About

About Us

Creating Jobs in San Andrés. Guatemala

Chick Boss was formed in 2010 by sisters Pat Pannell and Jeanne Sheridan to provide training and living wage jobs for people from the remote village of San Andrés, on Lake Itza in Northern Guatemala. We know that anyone can be trained if they have an eye for detail, an open mind and good work ethic.

Business Should Support Community

Chick Boss contributes 1% of all gross sales to the United Way of Guatemala for early childhood education and nutritional programs.Other organizations we have supported include:
International Rescue Committee (Ukrainian refugee relief) - $4,975;
Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) Education Foundation - $2,500;
Feeding America - $5,146;
Teach for America - $2,757;
United Way Guatemala - $6,736

Founder Pat Pannell (3rd from left) presents a donation to the Mount Diablo Unified School District Educational Foundation in front of the Chick Boss Gallery Store in Clayton, California. Foundation Board Members from L-R: Ernie de Trinidad, VP Programs; Mary Gray, President; Bridget Billeter, Secretary; Rachel Levy, VP Marketing.

At the height of the pandemic, Chick Boss donated hundreds of necklaces and earrings to volunteers at the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Here is Founder, Pat Pannell with Bruce Elliot, Chief Operating Officer of the Food Bank.

Meet Our Team

Pat Pannell

Founder, Designer

Pat Pannell ventured to the town of San Andrés in Northern Guatemala to study spanish in 2001. She has since sponsored the educations of 10 children who all completed high school and 4 have college degrees. She holds an MBA and has had a long career in Business Management and Accounting. She and her sister Jeanne started Chick Boss to provide economic advancement for people from the region. Pat and her husband live in the SF East bay and share a love for baseball, soccer, ballet, opera, theater and travel.

Jeanne Sheridan

Co-Founder, Designer

Co-founder Jeanne Sheridan, an accomplished artist and jewelry designer, challenged herself to design for production.

She developed our initial training programs in cold connection metals and beading which are still used in all of our collections.

Jeanne and her husband are both humble people and artists. They have taken inspiration from some of the many places they've lived including: American Samoa, The Faulkans Islands, Kauai and Sedona.

Marilyn Polanco

Designer

With Chick Boss since 2012

Mar is an industrial designer, visual artist and jeweler based in Guatemala. She marries organic forms with geometric shapes using classical metalsmithing techniques. Her designs are asymetrical sculptures for the body, taking up space, encouraging individuality. She has participated in contemporary jewelry exhibitions in Guatemala, Mexico, USA and Europe.

She works as a consulting artist for Chick Boss, lending her unique style to our collection concepts, skill in designing for production, and discipline in overseeing the creation of accurate specifications.

Maria Ester Silva

Sales Support/Bookkeeping

With Chick Boss since 2015

Originally from Managua, Nicaragua, Maria Ester now resides in Petén, Guatemala, about an hour from the Chick Boss Artisan workshop.

At the age of 18 she was awarded a scholarship to study Natural Resources at Oregon State.

She served as the Sales Manager for Chick Boss Guatemala from 2015 - 2018 and managed our store in the town of Flores, Guatemala. Maria Ester has assisted Pat at many trade shows throughout the United States.

She loves dancing and spending time at the beach with her husband and 3 children.

Donis Cha

Lead Artisan, Design Team, San Andrés

Donis has been with Chick Boss since 2014

He likes how different the work is, the environment, the camaraderie and humility of the team, the economic opportunity and the wisdom that they express through metal designs.

He has worked as a Computer Teacher, Motorcycle Service Consultant, Driver and Salesperson He, his partner and their 3 year old daughter Allysson Idania live his mother. Donis holds an associates degree in Business Administration and would someday like to found a Soccer academy with other friends.

Maria Galvez Tzul

Lead Artisan, Design Team, San Andrés

With Chick Boss since 2011

Maria is 32 years old. Over the years Maria has learned all aspects of our jewelry production. She loves being able to work with her hands.

Maria lives with her parents and wants to buy land and build a house with her own money. She has an associates degree in Physical Education and hopes to return to college in order to have more opportunities and continue to support my family. In her words, "A LOT OF THANKS TO CHICK BOSS FOR TRUSTING THE PETENEROUS CRAFTSMEN."

José Edelmiro Laínez

Lead Artisan, San Andrés

Milo describes himself as a simple and humble person. He likes to do a job well and dedicate himself to metal jewelry designs.

With Chick Boss since 2014, Milo likes the pleasant atmosphere, teamwork, and coming up with ideas for improvement. He's worked as a bread seller, bricklayer's helper, and forced labor in the fields.

He and his partner have 2 children and are currently building a small house for themselves. Having matriculated through 6th grade, he would like to expand his basic education and learn new crafts for more opportunities for his family.

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About Us

Creating Jobs in San Andrés. Guatemala

Business Should Support Community

Meet Our Team

Pat Pannell

Founder, Designer

Jeanne Sheridan

Co-Founder, Designer

Marilyn Polanco

Designer

Maria Ester Silva

Sales Support/Bookkeeping

Donis Cha

Lead Artisan, Design Team, San Andrés

Maria Galvez Tzul

Lead Artisan, Design Team, San Andrés

José Edelmiro Laínez

Lead Artisan, San Andrés