Liza is the proud owner of Maker+Stitch, a vibrant yarn shop that inspires creativity and connection in the community. Her passion for design, craftsmanship, and community engagement has fueled the success of her business, making it a welcoming space for makers of all levels.
Liza has served nonprofits for 35 years and has sat on numerous boards of directors. She brings her knowledge of nonprofit finance and also her love for animals to the board, playing a vital role in supporting the sanctuary’s mission. Her innovative ideas and commitment to excellent nonprofit management make her an invaluable asset to the sanctuary.
When she’s not at Maker+Stitch, Liza enjoys exploring the outdoors, working on creative projects, and spending time with her family and pets.
After 10 years marketing for Major League Baseball and the NHL, Felicia switched careers to work as an actor, mom, and philanthropist.
Her animal activism began when she started Grandpa Dave’s Creature Comforts with her two daughters in 2010. GDCC provides comfort items for NYC rescue and shelter animals via in-kind donations and actively fosters dogs for independent city shelters.
She is also an active board member of the Foundation for Education in Honduras, which rebuilds schools in the most rural areas of the country. When in the country, she makes it a point to teach children about respecting animals, especially the many stray dogs.
Shabnam is a global health educator, clinical exercise physiologist, and public speaker for health-based projects across the country.
With over a decade-long career in higher education as a professor of kinesiology, her commitment to community health has been widely acknowledged through her academic research efforts, where she has earned special recognition as a pioneer for free fitness programs for people in low-income communities.
Shabnam joined the Vkind team as their official spokesperson in 2022 and is the host of vKind Connects, where she interviews industry executives in the plant-based space and aims to connect them with conscious consumers.
Bio Coming Soon
Jamie Lynne is an animal rights activist who has done campaigns with PETA and Million Dollar Vegan, co-owner of Sugar Taco and The Plant Butcher restaurants, and host of the “Jamie All Over” podcast. Jamie resides in Southern California with her daughter, Ivy, and their two dogs, Batman and Harley Quinn.
She also founded the Plant-Based Food Relief Program in response to COVID-19 to help feed families, children, seniors, and the disabled population via Sugar Taco. (Fundraiser can be found on GoFundMe!)
She’s also incredibly passionate about Purina’s Purple Leash Project, which advocates for domestic abuse victims and their pets by creating more pet-friendly domestic violence shelters to help survivors and pets get to safety together.
Melissa is a dedicated advocate for animal welfare with over 12 years of experience living a plant-based lifestyle. Melissa is also a co-founder and executive recruiter at Chameleon Collective, specializing in helping eco-conscious brands build their teams.
Known as the “Recruiter Extraordinaire,” she goes beyond job descriptions to understand her clients’ goals and aspirations, helping them hire exceptional eCommerce and marketing professionals who can drive real change within their organizations. Her ultimate goal is to facilitate success for both businesses and individuals, often by connecting clients with candidates who possess the necessary capabilities, even if they may not seem like an obvious fit at first glance.
She has also been a volunteer for the Seed Food & Wine Festival, a plant-based festival in Miami, since its inception.
Sean is a seasoned content creator, author, and marketing consultant with over 26 years of professional experience. His career spans major media networks, including MTV, ABC, and NBC, as well as a tenure as District Webmaster for Broward County Public Schools. He has also worked with the Miami Marlins and currently serves as a Senior Producer with Lesaruss Media.
As the founder of SoFlo Vegans, the largest vegan community in the Southeastern United States, Sean has been instrumental in fostering connections within the plant-based movement. His work includes collaborations with over 250 vegan businesses, including PETA, Not Milk, and Hodo Foods. He has played a key role in organizing, promoting, and hosting more than 300 vegan events, such as the Seed Food and Wine Festival.
Sean also served as a Line Producer for Peeled, the first all-vegan cooking competition, further showcasing his expertise in media production. He holds a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies through eCornell, reinforcing his commitment to education and advocacy in the plant-based community.
Kim is currently the board secretary for Little Bear Sanctuary. She is also a well-seasoned, highly skilled, and dedicated executive administrative assistant with 30+ years of experience. She was raised and still resides in New York State’s Hudson Valley.
Her interests include spending time with friends and family, cooking, dining out, wine tasting, attending concerts, gardening, traveling, interior decorating, and home renovation/DIY projects.