Team

 Kim Klingler
Executive Director
Twitter: @kimodo007
Anyone who's talked with me knows I prefer informal to formal. Writing a bio, usually involves listing what one has accomplished: who I've worked for and what my specialty is. Although I am proud of my accomplishments, the companies and clients I've worked with, and thoroughly relish in my specialties, to me they do not define who or what I am as a fellow human being on planet earth. They are not what make me valuable or what gets me excited, nor are they what I hope people will talk about when I am long gone from this planet. But, for those of you who relish in formality: For the last 12 years I have worked with a variety of for profits and non profits, in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic mission, start up, product, brand and team development.

Looking at problems, creating solutions and formulating ideas is what gets me out of bed every morning. I absolutely adore creativity, in all of it's forms. Ideas thrill me. I have copious amounts of energy, and in my youth, be it teachers or family, this copious energy was seen as a hindrance. Today, you couldn't pay me not to have this amount of energy and it literally sustains all the aspects I have in my life requiring it. I love being alive. I love life, and I don't want to miss a minute of it, I don't want to miss an opportunity to participate. To me, this makes me valuable, or perhaps what I value most about myself. When I am long gone, I hope I was able to give all I could with all I have been given, I hope I continue to learn from every mistake, to grow with every struggle and to always appreciate the remarkable opportunity I've been given to breath the same air with all other life on this magical planet.

Jamie Wendling
Volunteer Executive Office Administrator
Twitter: @JLW_ISF
Jamie Wendling is a stay at home mother of one boy, Jackson, who is three and one nearly 8 month old girl named Peyton. She majored in Art with an emphasis in Museum Gallery Curation and minored in French and Business Marketing. Jamie loves movies, music, game nights and spending time with her family out at their lake home. She currently resides in Waukesha, Wisconsin with her son,daughter, husband, cat named Figaro and beagle named Casey. I want to instill in my children the importance of giving back and taking care of our environment from the water to the animals to the people because we all are connected.

Paula Earl
Volunteer HR/Operations Manager
Twitter: @todayonward
Paula lives in beautiful Boulder, CO. She has an MS in Computer Information Systems but has since decided to follow her passion – working with and for kids and youth. She loves sci-fi, art, wine and working for what she believes in. Paula’s family consists of two college-aged sons, a sweet and generous husband, a needy miniature poodle and a devil-dog.

Cori Calkins
Volunteer College Division Manager 
Twitter: @ISF_Cori
Cori has always been fascinated with human nature and the strength of will that our species demonstrates. She is champion of human potential, in spite of the things that tend to get in our way. She holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and has a passion for art, science, and life in general. She revels in deep discussion, music, and dancing. Her interest in empowering others to create a better world has happily led her to ISF and its youth leadership efforts. Cori’s goal in working with the ISF youth is to support their mission through facilitating opportunities to develop these skills and to help them to identify the unique talents they each possess to make a difference in our world.

Stephanie Peskowitz
Volunteer Youth Division Manager
Twitter: @ISF_StephP
Since Stephanie was a young girl growing up in Canada, she has always been passionate about the welfare of animals. In her late teens, her adventurous side took her to Boston where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in nursing from Northeastern University. Stephanie's nursing career has provided her with various caretaker roles in women's health, hospital acute units, and for the last 11 years, correctional healthcare. In her late 20's, she packed up her shelter dog, her rescued feral cat and her horse, and headed further south to Florida where she now lives. She shares her home with her 2 young boys, her husband and her many family pets.

Jules Trace
Volunteer Kids Division Manager 
Twitter: @ISF_JulesT
Jules lives in the wonderful city of Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a very passionate, fun loving and not-so-average 24 year old girl who will do anything to help an animal or a child. Her entire life has been filled with love for nature and animals, and she wants to motivate others to see the beauty in our world and how to restore and protect it. Her every day job is teaching children with Autism, and helping them learn while enjoying life and being themselves. She believes every child, animal and creature has a voice, no matter their abilities, and wants to help them all to be heard. She has been a Vegetarian for 5 years, and is an aspiring Vegan. ISF has changed her life, and her mission is for YOU to change our world!

Vanessa Siliezar
Volunteer Environment Division Manager
As a Southern Californian, Vanessa spent several years in the Hotel Industry where she gained experience in branding and marketing as well as developing programs and events. Currently ,Vanessa is working at a University that was named a "Green College" by the Princeton Review in '10, '11 and named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in '09, '10, '11. At the University, Vanessa holds the volunteer position of Treasurer of the Staff Organization and is a Project Specialist for the Ethics Department. She is developing branding for the events sponsored by the Ethics Department. Vanessa is also working towards her Bachelor's in Management.

 

Jillian Abramson/Luke Watkins
Volunteer Art Director/Volunteer Graphic Designer
Nicole grew up in suburban Detroit and spent her summers enjoying the lakes and woods of northern Michigan. She is a passionate foodie and gardener and believes that sustainable food systems are key to a healthy future for the earth. She has a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and works in Human Resources. Nicole lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband and her dog.

Nicole Alef
Volunteer Content Coordinator Enviroment
Nicole grew up in suburban Detroit and spent her summers enjoying the lakes and woods of northern Michigan. She is a passionate foodie and gardener and believes that sustainable food systems are key to a healthy future for the earth. She has a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and works in Human Resources. Nicole lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband and her dog.

Lisa Amend
Volunteer Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
As a near native of beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, Lisa has a deep connection to and appreciation for nature in all its forms. She has been working in promotions and public relations for most of her career and has been fortunate to work with some of the most well known nonprofit organizations in her home city. She has also managed international recording artists and has been fortunate to tour the United States and Canada twice. When she's not working, Lisa can be found curled up with a good book..

Florencia Amoros
Volunteer Translator - Spanish
Florencia, or Flo (as her family and friends call her), is a young Psychology student from the University of Buenos Aires. Daughter and niece of English teachers and interpreters, she studied the language since she was five years old in her country, and today she's using everything she learned to help the IS Foundation. She's always been interested in environmental issues and she loves animals, especially dogs, with which she has spent all of her life. Flo is extremely excited to able to cooperate with the foundation and being able to combine two of the things she's most interested in: English language and social and natural issues. In her free time she spends time with her boyfriend Emi, with his family and their four dogs, goes out with her friends, reads or goes to the movies.

Kitt Amundson
Community Crews - Specialist
Kitt is a seasoned legal professional who, when she has some spare time outside the corporate world, has been an agent for professional rodeo cowboys and a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association covering the National Hockey League for the last 14 years. She is a Colorado native who has traveled the world, loves spending time with her black lab, MoDo and looks forward to the challenge of making a difference.

Izabel Arruda
Volunteer Admin for Portuguese Translation Team
Izabel is a linguistic consultant from Brazil. She provides services to companies all over the world. She studied Journalism in college, but her passion for languages was too strong to be denied. Her experience proves that, thanks to technology, the world has no boundaries and you can make a difference from wherever you are.

Jessica Asfar
Operations Support
24 year old law student from Montreal, Jessica has always fought for what she believed in. Passionate about animals, she is more than willing to invest time and hard work in order to better the lives of the many creatures that are still being cruelly treated. She truly believes that if everyone opened their eyes, they would realize that each one of us holds the key to a better and brighter future. She hopes that one day all human beings will be convinced of the positive outcome that can come from reducing or cutting meat consumption all together. The result of such a change would be eternally beneficial to all living creatures and to the environment.p>

Anastacia Baha
Translator - Russian
I was born in Kiev, Ukraine. Currently my husband and I live in the beautiful country of Israel. I have a BA in Linguistics and speak four languages: English, French, Russian and Ukrainian. I am now studying a fifth one – Hebrew. We have an amazing Maltese dog – Lilu – who inspires me so much every day. Having worked in the Luxury Industry for 4 years, I’ve realized that life isn’t only about us but about people and the world around you. Recently I’ve decided to get a degree in Biotechnology and make a tiny contribution to improving life on our planet. I encourage people to love life and appreciate its every moment. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein.p>

Kara Balluck
Volunteer Marketing/Public Relations Specialist
Kara is a Public Relations and Journalism major who loves being able to make a difference in the world. She discovered ISF while working on the debris cleanup after the Bastrop wildfires that destroyed over 35,000 acres of forestation and displaced so many animals. She knew, at that moment, that she wanted to dedicate her time and experience to help protect and improve the world through the resources of one unified foundation. Kara lives in Austin, TX with her husband and her three furry children. She loves ballet, reading, and playing the piano in her free time. “Becoming intoxicated with a dream gives us the passion to bring it into reality.” Anon.

