born and raised in Indiana. After completing high school, she spent four years in the U.S. Navy, including an extended tour of duty in South Viet Nam. After her military experience, she moved to Texas, married and raised a daughter. She holds an undergraduate degree in Counseling and a Masters Degrees in Religious Education and in Gerontology. She spent several years working in program development and case management with senior citizen programs and with the Alzheimer’s Association in Texas. She also taught courses in caregiving and conducted seminars on care of dementia patients.
Janis moved to Arkansas in 2001 to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. After living in the Little Rock area for a few years where she was self-employed in home maintenance and remodeling, she moved to Boxley in 2008 to live at Rancho Arco Iris.
Janis was elected to the Board in 2008 and was elected Treasurer in 2009.
Lucia Lopez Perez – Board Member
Lucia Lopez Perez Hall is full blood Mayan, of the western Cakchiquel branch. She is originally from San Antonio Palopo’, which is located on the eastern shore of Lake Atitlan, in the highlands of Guatemaya. There is much history in the highland region, where the lake was known as the navel of the Earth. Her home town is at least 3,000 years old.
Lucia is married to Jerry Hall, and she is mother to four children, and one adopted son, and a granddaughter. They live mostly in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they operate a shop of handcrafts, and also raise and sell organic blueberries, and other produce.
Lucia has no formal education, but is fluent in Cakchiquel, Spanish, and English. She is an experienced weaver on the traditional mayan backstrap loom (Kem), and has many years experience in small business.
Lucia maintains her ties to her family at Lake Atitlan with yearly visits, and has raised and distributed funds to help the local school, and also for the recent flooding disaster which occurred all around the lake area.
Jerry Hall – Board Member
Jerry Hall is of European, and Native American ancestry. He is the seventh generation since his more recent ancestors first arrived in the Southwest Ozarks area. They were an interesting collection of immigrants, French Huguenots, farmers, and developers, who left France by way of Ireland in search of adventure, religious freedom, and monetary reward on the frontier of the early United States of America. They became successful at the expense of Native Americans, and with help from their African Slaves. Some of his ancestors were German Immigrants, who are remembered as hard workers who were also musically talented, and held parties often. One Scottish ancestor started out as a schoolteacher, then became a stone mason, whose many old stone buildings are still standing.
Jerry’s Choctaw, and Cherokee ancestors came to the Ozark area before The Trail of Tears, when the area was known as Cherokee West, in a futile effort to maintain their freedom from U.S. domination. They were hunters, farmers, orchardists, and builders. They chose to stay in Arkansas after it became a State, and eventually intermarried with early Scottish, English, German, and French immigrants.
Jerry is father to 2 children, and 3 adopted children, and one granddaughter, and married to Lucia Lopez Hall. He has studied Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Horticulture, and Spanish, at the University of Arkansas. He is currently managing building projects in Fayetteville Arkansas, and San Antonio Palopo’ Guatemala. He is planting 16,000 hardwood trees along the West Fork of the White River in Fayetteville, and with much help from his wife Lucia, grows organic fruits, and vegetables.
Klairanissa Hedlin
Klairanissa Hedlin moved up from Little Rock, Arkansas and has been living in Newton County for sixteen years. She teaches poetry, dance, and English at North Arkansas College and hand crafts jewelry to sell in the area. She believes living in the National Forest is a great blessing.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Arturo Ramirez
Arturo Ramirez, a native Texan, now living in Mountain View, AR was born in Corpus Christi in 1957. Of Spanish and Yaqui Indian descent, Arturo is one of 9 children. He spent his childhood years between Corpus Christi, California, and Dallas. Currently Arturo is married with five children, his oldest is 24 and his youngest son is 5.
At the age of 17, Arturo joined the US Marine Corps, earning several commendations before his honorable discharge. After leaving the Marines, he earned two college degrees, an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Programming.
Professionally, Arturo has vast experience in the commercial graphic arts industry, fine wood-working and custom furniture design and construction. He is also a skilled fine artist and a new juried member of the Arkansas Craft Guild and member of the Mountain View Art Guild. His specialty is in photo-realism pencil drawings.
Arturo has recently left the board an is now an Advisory Board Position. A genuine committed soul, he is excited about this opportunity because it gives him a chance to put his time and talents together creating and contributing to something he whole-heartedly believes in.
