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ACN Principle Officers and Board of Directors 2011

Sue Barnett - Chairperson of the Executive Committee

 

Sue Barnett is an original founder of ACN, serving as Vice-President in 1998, 1999 and 2004 and President in 2000 and 2005. Sue recognized a great need in this area for an organized, no-kill rescue organization. She used her business experience and background to get ACN recognized and established in the community. Sue continues to be a vital resource for the organization and has served on the Board of Directors since 1998. 

 

Jennifer Berkowitz - President, Board of Directors

 

Jennifer Berkowitz is President and CEO of PRoactive Solutions, Inc., a public relations firm with offices in Asheville and Wilmington, NC and Birmingham, AL. Before founding the firm, she served as Director of Public Affairs and Marketing for the Pacific Research Institute and as Vice President of John Adams Associates, a Washington, DC-based public relations agency representing some of the world’s largest trade associations and corporations.

 

A native of the District of Columbia, she earned  an M.A. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. from Dickinson College. She resides in South Asheville, NC, with with her husband Mark and her two dogs, Bunter and Petey.

Jen Charlton - Vice President, Board of Directors

Jen Charlton is a New Orleans native who has made Asheville her home since 1998.  She’s a graduate of LSU with degrees in psychology and art history, and since opening Sensibilities Day Spa in 1999 has happily made being a small business owner the focus of her professional life.  The addition of a second location of Sensibilities as well as her latest project, Sparrow Spa, has allowed her to connect with many wonderful  organizations in Asheville, including the one closest to her heart, ACN.  As an auxiliary board member and volunteer she looks forward to helping adoptable animals find the loving homes they deserve.

 

Jen and her rescue boy, Gable, live in the French Broad/River Arts District.

 Colleen Snyder - Secretary, Board of Directors

 

Colleen Snyder is an auxiliary board member and equipment coordinator for ACN A full-time real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Kasey since 2005, she specializes in matching people and their furry friends with their ideal Asheville area homes. She and her husband Chris have four rescued bulldog mixes of their own and foster ACN dogs on a regular basis.

 

Mary Cowart, Treasurer, Board of Directors

Mary Cowart is a CPA working in manufacturing.  Originally an ECU graduate with degrees in music education/music therapy, she returned to school at UNC-A to complete CPA requirements. Along with her husband, John, they live with Chloe,a special needs Boykin Spaniel, Grey, a one-tooth rescue cat, and Emmy, a lovebird who likes to take baths in her hands.

Eileen Bouressa - Executive Director

Eileen Bouressa came on board with Animal Compassion Network as our first Executive Director in August 2003. She had previously served as the Executive Director for the Haywood Animal Welfare Association, where she successfully implemented an Adoption and Volunteer Program with the local shelter and doubled the amount of public spay/neuter assistance available and distributed. Eileen brings to us a background in non-profit management, public relations and fundraising, as well as a deep-rooted personal passion for improving animal welfare. She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and has personally rescued and fostered over 80 dogs and cats. In addition to supervising the organization’s 17 lifesaving programs and Pet Harmony, ACN’s pet store for rescued pets, Eileen serves as the ACN spokesperson, grant writer, copywriter and development director. She has also been a driving force for legislative change to our county and city animal control ordinances. 

 

Eileen has lived in Asheville since 1993 and shares her life with her husband Brian; sons Jack and Ben; cats Moxanna, Lucy, Magpie and Mac; and dogs Angel, J.B., and Mimi. 

Cate Rheney - Board Member at Large

Cate is a pharmacist and served as the clinical manager of an inpatient hospital pharmacy in Asheville. She has been a member of ACN since 2002 and has served in a variety of capacities that take advantage of her excellent organization skills, including co-chair for several fundraising events and grant writer.

Krista Luck - Past President, Board of Directors

Krista Luck  is a clinical pharmacist at Mission Hospital.  She moved to Asheville in 1999 from Georgia. She has provided a loving foster home for numerous dogs in ACN since 2002. She has excellent organizational skills and a strong leadership ability. Krista currently serves on our board as Past President.   Krista and Duggan share their home with two Scottish Terriers, Maggie and MacDuff, and newly adopted terrier-mix, Rigby (former ACN foster dog). 

