Juanita-Joy “JJ” Riddell,
Mexico Liaison
“A tremendous urgency…”
One of the original members and long-time president, Riddell stepped back several years ago to focus on Hearthstone’s work in Mexico, becoming the go-to person for all things Baja. When asked what motivates her, she says, “It’s pretty simple. I have a tremendous urgency about the need to empower young women. It’s one of the most important things we can be doing right now ... it makes such a difference in the future for the rest of the world. It’s not just about women in our country, or the women in Haiti ... it’s world-wide.” Juanita-Joy spent three decades as a special education teacher in Mendocino County, and also assists with the education of the learning-disabled girls at RMOF.