Our organization is made up of professionals from a variety of industries, including but not limited to: TV / video production, photography, research, veterinary services, legislative advisors, animal welfare, public relations, artists, writers, veterans of stage and screen, real estate, finance and law, technology, animal trainers and behaviorists, U.S. military veterans, and animal advocates from across the country.
Founder and President
Donna Lentol
Donna Lentol has spent 14 years advocating for animal rights using social media, fostering animals, encouraging legislation measures, and as a rescue volunteer. She has engaged animal loving professionals in many fields to create this organization: to bring information that is relevant, helpful and encouraging in order to affect change for the betterment of our homeless animals and the people who want to help improve and encourage the humane treatment of animals everywhere.
Vice President
Ari Soriano
Ari Soriano is a life-long animal advocate and firm believer that the world can become a more compassionate and united place if there is more awareness of animal welfare and environmental policy reform. He lives with the love of his life, Gingersnaps (Ginger), an adopted Chorkie (Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier mix) and hopes to advocate animal well-being on behalf of her and all animals.
Staff
Jason Fonseca
Jason Fonseca lives in New Jersey, albeit originally from the New York City area. He served in the Army for 10 years as a Combat Engineer. Now he lives to serve his furry friends. Jason is the current Project Manager for AFAR's Vets Pets program helping local veterans get the veterinary care they need for their beloved pets.
Dr. Cindy Bressler grew up in New York City. She graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Following graduation, she completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She then worked as an attending Veterinarian on the Upper West Side for three years before returning to the Animal Medical Center to pursue a residency for specialization in small animal internal medicine.
In the summer of 2003, Dr. Bressler embarked on her own practice as a House Call Veterinarian in New York City and The Hamptons, Long Island. She is the only Veterinarian to see patients in Manhattan and the Hamptons which allows her patients to receive the same veterinary care wherever they are located. Dr. Bressler’s clientele includes prominent New Yorkers and celebrity clients.
Denise Herman is the founder and head trainer for Empire of the Dog. Denise is a Valedictorian Graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers—widely considered the “Harvard of dog schools”. After graduation, she was hired as a staff trainer at the SF SPCA and opened Empire of the Dog in NYC in 2000—or as she refers to it, “at the turn of the century”. In conjunction with the Nylabone company, Denise authored a set of clicker training kits for dogs and completed the videos Your First Dog and Your First Cat, available on iTunes. Denise has been featured as a trainer in DogFancy Magazine, Rescue Ink, PupCulture Magazine, and Modern Dog magazine. Photography is a hobby of hers, including regular posts on Instagram as EmpireOfTheDog. Her most recent project, a digital book called Positively Dog Training, was called “Masterful Advice" by CoolHunting.
Board Members
Alicia Lockard-Lewis
Alicia Lockard-Lewis has always been taught to love, respect and care for animals. She grew up in a rural town where her grandfather worked at a bauxite mine that doubled as a dump for all the unwanted animals in the area. Alicia's house and small acreage was a makeshift animal sanctuary for numerous cats, kittens, and a dog—or two—along with her own resident cats, dogs and horses. Her mom is actively involved in coordinating the feeding and care of the feral cat colonies in her area of Los Angeles in addition to caring for numerous special needs kitties of her own. When people ask Alicia why shes loves animals so much, she just tells them it is genetic.
Alicia and her husband have six American Pit Bull Terriers, two retired Tonkinese show cats, a twelve year old Siamese cat (that they recently adopted because her owner moved to England), and a fourteen year old Irish Blue Cat that her husband literally rescued out of a dog’s mouth at two weeks old.
She works diligently in her community to place abandoned cats and dogs in new homes and tries to help any needy animal—domestic or wild—that crosses her path. She has been in the print publishing industry for twenty-five years and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication.
Jae Hee Lee had cultivated a love for animals ever since she was a child in California. She recounts that back home, it was normal to see animals—domestic or otherwise—run about the vast parks and open spaces available. Even the shelters that she encountered there, were spacious and well staffed. After moving to the East Coast, Jae Hee realized the limitations of space and how vital it was to the well being of animals. As a designer and architect, she believes in the ability to expand the ways in which spaces are built and used to accommodate not only human beings but the animals that inhabit the cities we live in. An awareness of the needs of animals is the first step in developing a safer and healthier living environment for metropolitan areas. Since earning her BArch at Cornell University, she has worked for H Architecture and WXY Studios in New York City. Her work and interests can be seen here .
Howard Gintell
Partner, Petrallia Associates, LLC
Howard Gintell is a lifelong dog lover and was, until last Fall, owned by a wonderful old spaniel. When his beloved friend died peacefully on his lap, he laid her to rest under a tree in nearby Prospect Park, where she can run forever with her friends. He has more then four decades of diversified general marketing experience at senior executive levels, with experience in corporate marketing, advertising and promotion agencies, and print media. He's currently engaged in international and domestic real estate marketing and development requiring highest level foreign government relations. A veteran of Vietnam (1967-68), Howard knows that he's here to talk about his Purple Heart because his life was saved on many occasions by his fellow four legged vets. His mission now is to help other veterans who are also owned by their furry friends.