Christene Bass
Christene Bass is a happily married Louisiana native with 7 years of higher education in marketing. She’s always been an animal lover and has 4 furry children, which bring lots of entertainment and love to her home. Christene was elated when Ian started his foundation because it addressed all of the major concerns she’d been supporting. She donates to animal shelters, conservation efforts, national parks & efforts to turn our country "green". “I've always been a nature lover and enjoy reading, traveling & gardening. I am a huge fan & supporter of ISF and its great causes. I am an "idea" person and love being creative. I'm always thinking of new ideas to help ISF,” says Christene.

Christina Biggert
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Christina began as a Midwest girl, but has adjusted nicely to the So Cal weather & way of life. She has always been involved with art in some way; everything from studying it to making a living at it, to working with a wide range of mediums just for fun. Currently working to build her Photo-Retouching & Graphic Design business, Christina is still able to volunteer when the opportunity arises. She is very excited about the ISF & all of the wonderful changes that are happening because of it, including how people think! Christina is an: Animal Loving, Eco-friendly, Highly Creative, Vegetarian, Sagittarian, Mother, Wife, & Friend.

Jhenna Rose Black
Volunteer Video Editor 
Jhenna grew up with nature and animals, always hanging around outside. She dedicated her teenage freetime to help horses with their problem-owners. Her passion is being creative, especially with writing, drawing, photography, and video production. .

Amber Bogie
Volunteer Marketing/Public Relations Specialist
Amber Bogie was born and raised in Silicon Valley, CA. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications Studies and minor in European studies, she packed her bags and moved to France. In France she lived in Lyon and learned to sleep and breathe the French culture; she became fluent not only in the language but all things French. While there she had the time to grow and find her true passions. Once back on American soil with her passions at heart she joined the corporate world and began Marketing. Amber love’s her day job, but wanted to do MORE than just work. She wanted to follow the heart of the girl she found in France, thus she became a part of the ISF team. The need to help others is what wakes her up every day of her life. When Amber is not working or volunteering she enjoys spending time with her dog, Sophie, her family & friends, reading, drinking wine, speaking French, and learning new things. .

Petra Bobovec Szabó
Volunteer German Translations Coordinator
Petra lives with her husband in the small but beautiful country of Slovenia. One of the greatest gifts life gave her is to be able to speak several languages. She grew up in a bilingual community and therefore speaks two mother tongues: Slovenian and Hungarian. Later, at university, she studied English and German. With this gift she is hoping to contribute to ISF´s noble causes and to reach out to people across different countries. After completing her studies at university she worked as a teacher but has been working as a librarian for the past 4 years. Her job includes all the things she loves most: books, languages and working with and for people, especially children. She is a passionate cook who is incredibly fond of dolphins and birds. In the summer she loves to hike in the mountains of Austria. Her only children for now are the two adopted bottle-nose dolphins Sonja and Mush, who are happily swimming in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia.

Mariana Bombonrosa
Volunteer Video Editor
My name is Mariana Alexandra, known as Bombonrosa (on youtube and some other websites) for my video editing work, (Including my work as a vidder). I’ve been editing for 5 years, (self taught), and I do it because it’s my passion and dream is to work in the filmmaking industry. I’m 22 years old and I live in Mexico. I’m working as a video editor. I studied Mass and Visual Communications (including film-making), at University, and I’ve always been inspired to help spread the word about caring for our planet. In my free time I enjoy to watch movies, editing fan music videos about the things I like the most, spending time with my friends and family, reading, and taking relaxing walks in the park.

Tatiana Borovkova
Volunteer Russian Translations Coordinator
Tatiana lives in Voronezh, Russia with her husband. She is a lecturer at Voronezh state university and a translator/interpreter both from English into Russian and vice versa. Her three passions have always been languages (having mastered English, she is currently learning German), American culture (her PhD thesis was focused on Emily Dickinson's poetry) and trying to make the world a better place (which is why she has joined ISF).

Deborah Bronner
Volunteer Campaigns Researcher
As a Cherokee Native American I bid you Greetings from the Tennessee Valley where I live at the foot of the Smokey Mountains in the city of Knoxville. I am an educator of 20+ years and specialize in preparing job seekers for the workforce with computer skills for the office environment. I currently attend Walden University where I am completing my dissertation for a Doctoral degree in Higher Education for the Adult Learner and serve as a mentor to first year doctoral students. My previous education was completed at Rutgers University, Camden, NJ, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, TN, and Touro University International, Cypress, CA. Accompanied by a musician from the Knoxville Symphony orchestra, I sing as a soprano soloist of classical and contemporary sacred music in my church and community.

Shahina Butler
Volunteer College Division Admin
Shahina (pronounced Shay-na) currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia but is originally from Tanzania, East Africa. She received her BA in Psychology from Oglethorpe University and her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She has worked in higher education for five years and currently serves as the executive assistant to the Vice President in Development and Alumni Relations at Oglethorpe University where her primary duties involve working with the University's Board of Trustees, event planning, managing relationships, and supporting the Vice President. Prior to that she worked as an independent contractor doing psychological testing for youth and adults. In her down time she enjoys traveling, cooking going to concerts, blogging, and spending time with her husband and son and is expecting a baby girl later this year.

Taryn Camp
Volunteer Sponsorships Specialist
Taryn currently resides in Orlando, Florida. She attended the University of Central Florida and majored in Hospitality Management. Currently working in sales & marketing for Chocolate Accents, Taryn gets to be creative with desserts every day! She absolutely love all things education related and would be a student for life if she could.Taryn takes classes in almost everything including foreign languages, piano, and dance. She also has a huge love for books and usually read 2-3 a week. Her strong love for animals is illustrated by her 4 cats and 3 rabbits. “Although I love what I do, recently I have felt like I have the time and energy to do so much more. I am very excited to get involved with ISF and I truly believe in everything it stands for.”

Ana Carvalho
Youth Division Curriculum Developer
Studied biology at the University of Glamorgan, by way of Portugal, where she grew up by the sea, which has been one of her greatest passions since she was a child. She always wanted to be a marine biologist, and when she finished her bachelor degree she decided to dedicate her time doing volunteer work at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, in Florida. With her work at the LMC she realized that rescuing and treating wild animals saves some lives, but educating people saves thousands!rdquo;

Kim Chareonbood
Volunteer Translator - German
Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Kim is sometimes a part-time and sometimes a full-time globetrotter. Travelling, surfing, reading and writing are her big passions. After working for years in Banking, Finance and Law she finally decided to pursue her dream of becoming a therapist and studied acupuncture, naturopathy and massage. So, 2013 will be a year of many new beginnings for her: new adventures lying ahead, newly self-employed and – last but not least - newly a translator for ISF. Life is beautiful!

Rose R. Church, Esq.
Operations Support 
Rose has worked as a private practice civil litigator for the last several years concentrating in corporate class action lawsuits and animal law. Rose is currently a corporate attorney who, in her spare time, also serves as the CEO of the World Council for Animal Rights, Inc. - a lawyer-based, non-profit, non-extremist animal rights group which holds and organizes "think-tank" meetings to bring together other non-profit organizations and improve the laws, regulations, and policies which affect the welfare of animals.

Alyson Coll
Volunteer Kids Division Content Coordinator
I currently live in Orlando Florida. I was born in Geneva, Switzerland and at the age of 3 moved to Ontario, Canada. At the age of 11, I moved to Sutton Massachusetts where I graduated High school. I have an associates degree from Dean College and a BA in English Lit from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. I love writing anything from articles to poetry. I have been passionate about the environment since I was in elementary school and I have wanted to be involved with ISF since it started. I currently aid the local Sheriff's office in Orlando and in my spare time I market world class organic products for health, beauty, and home. I am very passionate about doing whatever I can for the environment.

Delaine Coppock
Volunteer Video And Motion Graphics Producer
Canadian born Delaine grew up raising horses in a small town just outside of Vancouver. She moved to the UK after high school to attend University in Scotland, achieving her BA Honors in Film and Media. This was followed swiftly by a move to Southern England where she obtained her Masters of Television Production at Bournemouth University. From Bournemouth, she moved up to London for a video editing job with an international production company where she stayed for 6 years. Over the years, Delaine has written and produced independent films and worked alongside some of the worlds leading media professionals in London. Delaine now lives in the English countryside with her husband Adam and their beautiful baby girl, Mayuko Joy. In Delaine's mind, we are all responsible for the world we leave behind for today's children. She is a keen advocate of using washable diapers for babies and reducing the massive impact of disposable diapers on landfill. Believing in the power of leading by example, she hopes to make a small difference that could lead to great things.

