Kerry Braun

Kerry is an accountability analyst for National Heritage Academies. She is very excited to join the BPF Junior Board and get involved in the community. This is her second year on the board and she’s excited to continue being a part of the great work that BPF does. The mission of BPF means a lot to her as she grew up surrounded by pets and strongly believes in adopting, not shopping. Kerry is hoping to adopt her own furry friend in the very near future!

Kaitlin Cota

Kait is a Veterinary Assistant at Cascade Hospital for Animals. Her goal is to provide pet owners with the continued resources and education they need to give their furry friends the best life possible. She has a soft spot for behaviorally-challenged dogs, misunderstood wildlife, and overlooked small animals. Some of Kait’s passions include cooking, game nights, and her rescue pit Pumpkin- a snorty, drooly, orange ball of fur who makes being a crazy dog mom seem completely reasonable. This is Kait’s first year on the Junior Board, and she is beyond excited to help the BPF continue to work towards its goal of providing every pet with the safety, security, and love they deserve.

Rachel Dalian

Rachael Dalian is a Detroit native who now calls Grand Rapids home. Rachael holds an MBA from Marquette University and a BS in Engineering from Michigan State, (Go Green!) Rachael works as a Project Manager at Meijer, but also is a small business owner, making handmade pet accessories inspired by her two year old rescue pup, Heidi. She uses her Etsy shop, Wag N’ Brag, to help create awareness of the rescue mission and frequently donates portions of profits to local rescues. Rachael is very passionate about giving back to the community and is excited to be on the Junior Board for her third year and to also serve as the co-chair this year!

Angie DeGennaro 

Angie is the Accounting Supervisor at East Grand Rapids Public Schools. In her off-time, she volunteers as an adoption counselor at the Humane Society of West Michigan. This role allows her to be the voice for shelter animals by helping to place them in their perfect furever home. Angie has three adopted rescue dogs of her own: Bridget, Kenobi, and Clementine. While new to the Board this year, Angie is thrilled with the opportunity to advocate for rescue animals on the BPF J-Board.

Connor Dirksen

Connor recently started a new career path as a Claims Owner with Farmers Insurance. He completed his Master in Business Management from Davenport University in August of 2021. Connor has loved animals his whole life, and he’s excited to serve his community as a new member of the BPF Junior Board. Connor lives with his partner Gaby in the heart of Grand Rapids’ West Side. Together they have two cats: Elvis, a hairless Sphynx cat, and Bonnie, an adorable black cat. In his free time, he enjoys attending concerts, and discovering new music and podcasts of all kinds.

Jaclyn Ermoyan

Jaclyn Ermoyan is an active volunteer in her community who is passionate about animals, education, social justice, and service. Jaclyn works at an internal public relations agency and is pursuing a master’s degree in Social Innovation. Outside of work and grad school, Jaclyn volunteers with Detroit Dog Rescue and considers all of their shelter pups as members of her family. With the experience of rescuing dogs off the streets of Detroit, Jaclyn joined the BPF Junior Board to help promote and educate the public on the values that BPF is based on. 

Emily Gagnon

This is Emily’s second year serving on the Junior Board and she couldn’t be more excited to continue to support BPF’s life-saving work. Emily works as a digital media specialist with Theo Agency to manage paid media campaigns for well-known brands and startups alike. Having grown up with rescue cats and dogs, Emily hopes to help every pet find a loving home and vocalize the importance of pet adoption nationwide. Her favorite pastime is being a tourist in her own city by discovering new parks and trails, small businesses, local eateries and attractions in the Grand Rapids area.

Allison Gowan

Allison Gowan is the Development Manager at In The Image, a local nonprofit striving to meet the growing needs of our community by ensuring basic needs are met. She is passionate about working in the nonprofit sector and advocating for causes she deeply cares about. When not working or volunteering, Allison prioritizes spending time with family and friends, and most importantly loving on Floyd, her 3 year old Husky/Pit rescue dog.

Amanda Hentsch

Amanda Hentsch is a Membership Engagement Manager at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. Through her role, Amanda works closely with the community and is able to support local business professionals and owners in the West Michigan area. She is deeply passionate about serving the community and giving back. Her love for animals goes back to childhood and she is an advocate for adoption, volunteering, and supporting local shelters. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her adopted cat Juniper

Bella Jacks

Bella Jacks is a recent graduate of Michigan State’s Master in Marketing and Science Research program. Bella is a lover of fashion, food, and DOGS! She has been involved with BPF since she was 8 years old, and was specifically known as the bubbly individual at the Blocktail party greeting everyone and most importantly, everyone’s dogs. Bella always made sure everyone knew about the “party of the season”, a.k.a, the BISSELL Blocktail party, and made it a priority to suggest various initiatives to friends and family that would help raise money to support BPF throughout the year. Bella looks forward to continuing her engagement with BPF and is excited to see what this team can do with each other to advocate for the welfare of animals while bringing hope and action to finding their forever homes. 

