The Board is comprised of all-volunteer members of the animal welfare community. Shelter directors, veterinarians, animal control officers and animal lovers are elected to the board every two years. The Advisory Council are professionals in a variety of fields who have a passion for animals and support MAC’s mission.

Taking the lead on animal welfare

Meet the members of our Board

Anne Lindsay,
President

  • Anne is the Founder of MAC, which was established in 2000.  In 2010 she earned her Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University.  Anne has worked in animal welfare since 1988.  She ran a dog rescue organization for many years and spent 12 years as Director of Public Relations and Special Projects for the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA.  She is also a past President and was a longtime Board Member for the New England Federation of Humane Societies and is currently a Board Member for the State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team (SMART). With her animal welfare experience and counseling skills, Anne has helped shelters with mediation, team building, and other issues specific to animal welfare organizations.  Over the years, Anne has spoken at national conferences on a variety of animal welfare issues and has consulted with states, smaller communities, and individual shelters to help them form animal welfare coalitions and work on board development, compassion fatigue, and related issues. She and her veterinarian husband live with 3 dogs and 3 cats.

Alice O’Connor,
Vice President

  • Alice has served on the MAC board since 2012. She currently serves on the AniMatch Operations Committee helping to shape the policy and protocols of the Program and also serves on various other MAC Programs, Task Forces and Committees. Alice is particularly interested in helping to establish and foster collaborative relationships and programs that provide a safety net for marginalized animals. Alice’s professional career involved investigating insurance claims, managing insurance investigators and customer service team members, as well as consulting for outside groups on best practices for insurance case handling and workflow. Alice also serves on the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies Board of Directors and is Program Manager for their animal transfer initiative, ‘High Five VA’. 

John Perreault,
Clerk

  • John has dedicated most of his life to animal welfare. In 2024 he celebrated 40 years working for the cause -- all in one place! He began his career at the MSPCA Pittsfield branch in 1984 and worked there until the branch closed its doors in 1992. John stayed on at the facility, helping the local community reopen it the next year as Berkshire Humane Society and becoming its first executive director in 1997. He’s led the organization ever since, guiding several capital campaigns -- the largest of which resulted in the 2002 opening of a brand new, 26,000-square-foot facility. John has also innovated many progressive educational and outreach programs, which continue to make a difference in the lives of animals and their people in the Berkshires!

    John and his wife Laurie currently live in Pittsfield and have opened their home to many foster children and animals. John and Laurie currently live with their four daughters and many Berkshire Humane Society alums.

Adrienne Linnell,
Treasurer

  • Adrienne Linnell is a life-long cat lover who has been actively involved in Massachusetts animal welfare since 2004. She is a Program Administrator at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester working on STEM initiatives at QCC and across Massachusetts. Adrienne served for 7+ years on the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society’s Board in various roles including President, Treasurer and acting Executive Director. Adrienne holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and received her MBA from the University of Michigan. She has extensive corporate business experience, having held senior leadership positions in finance, operations, program management and consulting for a Fortune 100 company. Adrienne & her husband Tom are looking to share their Worcester area home with new feline friends. They cherish their memories of Panda Bear, Buttons and Sundae, three special kitties who are frolicking over the rainbow bridge.

  • Sarah has been grateful for her experience serving on the Massachusetts Animal Coalition board since its start, witnessing so much improvement to the lives of our companion animals.  With her law degree, Sarah had a fulfilling career as an Administrative Law Judge for over 35 years before retiring.  And, during this same time period, she began board service with the Animal Legal Defense Fund from its earliest days and for the next 35 years, witnessing the important growth of the field of animal law in the US.  She has served many times as a judge for the National Animal Law Moot Court Competitions, and is currently a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Animal Law Practice Group.  She is the current board chair of Rise For Animals/New England Anti-Vivisection Society after many years on that board.  She also served for many years on the board of the local Citizens To End Animal Suffering and Exploitation (CEASE), and served for a few years on the board of The Great Ape Project. Sarah has lived for many years in the Boston Waterfront with three wonderful rescue dogs over the years and recently added another rescue dog to her life.  