Shannon Dannel
Volunteer Sponsorships Specialist
Shannon was born and raised in Indiana and has a passion to see the world. Traveling is one of many things she gets excited about. She has been in the Aerospace Industry for over 13 years and her career is something she takes a lot of pride in. Shannon currently works for Rolls-Royce North America (Aircraft Engines, not cars!) as a Supply Chain Designer and loves every minute of it. She lives by the Philosophy of “Life is Short, Why Wait”. Shannon has never been a volunteer before and when she found the ISF, she knew it was something she had to do. “I am ready for any challenge and strive to make a difference, we have one life, and one world... let’s make the best of both.”

Kalie Demosky
Volunteer Editor
Kalie Demosky resides in Athens, Ohio as the Volunteer Editor for the IS Foundation. She attended Ohio University as an English major and has always had a passion for the planet and its inhabitants. She is a wife and the mother of a one year old baby girl whom both make her world revolve. She stands firmly by the famous Mahatma Gandhi quote: "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Danielle Diaz
Volunteer Operations Research Assistant
Danielle is a Massachusetts native and is married with 2 children. Her family would describe her as determined, headstrong, humorous and compassionate. She believes all children and animals can and should be saved.

Michelle Dimech
Volunteer Youth Division Manager’s Assistant
Michelle was born in Scotland and currently resides in Toronto with her Husband Robert and 3 boys. She is a home stager and full time Mom to Nathan, Nicholas and Noah. She studied English at York University and decided to go into home design. Her love for her kids has brought her to ISF. She teaches them to appreciate all living things and their environment. Michelle started with ISF to make a difference every day, she loves life. She is passionate about helping others achieve what they want in life. In her rare spare time, she enjoys camping with her family in the great outdoors and getting comfy with a great book.

Amber Davis
Volunteer Youth Division Content Coordinator
Amber was born in Florida but was raised in Georgia. She currently lives in east Atlanta and attends Georgia State University as a full time student working towards a B.A. in public relations with a minor in non-profit leadership. Since Amber was a child, the foundation of helping and giving to others has been instilled in her. She has spent most of her life volunteering and organizing local charity events alongside her mother for various causes. Amber is the co-founder of Scream for a Dream and has a strong passion for animal rights. She has been a vegetarian for 3 years. She believes that ISF’s appreciation and love for all animals is nothing short of motivation for her work hard with the youth to make a change. Amber believes that all animals deserve a voice and our generation is that voice. “To do more for the world than the world does for you – that is success.” Henry Ford

Yami Dehombre
Volunteer Operations Support
Yami has been a trial litigation paralegal for the last 15 years and graduated from the University of Miami. She is also a Florida Bar Registered Paralegal and a member of the future business leaders of America. Yami lives in Miami with her husband and their adopted boxers, Coco and Channel, and their Boston terrier, Paris. She loves music and dancing salsa and is a very driven, passionate and positive person. Yami feels that her biggest accomplishments have been helping others and helping animals. “I am very proud to be part of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, and look forward to working with all of you for many years to come.”

Elaine DeSimone
Volunteer Fundraiser
Born in Cincinnati, Elaine grew up in Florida and now lives in Atlanta. She earned her B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of South Florida and worked in magazine publishing, proposal writing, and communications before taking her most important job—mom to Dylan and Tessa. Elaine is now learning guitar and songwriting, and loves music and art. As a mom, she realizes teaching children how to care for the earth and its creatures is the best way to make an impact on our environment. Her recent adoption of puppy Charlotte also reminded her how much joy animals bring to our lives.

Popi Doukakis
Volunteer Fundraiser
I am from Melbourne, Australia. I grew up loving animals and made it my life’s mission to save as many as I could during the course of my life. I have looked after them, nursed them back to health and then placed them with loving families. I went through life doing exactly what I believed until I started asking myself that burning question “Am I doing enough?” Years later, just when I thought I couldn’t do anymore, I discovered ISF who is doing so many wonderful things with our youth of today, wild life, ocean life, protecting animals as well as all the environmental and global issues that we now face. I wanted to be a part of all that, so here I am.

Nicolas Earl
Volunteer Kids Division Content Editor
Nicolas Earl- a gentleman scholar, skilled at secondary sentence-shaping ("editing"). Enjoys botany, coffee and depressing cinema; hates wasps, Nazis and Oxford Commas. Currently attends Seattle University.

Christina Evola
Operations Support Manager
Christina earned her J.D. from the University Of San Diego School Of Law and works on corporate class actions with some of the nation’s leading antitrust and consumer protection firms. She has authored an ASCAP award winning copyright law article and is the cofounder of an ABA listed legal “blawg.” Before attending Law School, she worked as an U.S.F.W.S. approved Mojave Desert tortoise monitor after acquiring a B.S. in Integrative and Organismal Biology, a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In addition to her academic and professional accomplishments, she has danced with San Diego Ballet, constructs/designs costumes, studies martial arts, practices yoga, and has been a raw vegan since 2008. She lives with her husband and Boston Terrier in sunny San Diego, CA. She looks forward to strategizing with the ISF team to creatively effectuate positive change relating to the environment and animals.

Kahala Farrow
Volunteer Environmental Division Content Coordinator 
Kahala currently resides in California where she enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as volunteering. She volunteers at a local elementary school classroom and works as a camp counselor for children's enrichment camps at her local zoo. As a 16 year old high school student, she plans on pursuing a degree in Biology once she graduates. She looks forward to all the great things to come from working with the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.

Amanda Fincham
Volunteer Donor Relations 
Amanda currently lives in Orlando, Florida. She was born and went to High School in Winchester, Virginia. She has an Associate Degree from Palm Beach Community College. She currently works for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando and spends a lot of time volunteering with various organizations. She loves animals, meeting new people, sci-fi, movies and shopping. Amanda’s family consists of a teenage son, and two adorable kitty cats.

Patricia Freese
Volunteer Volunteer Translator - German
Born in Germany’s capital city Berlin, Patricia moved at an early age to Western Germany and grew up in a beautiful countryside. She is currently a student of English Language, Linguistics, and Literature and German as a Foreign Language. Animals have always been her weakness, as well as books, without which she can no longer imagine her life. She also enjoys painting, especially portraits, and is always interested in trying out new things. Her family and friends are important to her, and she tries to follow her mother’s lead to always fight for what you hold dear. Patricia loves to help other people and to see what they can achieve if they work together because the most beautiful things can result out of this, true to the motto: “The sky is the limit.”

Megan Frison
Volunteer Creatures Division Content Coordinator
I am an animal fanatic who hopes to help change the world one day at a time. I work as a high school history and English teacher and love helping kids become the amazing people they were intended to be. My life is simple but is greatly enhanced by my canine companion. My only child is my furry best friend, my flat-coat retriever, Achilles. I write articles for the Creatures Division and I am passionate about helping protect and save all living creatures and doing my part to create a sustainable earth.

Lexie Gerson
Youth Division Support - Marketing/Writing/Communication
Lexie lives in Boynton Beach, FL. She is currently a college student in North Carolina majoring in Non Profit Leadership and Management. Lexie is the first college student to successfully establish an ISF organization at her university. With all of her enthusiasm, Lexie remains fully committed to educating others on how to get involved and make a greater change for our planet. She loves music, photography and traveling globally. Lexie looks forward to working with the Ian Somerhalder Foundation for many more years and cannot wait to be a part of the foundation’s promising future.  “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi

Daniela Gomez
Volunteer Graphic Artist and Animator
Daniela is a 24 year old graphic designer from Colombia. There is a lot of cruelty against animals in Colombia and few people do something about it. That’s why Daniela is so committed to protect and help animals. She is a owner of 5 adopted cats and is constantly sterilizing street cats and giving them in adoption when it is possible. She loves animation and thinks that the answer for animal cruelty and protecting the world, its in children's hands. - “If we teach them to do so when they are little, they will save this world from violence and destruction.”

Shwetha Gopalan
Volunteer IT Support
Shwetha is an animal lover by blood and a humanitarian by birth. She has a Masters degree in Computer Science from UT Dallas and loves technology. She is currently into app development and loves combining work and fun. She comes from India and is constantly trying to incorporate new culture and values into everything she does. She loves dancing, singing and writing poetry. She would love to have a dog as a pet someday as she believes there's beauty in everything one sees and does.

