The Good Shepherd Founders and team members have over 17 years of animal rescue experience and have spent time in the vegan activist community around the greater Toledo area.
Our volunteers all provide the best, most compassionate care through education, hard work, and dedication.
Founder / President,
She/Her
Elle is the founder of The Good Shepherd Animal Sanctuary. She has worked in Animal Advocacy and Rescue for 16 years. She is certified in TLAER (Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Awareness Level) and FEMA Animal Crisis Management. She enjoys being an instructor for the LEAP program at the Sanctuary and running the volunteer team. 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.
Board Member / Treasurer
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 / Vice President
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!
Volunteer Team Leads
Nic
Thies
Angie
Gresko
Kaitlin
Wertbaugher
Becca
VanDyke
Meagan
Sager
