Mary Maier

President, Treasurer

Mary is wildlife biologist who worked for over 30 years protecting and restoring the forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. She has had a passion for giving a voice to, and helping, animals her entire life. She now brings this passion to Oaxaca to help empower the people, groups, and organizations who work for the well-being of our four-legged friends.

Growing up in NY, Mary wanted to be a veterinarian and would study the dog breeds in the encyclopedia. She learned that it was easier to take a needle or deal with pain than it was to administer a shot or inflict pain, albeit for the benefit of an animal, so she chose a career helping wildlife. She graduated from Humboldt State University in California in 1996 with a B.S. in Wildlife Management. She spent numerous years conducting field work in the forests of CA, OR, WA and HI to protect the habitat needs of various threatened and endangered species including various owls and hawks, fishers and the Hawaiian crow and hawk. This migrated into a position of working to protect and restore salmon and trout first for a non-profit watershed council in southern Oregon, and then spent 18 years working for King County in Washington state as a Watershed Steward and Project Manager. In this position she wrote and managed numerous grants to fund acquisition of land and restoration projects to protect and restore rivers and forests for fish and wildlife.

She began coming to Oaxaca in 2011 and immediately felt a strong kinship with the people and culture of Oaxaca. She moved to Oaxaca in 2018 with her two rescue kitties. She has fostered several kitties including Diega who came to her care when she was one week old.

Seeing all the street dogs in Oaxaca city and the surrounding pueblos, and posts for abandoned animals motivated her to find a vehicle to make a difference. She spent the pandemic years learning about the needs and what was being done to help the animals. She saw the need to bring more resources to empower and expand the current efforts, thus, Furry Tails of Oaxaca was born in 2022.

Christopher Lockwood

Vice President

Chris Lockwood spent twelve years as the Head of English, Bilingual and International Education in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, and as the Upper School Principal at the American School Foundation of Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico. He taught upper-level classes on Modern Drama, the Contemporary Novel, and Shakespeare. He is now the Director of the National English Honor Society and ELA Honor Society, both international 501(c)3 nonprofits based out of DeKalb, IL, and sits on the Board of Directors for Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. He translates academic work for Tecnologico de Monterrey and grades research papers for the University of Buckingham’s PGCE program. Chris holds a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Keele (Keele, England) and Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), an M.Phil. (Cantab) from the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, England), and an M.Ed. from the University of Buckingham (Buckingham, England).

In his free time, Chris enjoys the company of his two Oaxacan rescue dogs, Petunia and Cosa, who bring joy and companionship to his life. Their playful antics provide a welcome contrast to his other pursuits, reminding him of the simple pleasures that come from caring for pets. Whether going for long walks around the neighborhood or simply lounging at home with a good book, Petunia and Cosa are always by his side, embodying the love and loyalty that pets uniquely offer. Chris and his partner Pompi have successfully rescued numerous dogs and cats, have fostered them, and successfully adopted them into forever homes. He is committed to improving the lot of the street animals of Oaxaca.

Manuela Gomez Rhine

Secretary

Manuela Gomez Rhine is a writer, editor and author who lives in Los Angeles, California, and Oaxaca, Mexico. She began traveling from the U.S., where she was raised, to Mexico as a child, to visit paternal family in Tampico and Mexico City. For the past ten years, Manuela and her husband, Michael, have lived part-time in Oaxaca City. Manuela has an MA in English from the University of Kansas, a BA in journalism from San Francisco State University and an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. As a writer, journalist and editor, she has worked for organizations and companies that include Asian Hall of Fame, The Los Angeles Times, and the Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens. Manuela has authored two novels, The Palm Tree Chronicles and The Wild Chihuahuas of Mexico, as well as the nonfiction photo-essay book, Power of One. Throughout many years, Manuela and Michael have rescued, fostered and adopted numerous cats and dogs. The family now includes Bennie, a senior Chihuahua pulled from a Southern California kill shelter; Bella, a Oaxaca street dog; and Lincoln and Cypress, sibling cats adopted from a Los Angeles shelter.

Summer Lewis

Summer is an international development specialist with more than 15 years of experience building and facilitating international programs and partnerships. With work spanning over 40 countries, she brings a global perspective to strengthening mission-driven organizations and their governance, development, and community impact.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, Sociology, and Women’s Studies from Kansas State University and earned a master’s degree in International Studies: Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of Queensland in Australia as a Rotary Peace Fellow.

From 2017 to 2025, Summer led Rotary International’s global partnership with the Institute for Economics & Peace, where she designed and managed programs that built organizational capacity and fostered collaborative networks worldwide. She is also co-founder of True Roots, a consulting firm that supports mission-driven organizations design and evaluate programs that center people, purpose, and long-term impact.

Since making Oaxaca her home in 2013, Summer has supported community-based initiatives while deepening her connection to the region. During the pandemic, she adopted an abandoned dog and cat (Henry and Ginger), an experience that opened her eyes to the needs of animals in Oaxaca. This has strengthened her belief that the well-being of animals, people, and the environment are interconnected. She brings to the Board a values-driven perspective rooted in compassion, equity, and stewardship.

Erin Machin-Spicer

Adopted in the United States, by an Australian father and English mother, Erin Machin-Spicer spent her early years moving between Australia, England and Oregon. After adopting her sister from South Korea, the family made a permanent move to Aotearoa New Zealand, where – along with México – she considers home. 

Erin fell in love with Oaxaca after visiting in 1999 to study Spanish as part of her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mexican history and literature at the University of Auckland. For the next few years she returned regularly to improve her language skills for a Graduate Diploma in Spanish. In 2007, whilst completing her Master’s degree in Latin American Studies at the University of London, she came back to Oaxaca to research and write her thesis, which focused on the use of cultural identity as a development tool. It was during this time that she was offered a job at a language school, and, after submitting her thesis remotely, made her permanent home in Oaxaca. 

Erin has always loved animals and grew up with horses and dogs. If she isn’t at the lienzo trying to borrow a horse, she can be found surrounded by the multitude of rescue dogs of all shapes and sizes that she shares with her Chipileño partner Jean Christian.

Catherine (Cat) Droden

Honorary Board Member

I had the pleasure of seeing Catherine in action at several sterilization campaigns where she was crowned “La Reina de Los Tickets”; the person at the registration table who greets the animals and their humans and gives them their assigned ticket for sterilization. I was amazed and inspired by her attitude, her dedication to her passions and how she held herself during such a challenging time. I want to share a couple of examples of how she inspired me and other and how she continued to live her passions while struggling with her health. 

In May of last year, while she was receiving treatment for the cancer that depleted her energy, she volunteered and stayed the entire day working the registration table at a sterilization campaign. She wanted to be there regardless of how poorly she was feeling. The joy she felt by doing this work somehow energized her enough to make it through the day. Then there was the contribution of her time and energy to our Whisker Wonderland fundraiser in December. She came up with the idea of having a “cutest pet contest” to raise money. She orchestrated the entire process – developing the message, receiving the stories and images, and making the displayed pet cards for people to vote for with a donation. She stayed until the contest was decided so she could know that 10 animals benefited from her efforts! Fittingly, her and Ron’s dog, Dainzu was one of the winners!

In addition to her board work, Catherine was a staple at many sterilization campaigns, she taught English at a private school in Oaxaca, she volunteered with Collin A.C, the Migrant Assistance project, and was one of the managers of the Oaxaca Lending Library’s weekly Stitches group. She was also known for her adorable, crocheted animals.

Catherine was a force in the animal welfare and Oaxaca community. She will always be in our hearts as an honorary board member of Furry Tails of Oaxaca.