| Board Nominees 2013 |
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Meet the nominees for our 2013 Board of Directors Here are the candidates for the 2013 HSFC Board of Director: Doris Corona Doris Corona is the Vice President of Operations of a retail jewelry corporation with twenty-five years of experience in the jewelry industry. She is a gemologist, master jeweler, and an artisan specializing in the hand wax carving medium of two and three dimensional forms including artistry with function. Ms. Corona is often commissioned to carve children faces and pets, including dogs, cats, and horses. Ms. Corona is experienced in the advertising, management, marketing, accounting, buying, security, inventory, repair, manufacturing, and merchandising of products. Prior to the jewelry industry, Ms. Corona was employed by the Atlanta Center for Cranio-Facial Pain and TMJ Disorders working in public relations, management, and marketing; and previously for Shop 'n Chek, Inc. as an account administrator in marketing research and statistical analysis. Ms. Corona is also a single mother of two children. Her twenty year old son is attending the University of Colorado at Boulder majoring in aero-space engineering and a competitor on the University's Freestyle Skiing team. Her fifteen year old daughter is a sophomore in high-school, a snow skier, singer, an honor student. a member of the Key Club, and a defensive player on the Girl's LaCrosse Team. When Ms. Corona is not busy running a corporation and being a mother of her two children, she is an avid snow skier and a volunteer for the non-profit Humane Society of Forsyth County (HSFC). Ms. Corona has assisted in the most recent renovations of the HSFC's cat building, east coast animal transport, finding forever homes for adoptable dogs, and reuniting a family with their lost dog of two years. She further assisted in the planning of and the implementation of the Bark & Boogie Ball 2012 (BBB 2012), the largest annual fundraising event of the HSFC. She was responsible for the coordination of the check-in and check-out procedures of the BBB 2012. Ms. Corona has also assisted in the delivery and pick-ups of items for the HSFC Thrift Store. Ms. Corona has loved our furry friends throughout her life and has fostered and owned German shepherds, Chihuahuas, and mixed breeds of pit bull, Labrador, cocker spaniel, and basset hound.
Dirk Day To the members of the Humane Society of Forsyth County, My name is Dirk Day, I am a humble volunteer. I offered to help out wherever I was needed so I started cleaning dog kennels in the evenings a couple days a week. Now I've managed to get myself named the Canine Foster Coordinator and somehow my name was put on the list for the board nominees. So here I am, nothing special, just me. I've only been around the society a short time but I have seen and done a lot and worked with many wonderful people, both volunteers and staff. I am an IT professional, but for ease of explanation I am a glorified computer guy, I work on the big systems that take care of communications and such. I have been involved with volunteering my whole life really, I grew up a Boy Scout, and I am still involved today with my brother and nephew in Florida at least one weekend a month. I've been in search and rescue organizations and I am a certified NASAR Tech II as well as having been certified a First Responder. So I've spent many a cold night slogging through marshes looking for lost souls young and old. I am still involved with the Klass Kids Foundation which is a national SAR group run by some of my old commanders and team mates, they are focused on K-9 work and I have enjoyed learning a lot from them and working with them over the years. As for what I do locally now, I help out up at the shelter a couple days a week, usually more than just a couple since I work from home in the evenings. I have joined our own IT team and have been assisting with the shelter management programs and getting things organized. I have no problem getting my hands dirty so to speak, and after helping get the shelters medical treatment room cleaned out and organized I got the water flowing in there and we got a wall safe installed for the items and chemicals that would no longer fit in the little lock box. I've been working very hard to bring our foster information up to date and get it organized and useable. I assist with adoption events whenever I am in town and not working. And I take in fosters that need some one on one attention. I truly enjoy working with everyone at the shelter and working with the society. I was born on a farm so I have always loved animals and I have found more than a few to help here. I am not sure what role I will be asked to fill if elected to the board, but whatever the task I will take head on. I enjoy a good challenge.