Pauline Grendena
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Pauline was born on April 1983, in Brittany, France. Because she grew up where the Amoco Cadiz ran aground in 1978 and polluted Brittany’s shoreline, Pauline has always been very concerned by the environment and animal welfare. Her love for movies led her to study at a cinema school 3 years before moving to Paris. Curious to learn new things, she started graphic design a year ago and actually split her time between designing and working as an assistant director. Pauline loves playing with her dog and hanging out with her friends. She’s currently living in a city near Paris with her husband and their dog Indiana.

Siún Griffin
Volunteer Youth Division Content Coordinator 
Born in Connecticut, Siún spent her life living in the US, Ireland, France and is now in London. Her passion for animals began well before she can remember. She spent every spare second around horses, on horses or travelling with horses along the US East Coast to horse shows, not your 'regular' childhood, but still amazing. Siún isn't a one trick pony though, her other passions include photography, writing and the environment. She also loves history so much she studied it along with Philosophy at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Katie Guenther
Volunteer Kid Division Communications Coordinator and Content Coordinator
Katie lives in the suburbs of the windy city: Chicago, IL. She loves hiking, camping, playing the piano, dancing, and cheerleading. However, when she can't do those activities, she loves to read, write, and watch TV. Her favorite place in the world is a river that she goes camping at every year with her family. She believes everyone should go outside and experience the outdoors. That is where she fell in love with nature and she believes you will too! In the future she wants to pursue either Environmental Education with an emphasis in Environmental Education or Forensic Nursing. Katie loves working with kids, which is partly why she chose to volunteer with ISF. She grew up in a very environmental household so she knows how to make these issues fun for kids to learn about. No matter whether or not she pursues environmental education as a career; she wants to see environmental education implemented into the school curriculum. Kids- I want to change the world through education with YOU!

Devon Haas
Awesome Loud Kid
Devon Haas is loud, opinionated, stubborn and genuine. She wants to change the world and has been given the chance to do so by the ISF. She has helped by starting a kid’s petition for the sled dogs and currently the BP oil. She is collaborating with other kids on different projects to make a difference. And she loves ice cream.

Elaine Haas
Overseer of all that is Devon Haas
Elaine Haas has a music and design background. She is the mother of two children. Elaine is a supporter of everything ISF and assists in projects for the kids. She also is the overseer of all that is Devon Haas, which is a full time job.

Keisha Therese D. Halili
Volunteer Environment Division Content Coordinator
Tagum, the city where I have lived in for the past 22 years, is not quite known, even for the people who live in the Philippines. It was here that I studied 6 years in elementary and 4 years high school before deciding to leave the tiny pool for the big ocean that is Manila. There, I pursued my Bachelor or Arts in Journalism at the University of the Philippines. I was fortunate enough to immediately land a job upon graduation as a staff member for a congresswoman. During an 8 month vacation, I realigned my priorities and sought out my dream, the one that got me wanting to go into journalism in the first place. So I applied to a local branch of a national television network based in Davao City, an hour away from Tagum. I got accepted and got to experience the most exciting 6 months of my life. After that, the desire to do something, ANYTHING, that would make me a useful person has never left me. Volunteering was the first thing that came to my mind, however, I did not have the experience, something that emails from the different organizations told me when they had to turn down my application. But still, I persisted, until ISF gave me the chance to be a volunteer of a skill that I know best: journalism. As of this writing, I am currently applying to several law schools in my country, but I will keep being a member of ISF.

Veronica Hampton
Volunteer Assistant to Board Co-Secretary
Veronica earned her BFA in Dance with an emphasis on performance and choreography from Arizona State University. After spending 13 years in the professional dance world, she transitioned into being an administrative assistant, which she loves. In her spare time, you will find Veronica riding her bike, sharing wine and conversation with those she loves and always with her rescue dogs (Gizmo, Clover, Minnow, Mitzi and Tiger). All her volunteer work is dedicated to her first rescue, a puggle named Rocky Balboa.

Khristina Helmich
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Born and raised in a small town in Central Illinois, Khristina moved to Virginia to pursue her college education. She also spent one semester studying abroad in Sunderland, England. She recently graduated from Liberty University of Virginia with a B.S. in Graphic Design. Whether she is designing, writing, or photographing, she has a passion for being creative and letting it shine through her work. After volunteering her design work for Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past two years, Khristina decided to branch out and do more volunteer services. She is a world-traveling, animal-loving, artist, designer, wife, and servant of God.

Emily Higgs
Volunteer Division Co-Coordinator – Creatures Division
Growing up in a small town, Emily knew there was more to this world than what she saw. Having been around animals her whole life, she knew her heart needed a bigger world. Helping domesticated and wild animals for years, she found her calling with ISF - who not only helps the animals, but the world we all call home. She is going greener every day, helping those around her know why it's important to do so, being the voice to those who can not speak, and waiting to travel the world to seek out help for those who need it most.

Traci Hobson
Volunteer Campaigns Co-Coordinator
Ms. Hobson is an attorney, a non-profit professional, a grant consultant, and an animal lover. She is a tireless advocate for animal rights and against factory farming.

Minoo Hosseini
Volunteer Operations Support
Minoo was born in Lafayette, Louisiana but raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently enrolled in law school at Georgia State College of Law. Minoo has been working for non-profits for 10 years. She loves working with animals and children and she hopes that she can help make positive changes through working with ISF.

Camilla Hovde
Volunteer Songwriter and Performer
Camilla Hovde, a student from a small town in Norway, was inspired to do something proactive to help the IS Foundation. She has written and recorded a number of songs for the ISF. After dipping her toes into environmentalism with a couple of organizations in her hometown, she came across the ISF online and discovered that the foundation’s beliefs and goals were a perfect match for hers. She realized that she would combine her two passions, the planet and music, to reach out to people to make a change and raise money for the ISF. Her aim is both to spread ‘awareness through music‘ through the lyrics and accompanying videos and to raise money by selling her songs on iTunes - 100% of the proceeds are donated to the ISF. Her first song dedicated to the ISFoundation, 'Welcome to Paradise' has been viewed over 44,000 times on youtube.

Jennifer Jill Jones
Volunteer Project Coordinator
Jenn was born in Columbus, OH but raised in “many” cities throughout FL. Most of her growing up was in Miami with her mom, younger brother and Nana. During Jenn’s childhood, she was always surrounded by all types of animals. She now lives in beautiful Canton, GA with her 6-year-old cat Bianca. “I would have to say my greatest achievement at this point was raising my cat Cookie. She was adopted when I was 11 yrs. old and she lived until I was 35 yrs. old! Who would have ever guessed that a regular tabby cat adopted at a shelter in Ft. Myers, FL would have lived that long?” p>

Darcie J.
Volunteer Editor & Special Events 
Darcie was born in Southern California. She graduated from Vanguard University with a B.A. in English. Darcie worked at a private non-profit high school for 7 years and has gained extensive experience working in the non-profit arena. She is passionate about helping people realize their full potential, especially kids and teens. "I believe that everyone has a definite purpose in this life and has the ability to do great things." Among her favorite aspects of volunteering for ISF is the family atmosphere among volunteers and supporters. She loves the fact that everyone is dedicated to working towards a shared vision and believes that through positive collaboration, anything is possible. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Danijela Jovic
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Dannie, a photographer and graphic designer based in Vienna, is a creative optimist who loves to go through life with a smile on her face. Because of her cheerful inner being, it's important for her to infect other people with her optimism and good mood. Photography and graphic design are her ways to share her feelings and creativity with the world. Dannie believes that people have the power to change everything they want, as long as they decide to take the first step towards their own goals.

Amanda Kaminski
Volunteer Division Co-Coordinator – Creatures Division
Amanda Kaminski joined ISF as a volunteer coordinator before moving into her current position as the division coordinator for the creatures division. A resident of Oak Park, Illinois, Amanda is a licensed social worker with a Master degree is clinical social work, and currently works with children with developmental delays and their families. Amanda is a vegan, and has been the proud “mother” of Bradley Nowell, a hinged-back tortoise, for the past thirteen years. She loves the beach, being in the ocean, and Conan O’Brien.

Marina Kaminski
Volunteer Kids Division Content Coordinator 
Marina, a PA native who currently resides in NC, has a BS in Marketing from Penn State University. Initially, she was in management and advertising but later switched to technical sales, specifically, fiber optics. Through her volunteer work in elementary schools, she has implemented various academic and social activities. Recently, she was dedicated to coaching for Spelling Bees and Science Olympiads. She enjoys helping the environment, watching movies, traveling and party planning.

