Board of Directors

After 15 years in a leadership role with Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Gina Fortunato followed her dream of working in the animal health industry where she serves as VP of Veterinary Services for Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, providers of the ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance Plans. She loves helping pet owners keep their furry friends healthy. In her free time, Gina enjoys staying active with kayaking, dragon boating and riding horses. Gina has three horses and three cats, who have happily made their home in her barn. Gina is proud to serve as President for the Happy Trails Board of Directors.

Leighann Fink, a licensed Ohio attorney of sixteen years, focuses her practice on education law, public law, and appellate law.
In addition to being a Board Member at Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Ms. Fink is the Vice-President of the Board of Directors for the Blick Center, Treasurer of the Board for Open Arms Adoptions, and is a member of the Akron Zoo Board’s Education Committee.  Ms. Fink also presides on the Unauthorized Practice of Law Board for the Supreme Court of Ohio.
Ms. Fink enjoys living in Kent with her husband Eric and her five-year old son Sammy.  The Fink family enjoys all of the outdoor activities Portage County has to offer and are avid Ohio State and Kent State fans.

Pete Grasso is a seasoned communications professional with a background in public relations and marketing. He spent most of his career in B2B, both as a trade media editor and as a public relations practitioner. He is an experienced writer and storyteller who knows how to connect with audiences. Though his transition to a plant-based lifestyle in 2011 was a way to be healthier, kindness and compassion toward animals has become a welcome side effect and something about which Pete is passionate. He and his wife April reside outside Atlanta with their rescue dog, Stella.

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.

Jennie Highfield has nearly 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Highfield is currently the President and CEO of National First Ladies’ Library (NFLL), the founding organization of First Ladies National Historic Site. National First Ladies’ Library seeks to be the foremost repository of scholarly research and information and a leader in education about the First Ladies of the USA. Before joining NFLL, Highfield worked in numerous roles within arts and culture organizations. She started with roles in exhibits and archival research, then worked in fund development, marketing and communication, and public programs. 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.

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.