Deborah Szekely

Deborah Szekely ,

With her husband, Edmond Szekely she "started Rancho La Puerta spa in Tecate, Mexico, in 1940... About 20 years later she opened the Golden Door in Escondido, Calif., which set the standard among luxury spas."

"In 1982 she ran for Congress in San Diego as a Republican. She lost but went to Washington anyway. There President Reagan put her in charge of the Inter-American Foundation, which promotes development in Latin America. Nine years later, Szekely used what she had learned there to start the Eureka Foundation, aimed at creating successful grass-roots social welfare programs in the United States." 

She is currently also a member of the Aspen Institute / Nonprofit Sector Strategy Group and an associate of the Inter-American Dialogue. Pdf

"In 1978, for example, Szekely founded the Combined Arts and Education Council of San Diego County, which raised millions of dollars to support local cultural organizations." 

"In the 1990s, Szekely founded Eureka Communities, a national leadership training program for CEOs of nonprofit organizations. She also co-founded and served as co-president for the U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange. She served as the U.S. Principal Delegate to both UNESCO and the Inter-American Commission on Women." 

"For the past several years, Szekely has been working on the New Americans Immigration Museum and Learning Center, a project designed to celebrate and inspire greater understanding of and respect for cultural differences." 

"Deborah has received numerous awards for community service from around the country. Some of her awards from 2000 include the Morgan Award for Community Service, LEAD San Diego; Humanitarian of the Year, the National Conference for Community and Justice; and Washington Woman of Genius, Trinity College." pdf

Published works

 * Deborah Szekely Mazzanti, "Secrets of the Golden Door", Bantam Books, 1979.