Meet Our Board
Our Board is composed of professionals from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared passion for protecting and advocating for animals. Learn more about the individuals who help guide our sanctuary forward.
Jennie Highfield
Chair
Jennie Highfield has nearly 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Highfield is currently the President and Executive Director of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
Highfield is actively involved in the local community and throughout the northeast Ohio region, supporting several different organizations and initiatives. Her passion is to support nonprofits who work in the areas of animal rescue, social services, children advocacy, and arts and culture. She has held board and committee positions to support fundraising, strategic planning, board development, and more. An Ohio native, she graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History with a minor in Biochemistry, and a Master’s in Art History from Kent State University.
Jess Rist
Immediate Past Chair
Jess is a nonprofit development professional and dedicated community servant passionate about making the world a better place. She has devoted her life to fighting and advocating for important causes and organizations including IBH Addiction Recovery, the National MS Society, the Alzheimer’s Association, and now Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary. She serves on the board of directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and enjoys connecting compassionate individuals with philanthropic opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.
Jess and her husband Kyle live in Kent with their four rescue cats and look forward to starting their own farm in the future.
Julie Caruso
Vice Chair
Julie Caruso is currently the Director of Institutional Giving at The Cleveland Orchestra, where she oversees corporate and foundation partnerships, government funding, and government relations while continuing her work in political advocacy and consulting for local candidates in Summit County.
Julie is passionate about animal welfare and community service. In addition to serving on the HTFAS board, she currently serves on two other boards: Camp Y’Noah and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and she is active as a Precinct Committee Person for her local political party. She and her husband, Joe, live in West Akron with their five companion animals. Julie loves spending time with her pets, traveling, reading, and staying active through yoga, running, and most recently weightlifting.
Lauren Hughes
Treasurer
Lauren is a finance professional with experience leading accounting, tax, & acquisition (M&A) activities as well as partnering with leadership on strategic projects. As the Controller for Clearstead Advisors, LLC, Lauren is responsible for the company’s financial statements, general ledger, budgeting, tax compliance, and all accounting processes including order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, and record-to-report. She earned her Masters of Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University (Ohio) and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Lauren is an animal lover and is excited to contribute to the mission of Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary as a Board member.
Ryan Rimmele
Secretary
Ryan is a seasoned marketing and communications professional serving the Greater Akron area, with experience supporting a diverse range of organizations, including nonprofits, political campaigns, and businesses of all sizes.
He is driven by a deep commitment to community impact, channeling his passion for problem-solving into strategic, thoughtful solutions that uplift both missions and the people behind them.
Outside of his professional work, Ryan maintains an extensive garden with his wife, cultivating a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. He can often be found covered in feathers and fur while enjoying time with his menagerie of pets: three birds, two dogs, and one horse.
Gina Fortunato
General Member
Gina Fortunato, MBA, is Executive Director of CATalyst Council and a seasoned leader in the animal health and pet insurance industries. Known for her collaborative leadership style and strategic mindset, she is deeply committed to advancing pet health, strengthening industry collaboration, and developing future leaders.
In her free time, Gina enjoys staying active with kayaking, dragon boating and riding horses. She has two horses, four goats and four cats, who have happily made their home in her barn. Gina is a long-term board member, including Past President and Welcome Center Committee Chair for the Happy Trails.
Pete Grasso
General Member
Pete Grasso has served on the Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary Board since 2021. He brings a strong background in marketing and public relations, helping amplify the sanctuary’s mission, strengthen storytelling and expand community awareness.
A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Pete adopted a plant-based lifestyle in 2011 — a decision that deepened his commitment to kindness and compassion toward animals. As a board member, he is proud to support Happy Trails by applying his communications experience in service of the animals and the people who care for them.
Originally from the Cleveland area, Pete and his wife, April, now live outside Atlanta with their rescue dog, Stella.
Tom Kaufman
General Member
Tom is a passionate marketer with extensive local, national and international marketing experience. After nearly 20 years in the industry, Tom branched out in 2018 to start and run his own digital marketing agency called Owll Marketing. His company is focused on bringing Fortune 500 company marketing expertise to small businesses to truly help them thrive and grow.
Tom’s two youngest children are avid animal lovers with aspirations to become either veterinarians or zoologist. He is excited to leverage their combined passion for animals along with his desire to help organizations leverage marketing to strategically position Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary for continued growth.
Mike Gheen
General Member
Vice President & Director of Retirement Plan Services at Oswald Financial, Inc. Michael brings over 30 years of experience helping businesses and individuals achieve retirement readiness through strategic plan design and financial wellness solutions. Outside of work Mike enjoys travel, sports and spending time with family. Mike resides in Chagrin Falls with his wife and Mini Bernedoodle, Penelope.
Ryan Sheehan
General Member
Founder and Principal Consultant of RS HR Consulting, Ryan is an accomplished Human Resources and Talent Management professional with a proven track record of aligning people and organizational strategies. Over his 20+ years of career experience, he has developed, implemented, and improved Human Resources programs, processes, tools, and technologies.
Additionally, Ryan excels at connecting top talent with employers in the nonprofit, public library, information technology, healthcare, and professional services fields. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Psychology from John Carroll University and currently resides in Fairview Park, Ohio. As a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and animal advocate, he is eager to contribute to the future success and growth of the Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Lilli Benck, DC
General Member
Lilli Benck, DC, is a Southwest Virginia native. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Virginia Commonwealth University. While there, she participated as a four-year Varsity Athlete on VCU’s Women’s Soccer Team. After graduating, she went on to play for the Estonian Women’s National U23 Soccer Team. She was chosen to represent Estonia with the team at the 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan Russia. She then went on to earn her Doctorate in Chiropractic from Palmar College of Chiropractic in 2018.