Executive Director

A native of San Diego, John Fanestil is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and the Claremont School of Theology. In 2017, he earned the Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California, specializing in the history of early America.

John has worked for decades in movements for social justice, beginning with his work in the Central American peace movement. From 2007 to 2014, he was Executive Director of the San Diego Foundation for Change, the local chapter of a national philanthropic network called The Funding Exchange. Since 2006, John has convened the Friends of Friendship Park, a coalition of local stakeholders advocating for public access to the historic meeting place overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the border between San Diego and Tijuana. Since 2011, he has worked with friends from Tijuana to convene El Faro: The Border Church, a weekly celebration of communion at Friendship Park. He has spoken to hundreds of groups and dozens of media outlets from around the world about the history of Friendship Park and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

Executive Assistant

Gladys serves as the Executive Assistant for Via International’s staff. She is a non-profit advocate, with over 15 years of experience supporting multiple organizations addressing the most pressing issues facing our communities. She has learned that in order to help others and improve their quality of life, we must engage in our community, build strong alliances, and work in collaboration and partnership. Gladys loves dogs, music and tennis.

Director of Resource Development

Joanna joined the Via family in May 2013 as our Resource Development Director. Joanna holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from UCSD and has worked in cross-border collaboration and infrastructure planning for 25 years. Joanna is passionate about empowering individuals to be their own best advocate and believes that civic engagement is key to a thriving community. She is an avid gardener, urban bee-keeper and mom of two teen-aged boys. Joanna is the main contact for foundations, corporations and individual donors and leads our build-a-beehive program in the San Diego area.

Although Raquel recently joined our Board of Directors, she comes to the position with a long history of having served the organization. Raquel worked within the organization for 19 years before retiring, then continued her connection with Via in recent years through volunteer service at our headquarters in San Diego. As a newly elected Via Board Member, her hope is to make a contribution by pushing Via forward with progressive strides to meet common goals in the community. Having grown up in Logan Heights (where Via’s offices are located), she is deeply connected to the community and issues that make Barrio Logan unique and is excited to now serve on the board of a highly respected organization in this community. Raquel’s personal history with the organization, the community, and her previous work in the private sector all make her a wonderful addition to the Via Board of Directors. When not doting on her kids and grandkids, you can find Raquel reading, drawing, in a yoga class or traveling the world! Read Raquel’s Board Highlight Interview.

Dr. Elizabeth Reed is Associate Professor of global health at San Diego State University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Trained in social epidemiology, she conducts research related to the intersection of gender inequality, poverty, and health. Specifically, she focuses her research on the social and economic factors influencing gender-based violence and sexual/reproductive health outcomes, including HIV/STI as well as adolescent and unintended pregnancy. She uses the findings of her research to support the development of public health programming to promote economic opportunity, health, and safety. Her research is based in the US, Latin America, South Asia, and Africa.

Dr. James Gerber retired from teaching in 2019 after more than three decades as a Professor of Economics at San Diego State University.  His fields of specialization include international economics, US-Mexico economic relations, and Latin American economies.  In his role as Director of the University’s National Resource Center for Latin American Studies, he was actively involved in international education and developed and led student programs in Mexico.  In 2008 he co-authored an economic history, Fifty Years of Change on the US-Mexico Border, which took a symmetrical look at both sides of the border during the years 1950 to 2000, from San Diego-Tijuana to Brownsville-Matamoros.  He is currently working on the history of economic integration in the border region during the 20^th century.  The 8^th edition of his widely used text, International Economics, will be released in 2021, and another book, A Great Deal of Ruin:  Financial Crises since 1929 was published in 2019. He has been a visiting professor in Mexico and Canada. Board Highlight Interview.

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