Contact the Staff:
info@bissellpetfoundation.org
Mailing Address:
2345 Walker Ave NW Grand Rapids MI 49544
Please note that BISSELL Pet Foundation does not have pets to adopt, nor is it a place to surrender a pet. We support wonderful animal welfare organizations and would be happy to connect you with them. If you are looking to adopt a pet, we suggest visiting PetFinder.com
Founder
KC
Roxy, Adopted in 2011
Taz, Adopted in 2014
Riley, Adopted in 2016
Program Assistant
Iris, adopted in 2015
Communications and Event Manager
Milton, adopted in 2014
Grants and Communications Associate
Rosie, adopted in 2016
| Amanda Barnes | |
| Susan Laffrey | |
| Kelly Lovell | |
| Doralee Moes |
| Brian Balke | Assistant Vice President, Portfolio Manager at Legacy Trust |
| Rachel Beatty | Ice Hockey Social Media Director, Meijer State Games of Michigan |
| Max Bissell | Sr. Brand Manager, BISSELL |
| Michelle Clancy | DVM Candidate, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Taylor Doty | Community Manager, American Cancer Society |
| Nicole Leister | Inside Sales Manager, HexArmor |
| Jamie Loeks Duffield | Founder and CEO, Duffield Lane |
| Olivia Mashak | Communications Intern, Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust |
| Victoria Hansen | Realtor, Ben Muller Realty Company |
| Scott Perschbacher | Realtor, Greenridge Realty, Inc. |
| Katie Perschbacher | Membership Specialist, Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore |
| Monica Stover | Intellectual Property Attorney at Barnes & Thornburg LLP |
| Alex Tuzzolino | Associate Marketing Communication Specialist, BISSELL |
| Sarah Uzarski | Marketing Coordinator, Car City |
| Elida VanSledright | Digital Marketing Specialist, National Heritage Academies |
| Kara Visser | HR Specialist, OtterBase |
| Diana Willsie | Daybreak Executive Producer, WOOD TV8 |
| Jessica Yakima | Regional Marketing Coordinator, Mercy Health |
Click on committee member name for biography.
Kerry Akred 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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Cathy Bissell In addition to starting BISSELL Pet Foundation, Cathy also launched BISSELL Partners for Pets which enhances the support provided by the foundation and helps shelters and rescues increase their fundraising efforts. She is the co-founder of LostPetUSA.net, an online tool reuniting owners with their lost pets, and developed Woof Water™, a drinking water with proceeds supporting animal welfare. Most recently, Cathy introduced AdoptBox™ to bring awareness to the importance of pet adoption and the needs of newly adopted family pets. As Director of Corporate Affairs for BISSELL Inc, Cathy is a brand advocate and loyal product user with a focus on quality and brand integrity. In 2010, she created the company’s signature Pet Spot enabling Grand Rapids employees to bring their pets to work at the company headquarters. Additionally, Cathy influences pet-specific product design, and steers product development and innovation to target pet cleaning excellence. Cathy’s dedication to animal welfare has become a company-wide focus leading many BISSELL employees to consider pet adoption. Today, Cathy has four dogs: KC, Roxy, Taz, and Riley. |
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Michelle Clancy 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. She is currently attending Michigan State University and will graduate in May 2017 with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Michelle has a strong interest in animal behavior and enhancing the human-pet relationship. 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 boyfriend, Matt, and their rescued fur kids, Tru and Turk. |
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Barrie Loeks 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 Notario-Risk 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 Human Society of West Michigan as a Humane Educator for children. Nicole is also the owner of 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 senior rescue dogs, in what she affectionately titles, ‘The Russwood Doggie Nursing Home.’ |
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Laurel Pruski-Jones 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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Shannon Reincke 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 Rothwell Anne has been active in the West Michigan nonprofit community for more than 25 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 two grown daughters who live in San Francisco. Kuda, their third daughter, is a 6 ½ year old golden retriever who lives for playing fetch, lap snuggles and eating. |
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Heather Rowan Heather is currently the Grants & Communications Associate for BISSELL Pet Foundation. She is also in the process of earning a Master of Public Administration at Grand Valley State University, with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management. Previously, she has worked in development at Grand Valley State University, and as community outreach coordinator at Eastown Veterinary Clinic. Heather has been a staunch advocate for changing the perception of bully breeds, as well as educating on the benefits and importance of spay/neuter. Her passion and sense of responsibility about caring for animals led her to join the BISSELL Pet Foundation Junior Board from 2014-2016, and then the Grant Review Committee in 2015. She is currently mom to three, furry family members: Otter, adopted from Crash’s Landing in 2008; Kimble, adopted from Detroit in 2015; and Rosie, adopted from Texas in 2016. |
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Dr. Wendy Swift 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. |
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Helene Van Beuren 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! |
Scotlund Haisley Scotlund has been a leader in the animal protection field for over 25 years. His experience and expertise is in operational and emergency management, marketing and fundraising, innovative shelter design, and technical animal rescue, handling, and care. In 2011, Scotlund launched Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), a national nonprofit whose mission is to end animal suffering through direct and compassionate action, and to inspire the highest ethical standards of humanity towards animals. ARC’s focus is assisting law enforcement and other government agencies across North America with situations of illegal animal cruelty and animal suffering, such as large-scale cruelty cases and natural disasters beyond the community’s means to address with their own resources. Previously, Scotlund held leadership positions with In Defense of Animals, The Humane Society of the United States, the Washington (D.C.) Animal Rescue League, the Federation of Humane Societies, the Washington Humane Society, the Peninsula Humane Society and the NYC Center for Animal Care and Control. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member on the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals. Throughout his career, Scotlund has championed the humane treatment of animals nationally and internationally and is an experienced contributor to BISSELL Pet Foundation. |
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Helene Van BeurenHelene 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! |
