The Good Shepherd Founders and team members have over 16 years of animal rescue experience and have spent time in the vegan activist community around the greater Toledo and greater Columbus areas.
Our volunteers all provide the best, most compassionate care through education, hard work, and dedication.
Founder, Executive Director, Volunteer Team Lead
She/Her
Elle is the founder of The Good Shepherd Animal Sanctuary. She has worked in Animal Advocacy and Rescue for 16 years.
She works at the family business Lead Foot Customs and is the main caretaker at the sanctuary.
When not working at The Good Shepherd, Elle enjoys camping with family and attending car shows.
Vice President
She/Her
Shay grew up in the southwest where she attended the University of Arizona, majoring in Business Administration. She has spent the majority of her career in project management with the last several years at American Honda.
She and her husband, James, have a private farm sanctuary where they care for ~80 animals. They are honored to have been invited by OSU Large Animal Services to help further develop their Preventative Care Program.
They are also trying to find time to celebrate their 20th anniversary soon!
Treasurer, Volunteer Team Lead
She/Her
Kaitlin has worked the last four years at The Good Shepherd as a volunteer, team lead, and board member. Along with serving as the Sanctuary Vice President, she also helps oversee our volunteer programs. Kaitlin has a bachelor's degree in business and currently works as a Client Success Manager.
When not at The Sanctuary, Kaitlin can be found spending time with her six cats and working in her garden.
Secretary, Volunteer Team Lead
She/Her
Tahaney is the Secretary of the Board, but has also been an active team lead volunteer at TGSAS for four years and was recognized as the 2023 Volunteer of the Year.
When she isn't at The Shep, Tahaney works as a Laboratory Manager where she studies Chemistry and Microbiology.
In her free time she enjoys gardening, spending time with her three cats, and visiting her parents and seven siblings in Cleveland.
Board Member
He/Him
Tony has been on the Board of Directors at our sanctuary for three years now. He is also general manager and a Director with a cold header company in Sylvania, Ohio that is the exclusive distributor for a machinery company in Garlate, Italy.
He has been married to Leigh for 25 years and presently there are four dogs and two cats residing with them.
Board Member
She/Her
Heather is not only a board member for TGSAS, but is also our legal counsel.
She was working as a teacher on the Navajo Reservation when she discovered her passion for law. So, Heather spent her time working full time as a third-grade teacher while attending law school at night.
She has her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education and obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law. She is admitted to: OH Bar, IN Bar, AZ Bar, MI Bar, US District Court; Northern District of OH, US District Court; Southern District of IN, and the Department of Justice Immigration Courts.
On top of all that, she & her husband welcomed their first child early in 2024!
Board Member, Volunteer Team Lead
She/Her
Becca has volunteered at TGSAS for one year and was recently promoted to Team Lead. Her passion for animals drew her to The Shep, and she is grateful for the community she has built at the sanctuary.
Becca had a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bowling Green State University, and she currently works at the Area Office on Aging.
In her free time, Becca loves nothing more than spending time with her husband, daughter, and dog— hiking, reading, and finding the best vegan food around!
Board Member
Julie is a long-time resident of Ohio, growing up outside of Toledo.
She’s spent the majority of her working life in the customer care environment and even spent some time in realty! Her passion is truly to just be of help and to be supportive of humans and non-humans alike. Her passion for animals has been life-long and she believes each is a unique creation by God, deserving dignity and peace.
Julie received an unprecedented amount of reference letters during our onboarding process and has been described as: compassionate, reliable, selfless, kind, honest… the list goes on! Julie thinks it’s a privilege serving alongside the members of TGSAS.
When not helping with the sanctuary, she can be found spending time with her cat, Bella.
Volunteer Team Leads
Nic Thies
Angie Gresko
Jodi Whitacre