Andrew Kennedy Pumpkin came running across the parking lot prior to the start of an event at my daughter’s elementary school. Thus our rescue efforts in Forsyth began. Fortunately, she came to me when I called her. Foster home approval, heart worm treatment, adoption events and a successful adoption later, she had a 6 more years as a great pet with our family friends. I work full time as a fire captain in Milton, GA. Elizabeth works for Forsyth schools. Our daughters are successful and smart and beautiful and enjoy helping us when we contribute our efforts to foster care. I would undertake foster care recruitment as a project I would enjoy if I were elected to the Humane Society Board. I’m happy to contribute effort and energy to the board. I’m committed to the philosophy of our no kill shelter. I look forward to the prospect of serving in this new capacity.
Andrew Kennedy
Bottle Feeder, Puppy Whelper
AJ Recchio As a father of two great college-age children, my wife Sherry and I decided we wanted to spend more time doing things together and to give something back to the community. We have spent the last two years volunteering at events, helping out with the volunteer orientation process, working at the Bark-n-Boogie Ball, going up to the center to play and socialize with the animals…it’s never the same day twice. Our experiences at HSFC have been tremendous and we have met so many wonderful and dedicated individuals to help our furry friends. Even though our children are in college (Chris is a senior at Kennesaw and Nikki is a freshman at Georgia State), we still have 2 more kids in the house, Thunder and Rascal. They are a pair of 7-year old mixed breed Lab, Beagle and Red-tick Hound dogs from the same litter, although you would have a tough time knowing it. They play like brothers always do, but at nearly 100lbs each – their play usually breaks things. We also have an 11-year old tabby cat, Tiger. He’s the old man of the house and pretty much just eats and sleeps. I care for all animals, but my personal favorites are dogs. I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t have at least one. Professionally, I have worked over a 28-year career as an Engineer for the Department of Defense, as a programmer for the EPA and as an IT Director in the Corporate Real Estate industry. I am currently employed as a Manager for on-line systems development at Cox Communications. I also ran my own small business for 13 years providing IT services for small development firms in downtown Atlanta. I currently serve as the IT Coordinator for the HSFC technology team. I am very fortunate to have a team of co-workers that are extremely dedicated and care as much about these animals as I do. I would appreciate the opportunity to bring my experience and leadership to the Humane Society to make the ‘business’ of taking care of these animals easier so we can spend more time caring for them. Thank you.
Vicki S. Rennick Hi! I am Vicki Rennick, a native of Georgia and I have lived in Forsyth County for 26 years. I have an adult human son, John - who I adore and I am in my early 50’s. I spent 25 years in the corporate world as a Human Resources Executive, with NCR Corporation and as a Ethics and Compliance Manager for The Coca-Cola Company. With NCR, I was responsible for 5,700 employees located in 10 countries. In addition to the HR side of the business, my role carried significant fiscal responsibility. With Coca-Cola, my primary responsibility was investigating potential financial fraud activity and sexual harassment allegations. As a result, I have extensive experience in developing and managing budgets, managing people, collaboration, problem solving, security matters, legal acumen, and I am very computer literate. Currently, I own several businesses that are reflections of my skill and passion for helping others. I have a business called Handy Girl Services, where I provide interior maintenance and repair services to Senior Citizens and single woman – with this business I utilize my skillset in home repair and construction with my passion for helping others. I also own a business called The Secret Baker, which provides made to order desserts that my clients can pass off as their own if they choose. I am also also an independent HR Consultant, working with domestic and international clients. I consider myself a guardian and champion to all animals. I have always had animals in my life. From training and showing horses, working a large horse boarding facility to my personal pets – animals have always been very important to me. I currently have 4 feline children. Pepper who is now 14 years old, Maximus who is two years old and Maya who just had her first birthday. All were rescues and were considered the “least desirable” for adoption at the time. When adopting, I always take the critters with the smallest chance at a forever home! My forth kitty is Liberty, now a 5 month old kitten who has a significant neurological disorder which prevents him from being able to stand or walk. Liberty requires significant care and I am very dedicated to him. We work hard every day to get him on his feet and it is bringing good results! Throughout the years I have owned many horses, dogs, cats, birds and fish and have fostered many dogs and cats. For me, it doesn’t matter if they are large or small – healthy or sick – when they are placed in front of me – I take them into my life and do everything I can to best serve their needs. I am also an active volunteer with The Forsyth County Humane Society and have been for many years. I’ve helped organize Bark & Boogie Balls, worked with the group that painted the main facility on two different occasions, supported our organization financially, currently volunteer at the Thrift Store and volunteer at other events when I can. I really love what we represent, at the Forsyth County Humane Society and want to contribute more to our organization.