Shaheen Kanthawala
Volunteer College Division Administrative Support
Shaheen lives in Michigan. She recently graduated with an MA in Environmental Journalism and has an undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry. Shaheen loves to talk, is a foodie, is borderline obsessed with Harry Potter and up until 4 years ago loved dogs but was terrified of them (she can be a little weird like that). The fear left, but the love stayed. She is originally from India and moved to Michigan in 2010. She is very excited to be a part of the ISF team!

Amanda Kaufmann
Volunteer HR Admin
Amanda Kaufmann was born and raised as a southern girl in Wilmington, NC. Her passions are her two daughters, ages 2 years and 5 months, and her love for animals. Amanda is currently pursing a degree in Veterinarian Medicine and working to turn local kill shelters in North Carolina into No Kill Shelters.

Ingrid Kelly
Volunteer Campaigns Admin/Research
Ingrid Kelly graduated, with honors, from Texas Southern University in May of 2010, earning her B.A in Social Work. She is currently attending Tulane University working on her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW). Over the years she has completed a number of Social Work Internships including, U.T. OB/GYN clinic in Houston Texas as well as at the New Orleans Mayor’s office of Constituent Services. Additionally, Ingrid has also been instrumental in creating a resource guide for the city of New Orleans that has a focus on Developmental Delay. Ingrid has also participated in Co-facilitating a focus group for Houston Texas Child Protective Services (CPS). The focus group was used by Houston CPS to improve and create a better experience for the many Houston children that resided in such facilities. Ingrid has also completed hundreds of hours of community service within the Texas Southern University Department of Social work. Ingrid has a special interest in working with poverty stricken neighborhoods, and children. She wants to be instrumental in helping children and families through education, and resources development. She hopes to create a cycle of case management and community work thus breaking the culture of poverty that can be so hard to break in low-income neighborhoods.

Dina Khayal
Community Groups Specialist

Dina lives in Dallas, TX. She attends the University of Texas at Dallas and is working on her Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Dina is currently a blogger for the Huffington Post. She is passionate about empowering others through her writing and works in environmentalism. She is excited to be apart of such an extraordinary foundation with other enthusiastic and loving people who hold similar values and beliefs. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading novels, traveling, and being immersed with nature and its wildlife. She is driven to empower others across the world to join the ISF movement, and help make a difference. We can do great things if we have the courage and motivation necessary to make that happen, and together we can work towards a greener, and brighter future for our generation and the generations to come. Because "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do"–Steve Jobs.

 

Brielle Korn
Volunteer Youth Division Content Editor
Brielle is in the process of completing her MA in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has a BA in Music from Bard College and currently works as a curriculum author for the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.

Steffi Koth
Admin for German Translations Team
I’m a mom of a 5 year old boy and 8 year old girl. I live in a small town in Germany near the Baltic Sea. Since finishing my apprenticeship. I work in a tax office as a secretary. My Kids are my daily inspiration and the most important people in my life. They are growing up with the knowledge that our earth is unique and together we all must protect it. Besides my aquarium, reading and taking photos, I love spending as much time as possible with family and friends. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller

Inna Kovalenko
Volunteer Russian Translator
I’m from beautiful city of Kyiv, Ukraine, where I live with my husband, 10-years old daughter, an Irish setter dog and a cat. I have been passionate about the environment and nature since I was a schoolgirl. I had a childhood dream of being a biologist, study ing wild life and protecting nature, but instead I obtained my Master’s Degree in Linguistics. Literature and the power of word became my second passion. My desire to do something about saving the beauty of our planet for the next generations is what led me to ISF. I’m proud to be a part of the team, to be among the amazing people from all over the world united by one common idea and committed to making positive changes.

Nina Kretova
Volunteer Translator - Russian
Nina lives in the beautiful city of Moscow, Russia. She is an English teacher and an interpreter/translator with a degree in Linguistics. She speaks three languages - English, Spanish and Russian - and hopes to learn Italian and French in near future. While working as a translator, she’s had to translate a lot of articles and materials about our environment, ecology and endangered animals. It was very interesting and life changing for her. When she heard about ISF and its goals she decided to join this amazing and inspiring team to use her skills as a translator to help spread the word about how we can make a difference and make our planet a better place. When she has free time, she spends it with her amazing dog, Love, with her family and friends, dancing, singing and doing yoga.

Tabitha Kristen
Volunteer Graphic Designer
Tabitha is a 30 year old self-taught freelance graphic designer who specializes in logo design and branding. She currently lives just outside Dallas, Texas with her husband and 4 beautiful children. Human, animal and earth lover.

 

Sandra Lang
Volunteer IT Support
Sandra lives in Austria and is a Computer Scientist. She works at the University of Technology Graz as a Research and Development Engineer. Sandra loves to connect with people as well as analyze problems and find creative solutions. She loves working towards what she believes in even if it takes all night (as long as there is enough coffee). The most important things to life for Sandra are her family, nature, laughing and having an open heart.

Catie Licalzi
Volunteer Creatures Division Content Coordinator
I have been actively involved with non-profits for years and always knew this was my calling. My passion for animal welfare started when I worked at a high-kill shelter for a summer as part of a paid internship where we were placed in non-profits throughout Houston. Seeing the sheer volume of animals coming in, being euthanized, or mistreated really opened my eyes to the problems our community was facing and encouraged me to do something. As a teacher, I truly believe Education is key and enjoy working with people of all ages, although most of my experience has been in pre-k through high school. I have a special place in my heart for the misrepresented breeds and am a member of Texas Humane Legislation Network, Last Hope Doberman Rescue, was deployed by the ASPCA to help with the disaster in Joplin last year, and am in the beginning stages of starting an education/animal related non-profit. I also work for a non-profit that focuses on early intervention literacy for at-risk youth. I hope to help continue to change the complacent or negative attitudes toward animals and encourage people to get up and do something positive in their community!

Paige Licklider
Volunteer Content Coordinator - Environment Division
Paige grew up in North Carolina and is a double Tarheel having graduated with a degree in English in 2002 and a Juris Doctor in 2005. Paige practiced law for about five years before following her heart to stay at home with her kids. Doing anything she can to benefit the natural world has been important to Paige since she was in elementary school and that desire is what lead her to volunteer with ISF. In her spare time, Paige loves reading, writing, and being outside.

Krista Lirscher
Volunteer Translator - German
Born and raised in the beautiful Austrian countryside, Krista is currently living in Austria’s capital city, Vienna, where she is studying German – English – Chinese Translating and Interpreting. When she is not trying to master Chinese or stuck with her nose in a book, she can be found playing the saxophone in various bands. Since travelling the world in 2009 and having spent some time in New Zealand and China, she gets a bit antsy when she doesn’t have plans to travel somewhere. Sadly, at the moment she is much too busy with studying and travelling, to enjoy one of her other favourite past times, horse riding.

Ashley Loudan
Volunteer Environment Division Editor
Ashley was born and raised in Martinsburg, West Virginia and is a graduate of Shepherd University with a BA in English and Creative Writing. She was inspired to learn more about the environment after reading an essay written by the late actor River Phoenix, a well-known animal activist and environmentalist. Not long after that, the events of the BP Oil Spill unfolded. Seeing the heart-breaking devastation in oil-drenched images was all it took to spark an interest in learning more about environmentalism and to understand just how important the planet is. During her last semester in college, Ashley was able to further develop her interests by creating a unique final project about the Keystone XL with the help of an amazing mentor, Dr. Christy Wenger. Since completing the project, Ashley has become involved in volunteering with Kids of the Gulf and is now humbled and honored to become part of the ISF family. She looks forward to generating positive change for the environment and all the creatures in it by educating people to become involved and make a difference. In her spare time, Ashley is either relaxing with her mom and two cats, Buffy and Angel, or taking care of her great-grandmother thanking God for blessing her with a wonderful family and a compassionate heart.

Brannan Lowery
Brannan Lowery is 16 years old and the Co-Owner of Vampire Stalkers and Mystic Falls Tours. Brannan is passionate about anything she can do to better the lives of any animal and of course her planet as well. This sparked in her a deep abiding love to do anything that she could do to make a difference in her future as well as teaching anyone she comes in contact with that they can make a difference. Commonly known to The Vampire Diaries fandom as "Ian's honey-pie" a name given to her by the man himself, Brannan strives to make the best choices in life she can. She also strives to teach other teens that the world is a very big place and it’s our job to help instill the importance of animal rights and taking care of our planet. Brannan volunteers for ISF on the social networking side and helps her mother Jessica Lowery with any ongoing projects she may be overseeing for ISF. Brannan hopes to become a writer when she’s older and spends time nurturing that ability as well. "Hopefully all of us can use our time on this planet to make at least one thing happen for the better, if we can do that then we have done our job."

