Click on committee member name for biography.
 Cathy is the Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF), Director of Corporate Affairs for BISSELL Inc, and Co-founder of LostPetUSA.net, a searchable nationwide database with essential tools and resources to easily and efficiently reunite lost pets with their families.
At BPF, Cathy innovates to bring awareness to animal welfare and the importance of pet adoption. Most recently, Cathy and BPF introduced Empty The Shelters, a free adoption initiative with a high impact on educating communities and finding loving homes for pets. Cathy’s advocacy highlights pet homelessness on a national scale in an effort to inspire others to save lives.
As Director of Corporate Affairs, Cathy influences pet-specific product design and steers innovation to target pet cleaning excellence. Cathy’s dedication to animal welfare has become a company-wide focus with a percentage of sales of BISSELL pet products directly supporting BPF’s mission, along with many BISSELL employees embracing pet adoption. Today, Cathy has four dogs: KC, Roxy, Taz, and Bo.
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 As evidenced by her household of six rescue dogs and cats, Kerry has had a lifelong passion for animals. She has been involved in many forms of animal advocacy over the years ranging from adoption counselor at the Humane Society of West Michigan to dedicated fundraiser for local animal welfare organizations. In recent years, she has devoted her time to the Community Spay Neuter Initiative Partnership (C-SNIP). She recognizes the need to humanely manage the overpopulation of cats and dogs in our community by providing high quality, reduced cost spay and neuter surgeries. She currently serves on the board of C-SNIP. Kerry has two deaf pit bulls, and holds a particular place in her heart for that breed’s special needs. Kerry started as a volunteer at Blocktail, and since has served 8 years on the Blocktail Committee, in addition to serving on the Grant Review Committee since 2011.
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 Michelle is a West Michigan native and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Grand Valley State University. During her time in Grand Rapids, she worked closely with C-SNIP and Humane Society of West Michigan. In May 2017, she graduated from Michigan State University with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Michelle has a strong interest in enhancing the human-pet relationship and responsible pet ownership. Becoming involved with BISSELL Pet Foundation has allowed her to leverage her combined passion for philanthropy and shelter medicine. She lives in East Lansing with her fiancé, Matt, and their rescued fur kids, Tru and Turk.
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 Barrie Loeks, of Grand Haven, Michigan, is president and co-owner of Loeks & Loeks Entertainment Inc. Previously, she was Chairperson of the National Association of Theatre Owners and Co-Chairman and Chief Executive of Sony’s Loews Theatres circuit, based in New York. As such, she was the highest-ranking woman within Sony Corporation worldwide. In 1985, Barrie and her husband Jim founded the Star Theaters chain in Michigan, which they operated until its sale in 2002. From 2010-2014 Barrie served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School, where she currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council. Barrie graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1979 and began her career as a clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Albert Engel and as an associate in the firm of Warner, Norcross & Judd in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a member of the University of Michigan’s President’s Advisory Group and also serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Center for Women in Transition. Barrie joined the BISSELL Pet Foundation Grant Review Board in 2016 and is eager to take an active role using her wide-ranging skills to advocate for homeless pets. Barrie and her husband Jim have one daughter, Jamie Duffield, and one much loved rescue dog, Wynken.
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 Nicole has been an active leader in the Grand Rapids nonprofit community for over 14 years with a professional career focused on community consulting, capacity building and nonprofit management. Additionally, Nicole is passionate about animals and pet rescue awareness. She currently serves as facilitator and project manager for the West Michigan Network for Animal Protection and previously volunteered with the Humane Society of West Michigan as a Humane Educator for children. Nicole also previously owned Dress My Rescue, an online store designed to raise awareness about pet adoption, spaying, and neutering. She enjoys participating in the BISSELL Pet Foundation Grant Review Committee as a natural extension of her interests and background. Nicole and her husband spend free time at home with their young sons and rescue dog, Nero.
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 Laurel’s innate compassion for animals was instilled by previous generations of her family. At a young age, she began rescuing stray kittens and lost dogs, and then expanded to bunnies, raccoons, turtles, frogs and more. As an active member of the local animal welfare community, Laurel has donated her time, planning and project management skills to animal advocacy organizations in the West Michigan community. Presently, Laurel serves on the Board of Directors of C-SNIP, the Community Spay Neuter Initiative Partnership. For nine years she has been involved in the leadership of the BISSELL Blocktail Party, and has been on the Grant Review Committee since the inception of BISSELL Pet Foundation in 2011. “It makes my heart smile knowing that the grants we assign help pets and animal welfare organizations around the country” said Laurel. “I dream of the day when all pets have a home.”