Mark Schullstrom My girlfriend Tiffani Rassel and I decided to start volunteering with the Humane Society of Forsyth County in the spring of 2012 after volunteering for several years with the Atlanta Dog Squad. As new residents of Forsyth County we were excited to see a no-kill shelter operation in our community and wanted to get involved. After becoming increasingly involved with dog adoption events and socializing the dogs located at off-site boarding facilities I was asked to fill-in as acting dog program director for the remainder of 2012. Over the past several months I have enjoyed my time being involved with the many aspects of animal rescue. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have made hundreds of new furry friends as well as meeting some great people in our community. Professionally I have worked in various different industries as a corporate manager. I started my career working for AT&T managing customer care centers for their internet service. I then spent almost 8 years working for LG Electronics in many different areas of their business including Logistics, Supply Chain, and Customer Service. In January of 2012 I left LG to join a small consulting firm in Alpharetta called DWG where I am a B2B Project Manager. In my role I am brought in by Fortune 500 Electronics manufacturers to lead IT projects, new manufacturing line developments, as well as completing organizational restructuring and redesigns. I am excited about the future of the Humane Society of Forsyth County and I would cherish the opportunity to be elected to the 2013 Board of Directors.
Jenn Von Essen In May of 2011 Oscar, our orange tabby passed away. Oscar had been a member of our family for 10 years and we chose to honor his memory by collecting items for the local Humane Society. Ellie, my daughter, was about to turn 12 and she chose to donate her birthday to the Humane Society. Instead of gifts her guests brought pet food, cat litter, toys and funds for the animals who live at the shelter. After visiting the shelter and dropping off the collected items we decided to start volunteering as a family. My husband, Andrew and our two daughters, Ana and Ellie became a foster family for cats and dogs and have seen over 20 animals find their forever homes, in addition to one dog and a cat who are now members of our family. Through the Humane Society of Forsyth County I have enjoyed using my experience working with children to teach students in our community about animal safety and rescue. I have also been able to use my Bachelor’s Degree in writing and publication to write about my experiences volunteering and create lessons and activities for the humane education program. I am blessed to be able to represent the Humane Society as the Humane Education Coordinator and the Humane Hearts Program Director. I have always loved working with children, and my love for pets is evident by the state of my carpet, so I feel like I have finally found my calling in volunteering with this wonderful organization with my fellow “crazy” cat and dog people.
Lance White Lance is the President and Owner of Lance's Jewelry, Inc. located in Cumming, Georgia. He founded his jewelry business 25 years ago and has been Forsyth County's leading jeweler in sales and jewelry and watch repair services. He is a graduate of Roswell High School and Georgia State University with a BBA in Management. Lance is also a graduate gemologist, custom jewelry designer, and jewelry and watch repairman Lance has been a loyal contributor to many Forsyth County organizations, schools, and non-profits in our community for over 25 years. For the past three years, Mr. White has taken a leave of absence from his business to donate his time and resources to the local community with full-time hours dedicated to the Humane Society of Forsyth County and served as a volunteer and Board member. In January of 2011, Lance was elected the President of the Humane Society of Forsyth County. He has held this position to date. During his volunteer time, Humane Society position on the Board of Directors, and his Presidential term, Mr. White has accomplished the following with the help of employees, volunteers, and community workers:
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