Jessica Lowery
Jessica Lowery has been happily to Travis for 16+ years and is the mother of 2 teenagers. Jessica was asked to join The Ian Somerhalder foundation from the beginning and will always be thankful that Ian and Kim trusted her enough to join the ISF family. Ian has given Jessica a platform to show her children, as well as anyone else willing to listen, that we are all capable of making a change in this world by stepping up and doing anything we can rather than sitting by and waiting for others to do something. Jessica has always felt strongly and has no problem stating LOUDLY that its never OK to sit by and do nothing. It’s our job to have a positive impact on someone each and every day. Jessica owns Mystic Falls Tours and is always busy providing everyone the chance to visit the home of The Vampire Diaries and maybe even see some filming. She also works with Scream for A dream and can be heard live daily on The VRO. Jessica loves animals and has 4 cats and 2 dogs that are all spoiled rotten. Her dream is that every animal would have a loving home, food and water. Her hopes are that one day, she can help therapy animals and maybe end up back in the classroom bringing these animals to enrich the lives of special needs children and adults.

Heather McCorkle
Volunteer Environment Division Content Coordinator
Having been born and raised in the Great Northwest, loving animals and the outdoors came naturally to Heather. It has always been a deep-rooted desire of hers to save animals and make the world a greener place. As a teen, she volunteered to assist teaching women's self-defense classes and later served three years as a volunteer Reserve Police Officer. Heather is now an author of fiction for both adults and young adults who enjoys helping other writers, supporting fabulous authors, and donating her time to the IS Foundation as the Environmental Division Content Coordinator.

Cássia Maffei
Volunteer Kids Division Content Coordinator  
Cássia is a 20-year-old brazilian - currently living in Brazil - trying to embrace the world. She is studying to be journalist, is a ballerina and dance teacher during her free time, a compulsive reader, loves movies and has enough will to change the world, one person at a time.

Michelle Maritz
Volunteer Graphic Designer/Researcher/Admin 
Michelle studied psychology and criminology but ended up doing graphic design. She lives in South Africa with her husband and teenage daughter and feels passionate about changing the way we live and treat our planet. Michelle loves movies, especially the scary ones, laughs a lot, recycles everything, and most days you will find her in front of my laptop doing some sort of design or research project. Her goal is to drive less like a maniac.

Cheryl Maycock
Volunteer Blogger - Parents
Cheryl lives in the rugged mountains of British Columbia. Her partner in making the world a better place, is her 7 year old daughter Sarah. Together they make change by doing shoreline cleanups, fostering unwanted animals, and gathering used footwear for people in need. Cheryl is thrilled to be working in the Kids Division, helping the amazing children that are a part of ISF change the world for the better! .

Letitia Milevskiy
Volunteer Social Media 
Originally from Far North Queensland, Australia Letitia grew up with the World Heritage Rainforest & the Great Barrier Reef in her backyard. From an early age she developed respect for the environment and all living creatures. After completing high school and a degree in Information Technology, she moved to the US for an adventure & found herself at Roanoke College completing another degree in Exercise Science. Today Letitia is working in the technology industry as an Academic Technology Specialist in Cambridge MA. When not busy on the computer she can be found creating quilts, baking cakes, coaching or at a concert.

Katie Mobley
Volunteer Admin for French Translations Team
Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Katie moved to the US at the age of 10 and now resides in Southeast Michigan. Katie is a photographer and mom to 2 young kids. After spending most of her college years studying accounting, she decided that life was too short and wanted to do something that she loved. She believes photos are the best way to view the world and can tell an amazing story. Katie has always been a lover of our planet, nature and all its creatures, big and small. After having kids, she decided that she wanted to set a better example for them and make sure that they have a future on our planet. "I'm willing to do whatever I can to get the word out and help people understand that even a small change can make a big difference.”

Alyssa Morin
Volunteer College Division Manager's Assistant and Writer
Alyssa is a 20-year old college student from Vancouver, B.C who is currently working on finishing a Legal Studies bachelor with a psychology minor. When she is not busy studying or working, she likes to focus her attention on making the world a better place by lending a hand whenever she can. She has been a member of school student councils since high school, and has volunteered at the local animal shelter, the local hospital, and at a local elementary school. Most recently, she has participated in a beach cleanup as part of B.C.'s River Week, and is working on establishing an environmental group at her college.

Corinne Morton
Educators Blogger
My college-aged son, husband and I, along with our two dogs, two cats and several chickens, live in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. I have been working as a Middle School Science and Humane Education teacher for the past 15 years. Prior to this, I was an Environmental Educator and Naturalist in Vermont and also worked for the NY State Bald Eagle Restoration Program. I enjoy nature photography and being a voice for animals, teaching compassion and empathy for all creatures on earth.

Dana  MÜLLER
Volunteer Admin - German
Dana lives in Germany and is the mother of a wonderful toddler. She is a biological-technical assistant on parental leave, loves music, animals and always eats her dessert first (because everyone knows that’s the best part of the meal). She is interested in making a change and making this world a better place for everyone of us. She wants her daughter and every other child in this world to have nature, to know that there is still rain forests to see and that there are still people caring about our earth and its residents.

Katharina Mueller
Volunteer Translator - German
25 year old Katharina lives right by the amazing lake of Bad Zwischenahn, Germany. She is a full-time student at the University of Oldenburg and currently completing her Master of Education program for Biology and English. Additionally, she plans on obtaining her doctorate in bio-didactics so that she can eventually teach other students at university how to be great teachers and thereby create change on a larger scale. Besides devoting 99% of her free time and energy on her lively Siberian husky lady Yara, her other passion is painting for charity. "After all, following your dream can become selfish pretty quickly, unless you make your dream about the people and creatures you care about and the precious world they live in." This principle is what led her to the ISF and she is proud to be part of an amazing team that shares the same values.

Christine Munson
Volunteer IT Support
Christine grew up in Fairfax, Virginia just outside Washington D.C and has lived in the Long Island City, Queens area of New York City for 13 years. She has a degree in Computer Science and works developing software for an international company that lowers the carbon footprint of the company.Christine has been interested in renewable energy resources, living green and animal welfare since moving to NYC. She loves dogs and cats and is fostering a beautiful, energetic little black bombay cat named Bug for his big round eyes. Christine is looking forward to helping ISF with their technology needs and development.

Carrie Murphy
Volunteer Fundraiser
Known as a fundraising Pitbull with the heart of a Lab, Carrie offers five years of aggressive Canadian fundraising experience in education and health. Her pedigree ensures innovative programming for leading foundations is consistently delivered. Carrie owns a python named Mulligan, based on his second chance of life in her care. She owned a budgie named Birdie, based on her golfing performance and will be naming her new Boxer – Bogey. When it comes to love, Carrie is paramount. When it comes to business, Carrie is a scratch golfer. When it comes to fundraising, Carrie is adamant all animals, from all walks, crawls and slithers of life live the lives they deserve – in all terrariums, aquariums and homes across the globe. If you want a hardcore, heavy-lifting, super serious, loving, caring, loyal Wildebeest of a teammate – you want Carrie on your side.

Ana Nerosky
Volunteer Translator - Portuguese
Ana Nerosky lives in Brasilia, capitol of Brazil, center of political decisions (National Congress). Working as a Lawyer back home, she developed a big passion for helping others. She believes that by giving yourself to a cause, someone can change themselves and their surroundings. At the age of 16, she lived with an outstanding American Family that taught her that different cultures can unite, grow and transform someone into a citizen of the world. Nevertheless, it was when she became a mom that she took special interest in child protection and development, youth and environment. For her, these are the most important matters someone can advocate for.

Amber Newberry
Volunteer Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
Amber grew up in North Carolina and spent many weeks along the coast volunteering at the Ft. Fisher Aquarium when she was in high school. As long as she can remember, she has been a leader and loves helping people reach their full potential. Amber is fully committed to making a change and leaving the world in a better, healthier state than it is currently in. Most of her professional career has been in the healthcare field, and she currently works as a Community Educator. She is an avid reader, beach bum and self-proclaimed “goof ball”, who would love to help you get involved with the IS Foundation!