Ann Barron - Board Member at Large

 

With 31 years of experience in Federal Service, Ann’s attention to detail, organizational skills and ability to interpret rules and regulations have been invaluable in managing the in-take, medical records, temporary placement and adoption of dogs in the Network. While her degree in Sociology served her well in working with human welfare, her plan for years had been to work in animal welfare upon retirement.  Her love for all animals and passion for helping homeless, abused and neglected cats and dogs led her to ACN, where her desire to make a difference has come to fruition. 

ACN's Auxiliary Board

 

Marcia Allen

 

Marcia Allen is an auxiliary board member and former Cat Coordinator.  A retired Chemistry teacher and Duke graduate, she has lived in the Asheville area since 1979.  She has two adult daughters, Sara and Molly, 5 dogs, and a perfect cat named Stevie Nicks.  Her favorite part of this volunteer position is connecting cats, dogs, and people in the true belief that rescued pets bring unconditional love into our lives.

 

Melissa Chapel 

 

Melissa Chapel is originally from central Florida, where she completed a B.A. in Psychology, volunteered for an HIV/AIDS organization, and worked in the mental health field for a few years before moving to South Carolina in 1996 with her husband and 2 wonderful cats.  There she returned to school for a change of career, rescued a scared but sweet dog, and volunteered for a no-kill shelter.  Since moving to Asheville in 2002, she has worked at a local hospital and volunteered for ACN in a variety of ways, from staffing adoption events to providing animal care and submitting weekly ACN ads to local newspapers.

 

Kimberly Evans 

Kimberly Evans has been rescuing animals for most of her life.  She and her husband, Glenn, along with their three German Shepherds have been fostering dogs in need for over ten years.  Here’s proof that you don’t need to buy a pure bred dog, adopt one or two or three! They especially love providing puppies with a stable pack environment prior to assisting in finding their forever home.  Kimberly is the Owner/Broker of Alpha Real Estate on Charlotte Street.  They specialize in pet friendly long term and vacation rentals. She is active with the Asheville Board of Realtors® as well as the state association, serving as President of ABR in 2009. Alpha Real Estate and Construction is a corporate sponsor of ACN and promote animal welfare throughout the company.  Kimberly has been volunteering with ACN since 2003 serving many different roles.  Currently she serves on the Auxiliary Board, volunteers at Pet Harmony, adoption events and fundraisers, is a final matchmaker in the adoption process, and most rewarding to her and her family, a foster mom.   

Karen Shuart (bio coming soon!)

Chris Snyder

 

Chris Snyder is an auxiliary board member and equipment coordinator for ACN. and has been active in animal rescue since the early 90’s. He works as a swim coach for the YMCA Piranhas and is developing his portfolio as a wildlife photographer. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking with his wife Colleen, also an ACN. volunteer, and hiking with their four rescued pit bulls. 

 

ACN's Advisory Board

Margee Moncure, DMV

Margee Moncure lives in Fairview, NC with her wonderful husband, two beautiful kids, two marvelous dogs, and nine really bad cats.  She and her husband moved to the Asheville area upon her graduation from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine and have loved the area so much that they intend to stay forever. 

 

After several years of doing low-cost spays and neuters at Humane Alliance and the recent addition of human children to the family, Margee has transitioned to being a relief veterinarian for many of the local veterinary practices.  She also volunteers with Animal Compassion Network to help ensure that all of our animals receive thorough and compassionate veterinary care.    

Suzi Katz

 

Suzi Katz is a web developer in Asheville.  Her company, Alice Web Design, donated the new ACN web site.  She lives with her sweetie, Jerry Hudgins, and their two rescued dogs.  Kiko (dog-right) was adopted from the Buncombe County shelter in 1996 and Riley (dog-left) came from ACN in 2008.

 

Her DOG IS LOVE web site is the source of the DOG IS LOVE series of bumperstickers; the proceeds of all sales are donated to ACN and other organizations working to help end the suffering of homeless pets.