Who We Are

The Board of Directors is comprised of four women who have dedicated their lives to public service. We draw on our wealth of experience in serving poor and disadvantaged children in need.

Machaela M. Hoctor:  Machaela Hoctor grew up in the mid-west, where her family lived below the poverty level. Having won scholarships and taken loans to obtain a higher education, Ms. Hoctor, a J.D. and former New York Times journalist, knows the value of writing and its transformative effect. Ms. Hoctor has worked in public service her entire adult life, dedicating more than a decade of her life to helping women and children escape violent, abusive homes. Ms. Hoctor has spent the last six years of her career serving the people of the Bayview/Hunters Point District of San Francisco, California. Ms. Hoctor did most of her work in this predominantly African-American neighborhood in and around public housing developments. She has coached baseball for more than 200 children in the Bayview over the last three years.

Margarita Gutierrez-Duggan:  Margarita Gutierrez-Duggan has also dedicated her life to public service and is uniquely qualified to serve disadvantaged youth. A native of Mexico, Ms. Gutierrez-Duggan understands the immigrant experience first-hand and is fluent in Spanish. Ms. Gutierrez-Duggan has worked in public service for more than 20 years. She has worked with poor and abused youth and women and tutored students learning English.


Frine Eger-Gelston:  Frine Eger-Gelston came to America from her native Nicaragua at the age of ten when her family sought political asylum here. Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Eger-Gelston brings her experience both as an immigrant and a former advocate for abused women and children to her work with The Alchemy Project. Ms. Eger-Gelston has been practicing law in California for more than ten years.

Rebecca Bedwell-Coll:  Rebecca Bedwell-Coll: Rebecca Bedwell-Coll brings a wealth of business, legal and writing skills to the Board. She obtained her degree in Creative Writing and Philosophy from the University of Michigan, where she began her advocacy for domestic violence victims. As a lawyer she continued to assist victims of violence in legal disputes, and subsequently became a class action attorney repesenting consumers and workers in actions redressing unfair business practices. She also has a wealth of experience in representing organizations and individuals in business and personal disputes. She is licensed to practice law in California and the District of Columbia. Ms. Bedwell-Coll assists with the legal and business affairs of the Project.