Our Staff

Valerie Smith – CEO & Founder

Drawing from her personal experiences moving from Chile to Canada, Mexico and the United States, Valerie started GRS in 2004 to provide personalized support to families relocating to Chile from abroad. She has over 20 years of experience providing executive administrative support to multinational companies.

Maria Jesus Prat Alemparte – Associate

Maria has over ten years of professional experience in public relations and diplomacy with the Chilean Foreign Service in Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Austria, Malaysia and Mexico – and twelve years in advertising  as an assistant to the president at Leo Burnett Chile. Maria studied public relations and advertising at the Professional Institute of Sales and Advertising (IPEVE) in Santiago, Chile and Italian Language and Art History at Dante Alighieri.

Luz Maria Bernabo –  Associate

Luz has over twenty years of professional experience as a media specialist, public affairs officer and administrative assistant within various branches of the U.S. government in Chile and Colombia. More recently, Luz has provided professional translation services for the United Nations. Luz studied Journalism at the Writing School of London.

Gail Marie Goddard Cordingley – Associate

Having grown up in the Bahamas, Argentina and the USA, Gail brings a unique multicultural perspective to the team. She has over twenty years of professional sales experience in the travel and airline industry and recently led the development and management of an English Language center at San Francisco Javier de Huechuraba school in Santiago. Gail studied Travel and Aviation and Prospect Hall College in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Soledad Forteza Correa – Associate

Soledad has a professional background in education and has supported the development and coordination of library and community outreach programs in K-12 schools in Mexico City and Connecticut.  As an assistant to the Chilean ambassador in New York, she also gained experience in international relations and foreign affairs. Soledad studied English at the University of Santiago,  Art History at the Instituto de Cultura Superior in Mexico City and Human Development at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.