Julie Nicolini
Volunteer Translator - French
I grew up in the south of France, near Marseille, in a loving home. I’ve been in love with books, stories and films for my entire life. I love the dream that imaginary stories can create in your mind. I spend much of my free time writing, reading and drawing… getting creative in any way possible. I am also an animal lover and an Earth lover with all the treasures it can offer. I spent most of the last 5 years travelling and getting to know different people and their customs. This is how I started to realise what a wonderful world we live in. I am a student right now, working in advertising and visual communication and my goal is to become a web designer/computer graphic artist. The more I get to know things about the world, the more I become militant for vegetarianism, animals conditions, environment and pollution. Joining ISF Team is an honor and a great way for me to spread the word about what is going on with the world to my fellow Frenchmen and women who don’t speak English.em>

Helen Hanna Nissan
Volunteer Creatures Division Content Editor & Writer
Helen is a Chicago native who moved to Washington, D.C. to study government at the American University. She spent her time in college working on international hazardous waste regulations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She is a dedicated public servant, fashion addict, and red wine enthusiast. Helen is currently back in Chicago pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration.

Whitney Norton
Volunteer Grant Writer
Whitney is a true Floridian, born and raised, and is currently living in Orlando, Florida. She works full time as a copywriter and in her spare time you can find her spending quality time with her two goofy dogs (a Pit Bull named Haylee and a Boxer mix named Dixie), blending in with the stacks of books at the local Barnes N Noble, enjoying the serenade of live music, writing the next chapter in her current masterpiece, being crafty with the love of her life, advocating for misunderstood dog breeds, networking for homeless dogs, or blogging about life’s crazy experiences. If you need some soccer pointers or workout routines, she’s got the certifications. Always looking for ways to help the people and animals of the world, she leads life with her heart and holds on tight for the ride.

Christine O’Sullivan
Volunteer Sponsorships Coordinator
Originally from New York, Christine currently resides just south of “Hotlanta” in Newnan, GA. She has worked in the Aviation Industry for over 14 years in Maintenance Operations/Planning. Christine also is a co-founder of a 501c3 non-profit for Leukemia and other Blood Cancers. She loves working with non-profits and would do it every day, all day if possible. Christine is a certified Event Planner, and loves to travel as much as possible.

Sara Occhipinti
Volunteer Translations Project Manager and Spanish Coordinator 
Sara's life has always been global: she's Italian but was born in Somalia, grew up in Spain, and has studied and lived in France, the UK, Switzerland, the USA, Romania and Germany. Now she lives and works in Brussels as a conference interpreter. She's convinced we are all interconnected, and since our actions have consequences we should all take care of each other and our Earth. But in order to care, we must understand, to understand we must know, and to know we need to communicate and share information. That is what she strives for each day: to help and facilitate communication, to draw people closer overthrowing the language/cultural barriers in order to spread the knowledge that will eventually lead to action and care. In her spare time she travels, plays the piano and takes care of Miércoles, her lovely and slightly overweight cat.

Chelsea L. Pabon
Volunteer Blogs Coordinator
Chelsea is a recent graduate from Fairfield University in Connecticut where she majored in Communication, with a double concentration in Media Studies and Human Condition. Throughout her collegiate career she wrote for her university newspaper, managed the Communication club on campus, interned with NBCUniversal, and much more. She now hopes to utilize her education, in conjunction with her love for science and film, for a position in media production or non-profit organizations. In her spare time she enjoys reading, tweeting, and finding new music artists.

Jennifer Palmatier
Volunteer Operations Support
In 2006, Jennifer moved from a cozy and scenic town in NY to Washington, D.C. to attend American University. She went on to receive her masters in International Law from George Washington University with paralegal certification. The instinct to be a steward of our Earth has been a part of Jennifer since she was a little girl. At the age of 9, she wrote to the mayor of her town to ask him to clean up the trash on the sides of the road at the local park. Jennifer strongly believes in grassroots efforts because there is too much in the world and in our political systems that is broken. “I am so excited to be a part of this bold, world-changing team. We can do this! Will you be bold with us?”

Amaya Perez
Volunteer Admin for Spanish Translations Team
Amaya has been in love with animals and nature since she can remember. Although she has a Masters in engineering, her love of animals has guided her life on a different path. Amaya moved to the US in 2001 from her native Spain and soon after started working with the only flying mammal, bats! She also began her volunteering career at Washington DC's Smithsonian National Zoological Park where she helps take care of multiple species, most of which are endangered in their natural habitats. She was known as "the bat lady" for over 6 years at which point her life took yet another turn as she became a stay at home mom to her children. Amaya now spends her time using nature, play and crafts to teach her children, taking care of multiple furry, slimy and scaly friends, volunteering at her kids' schools, blogging, working as a part-time pre-k and elementary teacher, and also doing some hourly graphic design and web work.

Vivian Perkins
Donor Relations Specialist
I am a Louisiana girl that ventured off to the Mountains for a while but just made it back. My passions are travel, animals, and art. I have 2 furry felines Coco and Sazerac. I'm a take charge, meet any challenge head on kind of girl. I'm comfortable in stilettos or hiking boots and I'm down for a trip that requires either anytime. I have a Bachelors degree in Hospitality, Management, and Tourism and have spent the last 10 years working in outside Sales. I believe we are all interdependent and that every voice, no matter how small, matters.

Katie Ozenberger
Volunteer HR/Operations Manager’s Assistant
Katie is currently working toward a Biology degree at the University of Colorado-Denver. She was born in New Orleans and raised in Boulder, Colorado. True to New Orleans, she enjoys great food, music and 90% humidity. She thinks animals are awesome, and people are usually okay too. In her free time, she reads about infectious diseases.

Priyanka Rajagopalan
Volunteer Operations Support
Priyanka is an attorney in Beverly Hills and is excited to join the ISF team's efforts to raise environmental awareness and, to quote her idol, "be the change we wish to see in the world." After earning her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she helped brief cases being heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on issues stemming from the 6th Amendment, Speedy Trial Act and ADEA, she moved back to her hometown in Los Angeles and now works on bet-the-company litigation. While earning an undergraduate degree in Economics from Berkeley, she spent a particularly memorable summer volunteering with a micro-enterprise group in rural villages in India. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, reading and re-reading 19th century literature, and watching old movies (preferably pre-1965). She is also a vegetarian and wishes everyone else would be one too.

Katie Reed
Volunteer Youth Division Content Coordinator
Katie, a believer that life is what you make it, was born and raised in Southeast Michigan; however she now resides in New York City where she is pursuing her dreams of an education and acting! Majoring in Biology and Chemistry (pre-med), and minoring in English, she spends her free time volunteering in a laboratory that is currently attempting to create a cleaner/healthier drug for individuals and animals with lead poisoning, and other heavy metals. Katie also volunteers for an organization called AIESEC, the largest student run organization that concentrates on global awareness and culture across the world. She enjoys writing poetry and has been published two times. She also enjoys provoking stimulating conversations about current issues, culture, life, and even the weather. Katie has adopted many animals throughout her life, and is currently owned by a black domestic short hair cat named Kozi; she is the queen of the household. She is a positive individual, spite her struggles in life, and always sees the best in everyone: “never quick to judge, but always quick to hug.”

Anne Richer
Volunteer Community Crews Coordinator
A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Anne is currently the Director of Finance at a not-for-profit with major national and international initiatives. As one of its first employees in the capacity of Office Manager, she found her niche in finance and was responsible for creating and implementing its Finance Department. Anne has a soft spot for animals and is the mom to Emma, a rescued brown tabby. As a former national level competitive figure skater, she enjoys skating on the Rideau Canal during the winter. During the summer months, she enjoys living on her boat and cruising Canadian and US waterways. She hopes to one day live on the water with a stable, a few horses, dogs and cats, and spend the day riding and boating.

Tracey Romero
Volunteer Youth Division Content Coordinator
Tracey is a mother of four, a teacher and writer. She has worked in public relations, journalism and education. Her dream is to combine her love of writing with her desire to make positive change in the world. In high school, she was nicknamed “Nature Girl” by friends because of her passion for animals and saving the environment.

Lucilia Santos
Volunteer Operations Support
Lucilia was born in Portugal in a small village with a dog, rabbits and ducks for pets. She moved to Montreal, Canada at the age of 5, where she has lived ever since. She graduated from the University of Montreal Law School in 1999 and has been practicing family law for more than 12 years. She has been volunteering since her early teens, and has always been particularly drawn to working with youth, in education, in politics, and for the environment. She has always had a strong sense of justice and powerful feelings of compassion, and firmly believes in standing up for what she feels is right. One of her favorite sayings for all situations is that "knowledge is power". Lucilia is very passionate about all creatures sharing this beautiful planet we call Earth, and wants to ensure that generations to come will have the same chance to be amazed by its beauty and diversity as we do today. When she is not working, attending music concerts, or volunteering, she loves to plan dinners and events with friends, traveling and reading. Lucilia is extremely honored and proud to work with ISF and is excited about the prospect of changing the world, because together, anything is possible!

