Our Story

Our founders

Debra

Debra is a first-generation college and graduate school graduate. She spent her first days in Oaxaca in high school as an exchange student with AFS. She lived with a local family and fell in love with the culture, tradition, and, of course, her amazing host family - which consisted of 7 girls!

Debra returned to the US and enrolled at Carleton College in MN before going to law school at Washington University in St. Louis. She was a defense attorney, representing college, universities, and health care providers before returning to WashU to serve as its first Dean of Students and a Lecturer in Law.

She discovered that she loved working with students and went on to serve as a senior student affairs officer at Coe College, Illinois Wesleyan, Scripps College of The Claremont Colleges, and at Northwestern University's satellite campus in the country of Qatar. She then went to Saudi Arabia to help high school students apply to and prepare for U.S. universities. She currently serves as a consultant with College Ready.

In 2018, Debra returned to Oaxaca, Mexico and re-connected with Victor. They were married soon afterwards.

Victor

Victor was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico. His father was the first board certified OB-GYN in Oaxaca and co-founder of El Carmen Clinic and Hospital in downtown Oaxaca. An intellectual at heart and a lover of art, Victor began collecting Oaxacan art from both the masters and emerging artists at a young age. After completing his residency in Mexico City, Victor returned to Oaxaca to serve as an OB-GYN. Victor and his brothers continue to own and operate El Carmen.

While still seeing patients, Victor began to ease into retirement and is transferring his efforts to OFEA and sharing the joy of art with others. His collection has grown to hundreds of pieces, all donated to OFEA to begin a program of recognizing, preserving, and exhibiting the important art of Oaxaca, and educating people about the different periods, techniques, and artists.

debra@ofeanfp.org

MEX +52 1 951 224 2612

US 909-456-5876

victor@ofeanfp.org

MEX +52 1 951 224 2612

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”

– Mark Van Doren

Photos courtesy of Rubén Tenorio Vasconcelos

About us

During the pandemic, our founders, Debra and Victor, opened their home to local children for studying. They transformed one of their bungalows into a makeshift school, complete with computers, internet access, printing facilities, and healthy snacks. This experience inspired Debra and Victor to make a lasting commitment to support the people of San Francisco Tutla, particularly its children.

Focusing on children in grades 4 to 7, they brainstormed and created educational initiatives related to personal development and growth, health and hygiene and education generally. Students who previously did community service worked on English skills, education about blood, its importance in the body and to donate, and gardening and composting.

Victor is a long time art enthusiast and collector, focusing his collection on original works from Oaxacan artists. Wanting to support area artists after the pandemic, he and Debra decided to expand their vision of their developing non-profit and include art. In addition to raising money to support exhibitions, they offer opportunities for art students and artists to come and live, work with, and learn from area maestros. Students interested in art and art history have the opportunity to create catalogues, catlogue OFEA’s extensive collection, and assist area museums in research.

Debra and Victor's efforts are dedicated to fostering education and enriching the lives of the children in San Francisco Tutla and developing an international appreciation of Oaxacan art while preserving Oaxacan culture.