Sarah Luick

Dr. Edward Schettino,
DMV, PhD

  • Dr. Edward Schettino oversees the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) organizational operations and leads the implementation and execution of its strategic plan as ARL strives to be an unwavering champion for animals in need, committed to keeping them safe and healthy in habitats and homes. Through its innovative programs and strategic partnerships, ARL has become the leader in providing affordable veterinary care in underserved communities and treating over 20,000 sick, injured, behaviorally challenged, and abused animals each year. Dr. Schettino has served at ARL since 2013, most recently holding the position of Vice President of Animal Welfare and Veterinary Services. 

    Prior to joining ARL, Dr. Schettino worked for 12 years in general veterinary practice as well as in shelter medicine, providing both medical and surgical care for family pets and those animals seeking their forever homes. He serves on the Massachusetts Animal Coalition Board and the Tufts at Tech Advisory Board at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and is a member of the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association Government Relations and Advocacy Committee, the Shelter Medicine Steering Committee at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, and the Veterinary Technology Advisory Committee at North Shore Community College.

    Dr. Schettino received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Clark University. Additionally, he earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Molecular Oncology and Immunology and a Master of Science in the Basic Medical Sciences from New York University. He is currently an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

    He has a strong passion for animal welfare, finding resources to keeps pets and people together, exploring the link interconnecting human and animal health, and working collaboratively both locally and nationally.

  • Liz Skrobisch has worked in the animal welfare field since 2002 when she ran a TNR organization. She was also part of the team that opened the Rhode Island Community Spay/Neuter Clinic, the first clinic of its kind in Rhode Island. Liz has provided consulting services to various animal welfare organizations and is now the Executive Director at Animal Rescue Rhode Island. With 20 years of experience in corporate Human Resources, Liz brings her knowledge and professionalism to our field.

Liz Skrobisch

  • Meg Talbert is the Executive Director of Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, MA. She has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership including strategic planning, fundraising, program evaluation, fiscal and facilities management, human resources, regulatory compliance, and volunteer engagement. Meg is a member of the MAC board and also serves on the board of The New England Federation of Humane Societies.

Meg Talbert

Meet the members of our Advisory Council

  • Mark Bappe is Sr. Vice President and Creative Director at CTP, a creative communications company based in Boston’s North End. He has been a MAC member since 2001. He serves in an advisory role for MAC’s marketing and communications. Mark and his team have been helping to promote the Pet Plate program since its inception. His design can be seen on the license plates, billboards, the website, shelters, pet stores and vet offices across Massachusetts. Prior to joining MAC, he helped establish AnimalKind in North Carolina. AnimalKind’s mission is to solve overpopulation through prevention by subsidizing surgeries to low income families. Mark spends his spare time fostering dogs and cats and volunteering at Cape Ann Animal Aid in Gloucester. Mark lives on the North Shore with his dogs Elsa and Millie, his cats Prim and Tess and his wife and kids Jen, Owen and Kate.

Mark Bappe

  • Kara Holmquist is the director of advocacy for the MSPCA, and has a law degree from Suffolk University Law School. Kara has been a member of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) since 2001. Her work with MAC focused on the Advocacy Committee and the “I’m Animal Friendly” license plate program. Kara is on the steering committee of the Mass Voters for Animals, which seeks to elect humane-minded legislators to office. Kara is a part of the Animal Law Practice Group of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Kara lives with her dogs (Rosie and Kona), cats (Speckles, Joaquin, and Charlie), husband (Kiko) and daughter (Story).

Kara Holmquist

  • Stacy LeBaron has been involved in animal welfare for over 30 years and she considers herself a feline entrepreneur. She currently hosts a weekly podcast called the Community Cats Podcast where she interviews nationally and internationally renowned experts helping with the problem of cat overpopulation and cat welfare. She has recorded over 500 episodes. In addition to the podcast, Stacy is committed to the model of virtual education by holding three weekend conferences; the Online Cat Conference, The United Spay Alliance Conference and the Online Kitten Conference. She hosts day-long sessions covering specific topics around Feline Leukemia and Behavior. The Podcast hosts three certification programs covering the topics of Trap, Neuter, and Return, Surrender Prevention and Return to Home. The Community Cats Podcast founded the Community Cats Grants Program helping small grassroots learn fundraising skills to raise the desperately needed funds for spay/neuter surgeries and match the money raised from the Community Cats Grants program. This program has assisted over 200 groups and is now part of the United Spay Alliance. 

