Project coordinator: Ellen Calmus
Ellen is a writer and photographer who has taught children and adults at all levels, in Mexico, the U.S. and El Salvador, from pre-school art and drama classes to adult literacy to university courses in international relations. The Corner Project grew out of the educational resource center she started for the children of Barrio San Juan in 1998, when she came to Malinalco in search of a quiet place to write. She graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in visual studies and received a masters in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. In October 2008 Ellen was awarded Mexico's gold Quetzalcóatl medal for her work with migrants and their families.

Coordinator of support to migrants' families:
Laura Sanchez
Laura was inspired to pursue an education by her campesino parents, who paid for her schooling with the crops her father raised and the tortillas her mother sold to help make ends meet. Laura studied law at a branch university in Tenango, working part time at Malinalco’s golf club, going from waitressing to becoming the golf club’s assistant director of public relations, earning a good salary. Still, Laura hadn't studied law to earn a living but to defend the poor against injustice. She contacted the Corner Project saying she wanted to help defend the rights of our migrants and their families, even if this meant a cut in pay. Laura’s joining our team has increased exponentially our ability to help our migrants’ families.

Coordinator of Production: Ruth Sanchez
In the summer of 2006 Ruth joined the Corner Project's Malinalco Migrants' Eagles workshop as an apprentice woodcarver -- showing some spirit beneath her quiet demeanor, for it was unheard-of for young women to learn this skill. She earned the respect of all participants, and helped teach the younger apprentices. Her proven talent for crafts plus her ability to see projects through led to an invitation to coordinate production for our new artisanal publications. With her earnings Ruth is helping to put herself through college at a branch campus she commutes to daily across the mountains in nearby Tenancingo.

Office manager :
Maribel Sanchez Hernández
After dropping out of high school to work full time as a housecleaner, Maribel thought the doors to skilled work would be closed to her forever. But the skills she quickly developed upon starting work as our new office’s first administrator made Maribel one of the Corner Project’s most capable collaborators, while her sensitivity to the needs of families experiencing extended separations made it possible for the Corner Project to help an increasing number of migrants’ children and families. Maribel likes working with these families because, she says, “When a migrant's family has a problem you feel like it’s your own family, and you want to help.”

Coordinator of Visual Arts and Design:
Edgar Monroy Rodriguez
Gary, as all of Malinalco calls him, began carving as a seven-year-old shepherd, developing this skill into an art in the tradition of the ancient Aztec stone-carvers whose work can be seen in Malinalco's historic sites. Gary's larger pieces grace many local churches and his work has been exhibited internationally. This area's Aztec heritage means that there are many woodcarvers in the Malinalco area, but Gary's gift for inspiring young people's interest in woodcarving and his delight in sharing his skills with others has made him a figure of unparalleled affection and respect for the generations of young woodcarvers who have learned their art from him. We feel very fortunate that Gary has joined our team.

Editorial Coordinator: Laura Pérez Madrigal
A librarian and promising young writer, Laura first participated in the Corner Project when we invited her to write for a little magazine about Malinalco's Day of the Dead traditions. Since then she has assumed increasing responsibilities in Corner Project activities, and in 2005 her skilled editing and organizing earned her the position of editorial coordinator of Corner Project publications. She began by editing a collection of local ghost stories, organizing a Day of the Dead evening of story-telling which she recorded and edited into a book. Now she is working on a book of local memories from Mexico's revolution -- and, as you can see, Laura also pitches in as a model for our fashion exports.

`Claudia Nieto Millán
A young Malinalco artisan known for the lovely hand-bound notebooks she designs and produces, Claudia joined the Corner Project team in April 2009, bringing with her creativity, quality work and talent for teamwork. A childhood interest in Malinalco’s traditional Aztec dance and artisanry led her to study with local artisans. On returning to Malinalco after family need led her to spend several years’ working in Mexico City, she began to support herself with her craft. Claudia says about her work with the Corner Project: “It’s not just a job. The idea that you can help a family be okay: that’s something you can’t buy.”