Meet Our Team

Linda Green

Co-Founder and Board Member

Founder Linda moved to Antigua in 1992. She was the acting director of Unidos, and coordinate training, mobile sterilization clinics, adoptions and the foster and volunteer program in addition to fostering and training countless puppies and dogs in her home. 

Working with Unidos allowed Linda to merge her two main passions; teaching and animals. A retired elementary school teacher and director, in 2018 she graduated with honours from the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers with her CTC (Certificate in Training and Counselling). She is Fear Free certified a certified Separation Anxiety specialist, and a proud member of the Pet Professional Guild. Linda oversees our training program, supports our foster families and our adopters with evidence-based and effective training plans.

In 2022 after 30 years in Antigua, Linda moved to Calgary, Canada where she started a company, Green Dogs Training and behavioural consultation to support guardians and dogs struggling with behavioural issues. She continues to be involved with Unidos on many levels and travels to Guatemala yearly to volunteer in clinics.

Dr. Jim Bader, DVM

Board Member, Veterinarian

Board member Dr. Jim graduated from the University of Illinois in 1988 and lives and works in Holland, Michigan. He started Mapleview Animal Hospital in 1992. Dr. Jim completed two certificate programs from the University of Florida in Shelter Medicine and Veterinary Forensics in 2013 and also completed a certificate program in non-profit management from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2014.  He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida. He loves the diversity and challenges of veterinary medicine and learning as much as possible about all species from chameleons to kangaroos. 

Dr. Jim has been traveling to Guatemala for more than 20 years to support Unidos, performing multi-day mobile spay and neuter clinics. He typically performs 150+ surgeries as well as multiple consultations on difficult cases in each week long trip.

He volunteers his time generously both locally and internationally to multiple lucky rescue groups. He wrote the first published article documenting the incidence of heart worm and tick-borne diseases in Guatemala. He is currently working with Travelling Animal Doctors, The Native American Veterinary Services, and Unidos para Los Animales. When not working, Dr. Jim enjoys travel, cooking, home improvement projects, golf and archery. Dr. Jim is married and has four children and multiple animals.

Keri Peyton

Board Member, US Treasurer

Wanting to give back, Keri started volunteering for Unidos in 2016 after cofounders Linda and Terry supported her when she rescued Mr. Bones, her beloved Labrador who was found in horrible condition on the coast of Guatemala. Working first in the shelter, she started taking on more duties and fostering puppies whenever she could. In 2018 she took over managing the organization’s accounts.

Keri left Guatemala in 2021 with her four rescue dogs. Mr. Bones passed away in 2022, but former Guatemalan street dogs Arrow, Clementine and Fletcher now all call Florida home too. Keri continues to manage the US accounting and non-profit tax reports.

Carin Steen

Board Member, Volunteer

Carin Steen is an artist and dog lover. She has been a volunteer with Unidos para los Animales since 2015, fostering dozens of puppies, assisting in clinics and developing our activity book ¿Cómo cuidar a mi chuco? Carin shares her heart and home with 4 rescued pups and currently divides her time between Spain and Guatemala. You can see more of Carin’s beautiful murals, pet portraits, and other work at:

www.handpaintedpetportrait.com

Tessa de Goede

Board Member and Director, Guatemala

Tessa has been part of our team since 2014 became our director in Guatemala in 2022. She supports Unidos by assisting in fundraising, event planning, volunteering at most spay and neuter clinics, and managing a portion of the social media. She does this in addition to running her own foundation for cleft palate babies (Tess Unlimited). Tessa and her husband Gerson have been rescuing, fostering and homing animals for many years. They have a large ‘family’ of 30 rescued dogs in their home, including three paralyzed dogs who have no idea they are differently abled.

In her spare(?) time, Tessa trains and runs road races and loves to explore the lesser visited areas of Guatemala.

Catherine Corry

Board Member, Guatemala Treasurer, and Volunteer

Catherine is a British citizen and a retired teacher. She lived for many years in El Salvador, and moved to Antigua in 2015, where she built a home. She is very active in many areas in the community and has been our treasurer in Guatemala since 2021. Catherine also volunteers at sterilization clinics and frequently fosters dogs for the organization.

Francesca Luissi

Board Member and Volunteer

Francesca is from Guatemala and is a passionate animal welfare advocate. She joined forces with Unidos in 2016, volunteering in clinics, transporting animals to and from veterinary appointments, making connections with medical supply companies, wholesalers and more. She began the CSVR (Capture, Sterilize, Vaccinate, Release) program with the free-roaming dogs around Antigua and continues to spearhead that effort.

Noreen Durkin

Volunteer

Noreen moved from the US to Antigua with her husband Luis Velasquez in 2018. Wanting to give back to the community, she began volunteering in our mobile sterilization clinics, monitoring the cats during recovery. She does a stellar job of this and has generalized to helping in many different areas on clinic days. We are very grateful to have her on our team.

Luis Velasquez

Volunteer

Luis and his wife Noreen have been living in Antigua since 2018. Luis began volunteering at clinics alongside Noreen in 2022 after seeing the profound effect that our clinics have in local communities. Luis was instrumental in connecting us to his home town of Comalapa where the free-roaming dog and cat population is far too large. Luis helps facilitate clinics by connecting with the local authorities and churches. He has also completed construction of a small veterinary clinic in a nearby community, with the aim pf providing affordable veterinary services to those who most need them. He has become an integral member of our team on the ground in Guatemala.

Cat Langley

Volunteer

Cat moved to Guatemala from the UK in 2020. She became a volunteer for us after rescuing her fearful dog Leo, who she learnt a lot about training and force free behaviour modification through. Cat has been running sterilisation clinics since 2022, making key connections in the community and expanding the areas that we cover. She also carries out many other operational tasks, ensuring past and present animals get the ongoing care they require.

Cat loves learning about dog behaviour and the medical side of animal care, and she spends as much time as possible hiking in the local mountains and fincas.

Flori Batt

Volunteer

Flori is from El Salvador but lived in the USA since 1994. She has been married to John Batt for 33 years and has 2 amazing children, Alejandro and Sofia. After becoming empty nesters the couple decided to move to Antigua with their 3 dogs. They now also have adopted 2 kitties. Flori has been living in Antigua for 2 years now and she works tirelessly to capture, transport, and return the free roaming dogs we sterilize. No task is too small or too big for Flori to offer to lend a hand.

Jimmy Mattrell

Volunteer

Jimmy is a big animal lover. He was born and raised in Guatemala, and has several businesses including Union Cafe. During the pandemic he approached us to ask for help sterilizing dogs and cats in a desperately poor village called Guayabal very close to Antigua. We obliged, and Jimmy has been volunteering at clinics whenever his schedule allows every since. He also generously provides delicious sandwich lunches from Union Cafe to our dedicated volunteer and medical team on clinic days.