Taylor Letica

Taylor is a Grand Rapids native, MSU Spartan and storyteller at heart. She graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations. Taylor currently works for BISSELL Homecare, Inc. as an Internal Communications Specialist on the Global Communications team. Her love of animals and passion for their welfare runs deep. Taylor and her husband Anton have a Golden Doodle named Marshall and spend their free time up north on Lake Mitchell, attending country concerts and checking out new Grand Rapids restaurants.

Aly Mac

Aly Mac is a local morning show personality in Grand Rapids, MI. When she’s not on the air she’s probably on a walk with her beloved American Staffy, Frannie, whom she rescued during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Aly is passionate about animal advocacy and #AdoptDontShop and feels very aligned with the mission of the BPF: until every pet has a home. Aly would love to meet you at any BPF event throughout the year…don’t be surprised if she asks to pet your dog!

Alycia Mckellar

Alycia McKellar is a passionate marketer, fueled by the desire to leave a lasting impact on every person she works with. She is motivated by purpose and thriving on curiosity and creativity. Currently, Alycia works at Wolverine Worldwide on the Hush Puppies team. She assists with managing Hush Puppies Key Accounts and Global Partnerships. Growing up in a home filled with rescue dogs Alycia is passionate about spreading the importance of pet adoption nationwide. New to the BPF Junior Board – Alycia is eager to dive in and start making a difference for all animals in need of finding their forever home.

Rachel Nesloney

Rachel is a dog mom of two (Dawson, 7 and Trigger, 9) and recently relocated back to the mitten after being in Texas for the past almost five years with her husband. She is a Recruiter for CU*Answers and also has a dog blog, The Bark Blogger, where she’s able to use her passion of animals, writing, photography and rescue all in one! She is a Michigan State University alum and enjoys spending time with family + friends, traveling and checking out new places in her new city.

Emily Roth

Emily Roth is a current Senior at the University of Michigan with aspirations to become a Veterinarian in shelter medicine. She works as a Kennel Assistant and Client Service Representative for BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital in Ann Arbor. Emily is passionate about animal welfare and promoting adoption. Her family is kept busy by her three dogs; Winnie the Shih-Tzu, Dobby the Pitbull, and their foster-fail Frankie, a Dalmatian. Outside of caring for animals, she enjoys playing lacrosse for her club team at U of M, working on her art, and curating her collection of houseplants.

Molly Rea

Molly grew up in East Grand Rapids, attended the University of Michigan, and now lives in Chicago working in Marketing for Snapchat. She loves tennis & skiing, is a passionate fan of Michigan Football, and despite not living in Grand Rapids is still Schnitz Deli’s (unofficial) #1 customer! Molly’s family adopted their yellow lab, Tucker, through the BISSELL Pet Foundation last year and she’s looking forward to helping other families have a similarly positive experience! 

Patrick Ryan

Pat Ryan is a local sales professional with a deep love for animals. Growing up, he’d often write letters to his grandparents asking for donations in his name to the ASPCA and other local animal welfare organizations. When he isn’t working, Pat can be found in the company of good friends or curled up on the couch with a good book.

Ashley Schanski

Ashley Schanski is a Senior Marketing Specialist at Wolverine Worldwide managing the Digital Marketing efforts for the Hush Puppies brand. She joined the BPF Junior Board in 2019 to promote responsible pet ownership and help to increase awareness of BPF’s mission. Ashley is a proud parent to Odin a five-year-old Shar Pei.

Alexis Siegel

Alexis Siegel is a local marketing professional with a love for dogs and a passion to improve animal welfare. She gives her time and talent by volunteering, advocating, and fundraising for BPF and the local Humane Society. In her spare time, she enjoys taking on home improvement projects and spoiling her 100 lb Rottie, Wilma Jean. She is looking forward to another pawsome year on the Junior Board helping to improve the lives of pets across the country.

Liza Bissell

Liza is a proud cat & dog mom living in Chicago, IL, as well as a professional Project Manager at the creative agency, Foote, Cone, & Belding. Liza enjoys traveling, playing tennis, trying new restaurants around the city, cooking and entertaining others. Liza has adopted two cats and a dog from BPF and is excited to impact the pet community through her efforts in the Junior Board at BPF.

Morgan Tomaszewski

Morgan Tomaszewski is a Grand Rapids native and avid dog-lover. From advocating pet rescue and adoption to starting her own business, Well Balanced K9 Training & Rehabilitation, she has valued animal welfare her whole life. She works as a server/manager at Nonna’s the Trattoria in Ada and enjoys hiking, traveling, and hanging out with her two rescues; Winston a St. Bernard Mix and Poppy a Bernese Mountain Dog Mix.