    Her mission is to encourage folks to “Turn their passion for cats into action”.

    In addition to her role at the podcast she is a partner of the Community Cat Clinic in Woodstock and Duluth, Georgia, President of PAWSitive Pantry in Vermont and Massachusetts, Treasurer at the Vermont Humane Federation, Treasurer for the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, Treasurer at Community Cat Champions and Treasurer and Director of Strategy at the United Spay Alliance. She is a past board member of Massachusetts Animal Coalition and the New England Federation of Humane Societies. She serves as the current administrative trustee for the LeBaron Foundation.  Previous to starting the podcast, Stacy served for 16 years as president of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS).

    In addition to the above Stacy is also available for individual and group consulting to encourage others to think strategically about how they are reducing cat overpopulation in their communities by utilizing the Community Cat Pyramid and Community Cat Calculator needs assessment.  

    Stacy graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Urban Studies. She now lives in Vermont and Switzerland with her husband.

Stacy LeBaron

  • Carter Luke was the President and CEO of the MSPCA-Angell for 15 years until his retirement in 2020. He was formerly Executive Vice President and Vice President for Animal Protection at MSPCA. Before joining the MSPCA in 1985, he was executive director of the Dane County Humane Society in Madison, WI.  He was a founding board member of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, and was a member of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium. For more than 37 years, he has been extensively involved in research areas such as pet-population dynamics, free-roaming cats, cruelty and violence toward animals, dangerous dogs, and animal hoarding.  He has published widely on issues relating to the interaction between humans and animals, including exploring the roots of violence directed toward animals.  He is on the Board of the American Fondouk, an animal hospital in Morocco for working equids, and he has extensive involvement and experience in animal welfare efforts in Turkey.  Luke is the Chair of the US Board of World Animal Protection. Luke is also the Chair of the Board of the Pegasus Foundation as well as a Board Member of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.  

Carter Luke

Emily McCobb,
DVM, MS, DACVAA

  • Dr. Emily McCobb was named the inaugural PetSmart Charities Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Until August of 2024, Dr. McCobb was Clinical Associate Professor of Community Medicine and Anesthesiology at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. At Cummings, she oversaw the Shelter Medicine Program, the Center for Shelter Dogs and the Luke and Lily Lerner Spay Neuter Clinic. She also served as Assistant Director of the Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy. At Tufts Dr. McCobb taught animal welfare science, ethics and policy to veterinary and graduate students and supervised students and veterinary trainees in small animal anesthesia. She also worked to support community programs across the school and publishes regularly on animal welfare and veterinary topics.

    Dr. McCobb is a 2000 graduate of the Cummings School and completed a rotating small animal internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital. She obtained a Masters of Animals and Public Policy in 2002. In 2006 she completed residency training in Anesthesiology and Pain Management and became boarded in Anesthesiology. 

    Dr. McCobb served on the MAC board from 2006 through 2015 and was a past board President and Vice President.  She and her human family live in Clinton MA with three dogs, three cats and three guinea pigs. 

Bryn Rogers,
MS

  • Bryn has been a member of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) since 2004 and was a board member from 2009-2015. Bryn first became involved with MAC through her work promoting the spay/neuter license plates and played an integral role during Hurricane Katrina helping coordinate the reunification efforts to find the owners of the animals taken in by MAC during the disaster. Bryn currently works as the Director of Operations for the MSPCA Animal Protection Division where she has played a lead role in overseeing the establishment of four outreach programs and community clinics within the adoption centers and the merge with the Northeast Animal Shelter. Bryn, her husband, and two daughters live with a very special cat named Freddy.

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