Denise Schreier
Volunteer Translator - German
Denise was born and raised in the beautiful city of Dresden, Germany, but moved to the United States in 2007. She is currently a college student in Seattle, Washington majoring in Business, and specializing in Human Resources Management. She has been living with animals her whole life and is sharing a home with her incredible supportive host family and their two cats – Franny and Leo. Denise loves spending time with her friends and family, reading books, exercising and doing yoga. She has always believed in John F. Kennedy’s quote - “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try it.” Trying to positively impact our world and its species is what ISF stands for, which is why Denise has joined the foundation. She wants people to know that every living organism is worth fighting for. Creatures on this planet have a voice, and it’s our job to listen to them and make our world a better place.

Maria Schucklies
Volunteer for Design, Art and Photography
"All things are possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23)." Maria is a 24 years old theological student who was born near Berlin, Germany. She is momentarily living on Germany's north coast in a nice little town called Greifswald. Maria loves traveling all around the world to see all the wonders of this amazing planet. She has led creative and theatre groups in her church and also a choir and a journal on her university. Furthermore, she is the administrator and designer of some German online communities. She believes in the strength people can generate by working together for a common vision. Maria loves to help other people and to be creative in nearly every way – so ISF is the perfect place to be for her. It kind fascinates her how powerful and peaceful people can pull together worldwide, so she is really happy to be a part of this.

Lauren Schultz
Volunteer Operations Support
"Lauren lives with her wonderful husband, two dogs and cat in Centerville, GA. She has a BA in Business and Economics and is now attending Mercer University George F. Walter School of Law in Macon, Georgia. In addition, she volunteers and the local District Attorney’s office and is the Key Spouse for her husband’s military unit. Now, Lauren wishes to combine her passion of the law and love of animals in assisting ISF. She also loves traveling, cooking and entertaining.

Christine Showell
Volunteer Graphic Designer
"Christine lives in Alberta Canada and works at the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations. She is in school taking Nonprofit Management and hopes to achieve a successful career in the nonprofit sector. Christine is a passionate, bubbly, creative 25 year old who wants to make a difference is the lives of animals and the environment. Christine is a vegetarian and a aspiring vegan who spends most of her free time volunteering and with her husband and dog.

Inés de Sequera
Volunteer Environment Division Content Coordinator 
Born and raised in Vancouver, Inés is an art history major with a love of travel, theatre and dance, and a longtime passion for the environment. She has written for local magazines and hopes to use her writing to inspire others to go green.

Amanda Starns
Volunteer Kids Division Manager’s Assistant
Amanda is a 26-year-old mother of two boys and wife of an Army solider. She is originally from a rural Louisiana town but currently resides at Fort Polk. Amanda has had the privilege of living in a variety of unique places, Hawaii being her favorite. She is pursing a degree in the medical field & hopes to one day be a flight paramedic. Amanda loves the world of medicine but when she’s not cramming for exams, she enjoys spending time with her family and fur-babies. “I love kids, animals, learning, reading, bright colors, and mismatched socks. I want to make a difference and leave the world a better place than I found it.”

Katie Sullivan
Volunteer college Content Coordinator/Admin 
Katie currently resides in Westminster, Colorado and is a student at Regis University where she is finishing her degree in Accounting. Katie’s passion for the environment has evolved greatly over the years after becoming a mother, since than it has become a mission to help in any way possible toward creating a better future for the next generation. She enjoys being outdoors utilizing the Rocky Mountains with hiking in the summer and various snow sports in the winter. Katie also enjoys writing, reading and spending time with her daughter. She believes that by working together, we all have the ability to be a part of the changes our world desperately needs..

Cheryl S
Volunteer Social Media - Parents
Originally from Poland, Cheryl and her family moved to Canada when she was 4. She spent her childhood in Winnipeg, where she was always close to nature. If she wasn't romping around in fields and building tree forts, she was on a constant mission of rescuing animals. In her early teens she moved to Toronto. After adjusting to the big city life and in addition to animal advocacy she became avidly interested in environmental conservation. She is a single parent to a wonderful 5 year old boy who also has a passion for the earth and compassion for animals. Her mission in life is for him and all other children to have the opportunity to experience the same wonders of nature as she did. She strongly believes in treating children as equals and empowering them to follow their passions and to pursue their dreams. Her guilty pleasures are reading Paranormal Romance novels and indulging in anything chocolate, preferably at the same time. Cheryl's favourite quote that keeps her motivated is: "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says “I'm possible!" Audrey Hepburn

Amanda Todd
Volunteer Content Coordinator - Creatures
G’day! I live in Brisbane, in sunny Queensland (Australia) with my partner Tim and our two feathered children, Hercules and Bruce (that’s Herc in the photo). I used to be an Aircraft Mechanic but left aviation with the hopes of saving the world… I am currently well on my way, working as an Ecologist for a global consulting company. Each year I volunteer at one of Australia’s most significant turtle breeding grounds - Mon Repos - and I have been a wildlife ambulance officer for 4 years. I love bushwalking, dirt bikes and dancing with my parrots (among many other things). Go Team!

Tai Valenzuela
Volunteer College Division Social Media
Since 2004, Tai has worked in the Radio Industry as a coordinator of sales programming, events, concerts, digital and social media. Her efforts of collaboration and innovation have helped produce several initiatives and successful events for Univision Radio. Tai is a believer that anything can be accomplished with a little passion and by showing initiative. This passion has led her use this experience to make a difference in the world through ISF and through educating others. "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." Buddha.

Karen Villarruel
Volunteer Operations Support
Karen lives in a small city outside of Chicago with her boyfriend and four cats (Touhy, Cali, ZuZu and Purrsy), but she was raised in Texas and is a true Texan at heart. She has been employed as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the past seven years and spends a great deal of time doing pro bono work researching the animal cruelty laws throughout the United States and evaluating ways to effectuate change in these laws to stiffen the penalties for these atrocious crimes. Karen is also a dedicated volunteer for the Independent Cat Society, which is a no-kill cat shelter outside of Chicago. Karen is an aspiring vegetarian and excited to work with the ISF team to help better the lives of all creatures and animals. In her spare time, Karen is a sports fanatic and a huge fan of the Tennessee Titans, Texas Longhorns and the San Antonio Spurs. She is also obsessed with all things fantasy football!

Thiffany Belda Wilmouth
Volunteer Portuguese Translation Coordinator
First and foremost I am an Artist, constantly seeking my next pictorial epiphany. I'm also a part-time existentialist always looking to be of help in any way I can. I strongly believe in the inter connectivity of all things that exist and occupy this planet. More so, I believe in our responsibility as individuals, as humans, to acknowledge our impact in the world that surrounds us and ensure that we minimize the hardship our existence may cause to this planet and it's inhabitants. I live in hope that through mindful action and empathy towards all living things, we can work towards creating a kinder future where the hand of Man becomes a nurturing influence instead of a damaging one. I am honored to join ISF to contribute and help to further its causes and work towards creating a better future for all that share this world.

Lorelei
Volunteer Environment Division Content Coordinator
An Electrical Engineer by profession and a lifelong ecotraveler. A member of The International Ecotourism Society and Project Aware, I am dedicated to practicing and promoting responsible, sustainable, travel above and below the waves. My travels take me around the world, where I have the opportunity to volunteer and work with a variety of local, grassroots conservation and environmental groups. My photography allows me to share these experiences in the hope of raising awareness of these amazing places, people, and ecosystems. Our problems are global; I believe that the solutions must be as well. It is only through cooperation, communication and sharing ideas that we can improve. Our earth requires a holistic approach to living – I try to promote the beauty of being in harmony with our surroundings and nature.

Giselle Zarrinkouh
Volunteer Content Coordinator - Creatures
Giselle was born and raised in sunny Southern California. She recently received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. The breathtaking scenery there quickly ignited her interest in devising solutions to restore and sustain the health of our planet. Inspired by many of her professors and colleagues, Giselle became very active with the environmental groups and committees on campus. Giselle looks forward to working with ISF and applying the principles she's learned to address emerging environmental issues. During her spare time Giselle enjoys traveling, going to the beach and spending time with family, friends and her dog Max.