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Lifestyles Profile - Ron Walker By Heather Wilson What a great guy to have around! Whenever there’s an ecology- or real estate-related question – regarding everything from crocodiles to convention centers – you can count on Ron Walker to give an intelligent, considered response that has this town’s best interests at heart. It seems he’s good to work for, too. His assistant, Marina, has been with him 25 years. As head of the local ecology movement, which he founded in 1993, Walker works tirelessly to ensure that all creatures live harmoniously. “This is a very special place, and from an ecological point of view it’s important to maintain that quality that attracts us back,” he says. After getting a degree in Latin American and Spanish History in California, Walker lived for a couple of years in Germany and Spain, studying Spanish in the Canary Islands. He earned a graduate degree in International Management at Arizona’s Thunderbird Graduate School prior to moving here, assuming directorship of El Centro’s Puesta del Sol condominium project in 1975. Responsible for everything from construction to marketing and sales, he still handles some rentals to this day. Walker’s bio reads like a Who’s Who of community involvement – founding member of the Ecology Group of Puerto Vallarta, the Los Mangos Public Library, the International Friendship Club, and the Condominium Administrators Association, as well as an active member of the America-Mexico Foundation. Married in 1984 to Celia, a Mexican national, the couple spends winters in Vallarta and summers in Guadalajara, leading tours into Mexico’s interior, “its real heart and soul,” as they have for 15 years. Walker believes strongly that anyone considering moving here should visit for at least five years first and explore as much of the country as possible. “Mexico is so much more than good weather and low prices. Get to know the people, their history and their language, because there are lot of very interesting locals. Many of us don’t even perceive the complexity of Mexican society. We need to ask why it is that 500 years after the conquest we‘re still trying to figure out how it works. While we tend to think of planning large organizations, they think of raising a good family – which is the country’s strength. “While there are things that need to change, it has to be done within the context of how things are done here. Reaching consensus takes longer in Mexico, and it’s done through personal conversations.”

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