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 A lifelong lover of our four-legged friends, Shannon has dedicated over a decade to advocating for the well-being of companion animals. After serving a term on the board of directors for the Humane Society of West Michigan, she wanted a more “hands on approach” and began fostering dogs and fundraising for Vicky’s Pet Connection (VPC). She now runs the dog adoption program for VPC, mentoring pet foster parents, supporting adopters, and coordinating the daily care of all dogs in the foster program. She is a passionate advocate for bringing attention to homeless senior pets, and for “across the board” cooperation within animal welfare communities. Shannon is also very active in fundraising and event planning, bringing a wealth of ideas and experience from her company, DoubleDog Design, to BISSELL Pet Foundation. She has served as co-chair of Howl’O’Ween and has volunteered with Blocktail for 12 years.
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 Anne has been active in the West Michigan nonprofit community for more than 30 years and has served as board president of the John Ball Zoological Society, D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s, the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation and Senior Neighbors. She has also been a member of Leadership Grand Rapids and The Public Relations Society/West Michigan Chapter. In her professional career, Anne is a skilled public relations strategist who has provided media and community relations, crisis and issues management, and strategic planning services for a wide variety of clients throughout West Michigan. She brings her extensive nonprofit background, as well as her love for animals, to her service on BISSELL Pet Foundation Grant Review Committee. Anne and her husband, Tom, have a daughter who lives in San Diego, and another daughter, son-in-law and grandson who live in the Oakland Hills area of California. Kuda, their third daughter, is an eight-year-old golden retriever who lives for playing fetch, lap snuggles and eating.
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Susan Shaw is a main news anchor at WOOD TV 8 and has called West Michigan home for more than two decades. Susan has covered major area news events over the years including the passing of Grand Rapids favorite son, President Gerald R. Ford and later his wife, first lady Betty Ford, as well as decades of election nights including the election of Michigan’s first female Governor Jennifer Granholm and the election of Governor Rick Snyder.
Susan has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Oakland University and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University. In addition to serving on the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s Grant Review Committee, Susan is a member of the leadership board for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation, a member of the women’s career organization, Inforum, and has also completed disaster preparedness training with the Grand Rapids chapter of the American Red Cross.
Susan is a self-proclaimed “Michigan Girl” who loves the outdoors and spending time on our beautiful lake and beaches. She is a true animal lover who can’t imagine a home without the loving personality of pets. She has a lifetime of adoption success stories with both cats and dogs, including her current adopted dog, Charlie.
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 Wendy earned degrees in Animal Behavior and Neurobiology, along with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University. She has worked in general practice and at the Kent County Humane Society (KCHS) as shelter veterinarian where she experienced all aspects of the animal welfare world. Wendy continued to expand her knowledge as a veterinarian and was certified by the American Humane Association as an instructor for both Euthanasia by Injection and Compassion Fatigue.
During her time at KCHS, Wendy discovered the benefits of integrated medicine options. She then became a Reiki Master Teacher, and found her way back to private practice where her goal is to grow the human animal bond and keep pets in their current homes offering traditional, and many forms of holistic medicine. Wendy is the shelter veterinarian for Muskegon Humane and Animal Rescue and A Feral Haven, serves as the Vice President of the Board for Harbor Humane Society, is a member of the Humane Society of the United States Michigan State Council, instructs compassion fatigue and EBI classes nationally, teaches Reiki for pets and people and AKC Star Puppy and Canine Good Citizen Classes locally, and is a member of the BISSELL Blocktail Party Committee.
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 Helene fulfills her passion for philanthropy through her leadership positions with numerous animal welfare, civic, social, land preservation, and cultural organizations, with a focus on her hometown of Philadelphia, and her adopted community- Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island. Animals have a special place in Helene’s heart, as demonstrated by her involvement in the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). She has served on the SPCA Board of Directors since 2009, including Chairman from 2011 to 2015, and as an active participant on many committees within the organization. She brings her broad range of experience to BISSELL Pet Foundation. Helene’s passion has made a home in the Van Bueren family for Sirius, an Irish wolfhound rescue dog from the Pennsylvania SPCA; Sweet Pea, a deerhound mix; and Zorey, affectionately known as an “Island Mutt”. Helene would welcome many more rescues if her family would allow it!
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