Where knowledge and science meet ethics and compassion

Board Members

Chair		John Thompson E-mail: john.thompson@animalsandsociety.org John's first word in this life was rabbit, and he has been an animal person and a student of the human-animal interrelationship ever since. When not tending to stray, injured, or confused critters John followed a path in business. He was a vice president and publisher with Affinity Group, Inc., producers of magazines and books relating to recreation. John is past president and board member of the Western Publications Association, and a founding member of Professional Small Business Investment Co., a federally chartered SBIC. He was chairperson of RV Care, Inc., a recreation vehicle dealer coalition, has served on several RV industry committees and is the current chair of an industry task force focusing on improving customer satisfaction with the RV product. John lives in Northern California with his wife Gina, magical dogs Lani and Vajra, and wise cats Yoda and Spunky. All of these housemates (except Gina), were once homeless but quickly adapted to being treated as royalty.
Secretary/Treasurer		Petra Pepellashi E-mail: petra@centurytel.net Petra Pepellashi began her fight for animals at age four with a dispute over which neighborhood child would take home a black and white stray cat. Her friendship with the beloved Mitzen was the first of many life long relationships with companion animals. She currently shares her life and home with two former stray cats, Smoky and Tigger, and two enthusiastic dogs with the deserving names of Bello and Chase. Petra is retired from the advertising industry. She attended the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit as a graphic design major. She founded the graphic design firms Pepellashi & Rae and Pelikan Design, which specialized in creating packaging and promotional materials for the home video industry and Pelikan Pictures, which specialized in high-end computer art and retouching. She was also a member of The Executive Committee a group of 60 CEOs and company presidents which gathered to discuss business issues and learn about innovative business practices. Petra is a former board member of The Association of Sanctuaries and current board member of The Michigan Humane Society. She facilitated the rewrite and expansion of the MHS Beliefs, Principles and Position Statements and is chairperson of the MHS Education Committee. She is an advocate for broad based Humane Education defined as empowering people to make choices that benefit oneself, other people, animals and the environment. She is currently enrolled in the Humane Education program offered by the Institute of Humane Education. Petra is fully committed to advocating for animals and humane education.
Vice President		Joel Kanoff E-mail: Joel.Kanoff@verizon.net Joel previously served as a board member of the Animal Rights Network, Inc., publisher of the Animals' Agenda magazine, and the Institute for Animals and Society (predecessor to the ASI). He also serves on the board of the William and Charlotte Parks Foundation, and participates in animal rescue and adoption activities on the east coast. Joel taught at several New York-area universities before becoming the media archivist at ABC News for 22 years. He lives in the New York City area with feline friends Doris, Sammie, Vittorio and Cesare.

Director		L. Niki Erlenmeyer-Kimling E-mail: le4@columbia.edu L. Niki Erlenmeyer-Kimling, a life-long animal lover, is a Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and of Genetics and Development at Columbia University School of Medicine in New York City. She received a BS degree in Experimental Psychology, and a PhD in that field with a minor in Population Genetics from Columbia. She also received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase. She has recently completed longitudinal research, on people at high genetic risk to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Niki joined the Board of Directors of ASI in 2005. With impending retirement as Chief of the Department of Medical Genetics at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, she looks forward to more time for active participation (beyond donating) in some of the many animal and environmental groups in which she has long held membership. Her four cats--Ra, Coco, Bianca, and Danny--keep her company but spend part of their time looking out the window at the 13 "outside" cats who have an insulated 3-story palace on the kitchen-porch and an equally well-insulated bungalow near the front door. Niki cherishes the memory of the wonderful cats (and occasional rescued dogs) who shared their lives over the years with her and her late husband, Carl.
Director		Nancy Gordon Nancy Gordon has had a varied career. In her early years she was a singer, actress, dancer. She attended Boston University Theater School, took a two-year break to live in Paris, and sing in nightclubs around Europe. She returned to the USA to attend Columbia University, from which she graduated in Comparative Literature. Then the theater called again, and she performed in musical comedies in summer stock and in the National Company of Anthony Newley Stop the World I Want To Get Off,with Joel Gray and Kenneth Nelson. She was a film editor in NYC and worked for CBS and then for a film production company that did films and PSAs for not for profits. There she met her husband, Paul Swedenburg, who was an editor. She marched on Washington DC with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee of NYC NOW, and liberated the NYC bars. She made a documentary on a woman artist, which dealt not only with her art and life, but with ageism and sexism. Always an animal lover, she discovered the animal rights movement in the late 70s, which, for her, encompassed everything she cares for: animals, the environment, civil rights, women's rights, and ahimsa. (do no harm) She founded HAVE, Inc. in 1977, a professional multi-media sales and services company, and through her company has been able to help animal organizations with their audio and video duplication needs. Some of the large and small organizations HAVE works with are ASI, Farm Sanctuary, Elephant Sanctuary, Equine Advocates, PETA, and the list goes on. Nancy was on the board of the Columbia Greene Humane Society for nine years. Also on the board of Animals Agenda, and now is honored to be on the board of ASI.
Director		Kristin L. Stewart E-mail: kristinlstewart@gmail.com Kristin L. Stewart, is an attorney and PhD in cultural geography with an emphasis on animals and society. Kris engages in teaching and research related to exploring the ethical, legal and social dimensions of human-animal relations. Kris is also an Ethics Advisor for Practical Ethics.
Director		Ann Philips E-mail: aphilips@igc.org Ann A. Philips is a former therapist and teacher of literature with graduate degrees in Russian Literature and in Counseling. She practiced as an individual, family and couples therapist and college counselor in Maine for fifteen years before moving to Maryland. Ann has cared for many animals including orphaned skunks, rats, and a cockfighting escapee. She conducted home checks for the Maryland Partnership for Animal Welfare, transports injured wildlife to rehabilitation, and fosters dogs. As an educator in the Reptile Discovery Center at the National Zoo, she taught visitors greater awareness of reptile and amphibian behavior and the threats to their existence, and conducted research focused on enrichment of zoo habitat. Ann volunteered in many capacities for PsyETA, from editing journal articles to helping to develop and market the slide show which became the Culture of Violence video. Currently she is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children and writes fiction for young people. Her recent middle-grade novel is posted at believeinmermaids.net. Ann has one daughter, one son, and one grandson and holds an MA from Harvard and an MS from the University of Southern Maine.
Director		Jerry Simonelli E-mail: jsimonelli@aol.com Jerry Simonelli is an attorney in the Washington, DC area whose career background includes government service and business. After law school, Jerry served as legislative assistant to a top ranking U.S. Congressman and then was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives where he served on the Finance, Environment and Government Administration Committees. His legal practice has been in tax and business and his legal writings have been published in the New York Bar Journal, District Lawyer and Case and Comment. Jerry's animal protection activities include membership on the Animals and Society Institute's Board since 2004, membership on the DC Bar Animal Law Committee and as a member of the Advisory Board of Jazzpurr Society for Animal Protection. His article, "Non-Violence and The Animal Rights Movement," has been published in American Vegan and also on the websites of the Animal Legal & Historical Center at Michigan State University law school and Animals Voice. He is currently involved in developing federal animal protection legislative strategies including farm animal legislation and an effort to invigorate the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus.
Honorary Chair		Wanda Nash (1943-2008) E-mail: animalscribe@sbcglobal.net Wanda A. Nash was ASIs first chair and was a founding member of the Animal Law Section, State Bar of Michigan.

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