Who We Are

• Meet our Board
• Meet our Program Services Coordinator
• Meet our Advisory Council

Board of Directors

Maya Gupta, MS, PhD
President

Dr. Gupta holds a BA from Columbia University and an MS and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia, where her research focused on applying information about the connections between animal abuse and domestic violence to enhance typologies of domestic violence perpetration. She is the author of several publications on animal abuse and domestic violence, and is a frequent invited speaker on this topic both locally and nationally. Her clinical experience includes work with both adult and child victims of violence, as well as with perpetrators. Dr. Gupta serves on the Animal Cruelty Advisory Council of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, as Chair-Elect of the American Psychological Association's Section on Animal/Human Interaction: Research and Practice, on the steering committee for the National Link Coalition, and on the Advisory Board of the California organization Not Without My Pet. She previously served on the National Network to End Domestic Violence's Working Group on Efforts to Address the Link Between Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Animal Abuse; on the National District Attorneys Association's Advisory Group on Animal Cruelty and Fighting; and as advisor to the Animals and Society Institute's AniCare Child Evaluation Study. Prior to joining the board of Ahimsa House, Dr. Gupta founded the Magi-Cat Adoption Network animal shelter in Athens, Georgia, and was involved in the rehabilitation and retraining of Thoroughbred racehorses.

Rachel Knowles
Secretary
Ms. Knowles is an accountant with Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP. Previously, she worked as an accountant at Deloitte Tax LLP. She received both her Bachelor's degree in Accounting and her Master's degree in Taxation from Georgia State University. She enjoys volunteering with the Homeless Pets Foundation, where she helps with weekend adoptions and fostering homeless animals. She has a general interest in non-profit organizations and a passion for helping the victims of domestic violence, both humans and animals.

Regina Dougherty, CPA
Treasurer
Ms. Dougherty is the President of James Wilson Consulting, Inc., and currently works for a Fortune 500 public company.  She has Big 4 public accounting audit experience. She is a member of the GSCPA (Georgia Society of CPAs) and the current Chair of the Young CPA Section.

Carole Baker
Ms. Baker is a community volunteer. She previously held the positions of National Executive Director of Zero Population Growth, National Field Services Director of the ALS Association, and Subsidiary PR Director of American Medical International. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for Noah's Ark Animal Rescue and Adoption Center.

Lisa R. Bugni, Esq.
Ms. Bugni is an associate at Alston and Bird, LLP, in the firm's Securities Litigation Group.

Christy Cardina
Ms. Cardina is currently the Director of Training for the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV), and previously coordinated GCADV's Legal Assistance to Victims Project. She has worked as an advocate and educator in the fields of domestic violence and sexual assault since 1996. Before coming to GCADV, she worked as Director of Education for the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center, and as an outreach advocate and educator with a domestic violence center in Evansville, Indiana.

Cheri Fulginiti
Vice-President Engineering, U.P.S.

Tiffany Hoffine, CPA
Ms. Hoffine is the owner of The Sundance Company. She is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA), the Junior League of Atlanta, and the Board of Directors Network (BDN).

 Morieka Johnson
Ms. Johnson developed her passion for helping people and pets during her seven years as a journalist with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. To promote humane education and responsible dog ownership, Morieka volunteers with Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends, Rescue Me! Animal Project and the Anti-Dogfighting campaign sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States. She is a Director of Communications with Atlanta Public Schools in addition to writing an advice column for Mother Nature Network (MNN.com) and pet news updates on Twitter at @soulpup.

Cheryl B. Legare, Esq.
Associate, Buckley & Klein LLP

Ana Lenoir
Ms. Lenoir is a Senior Associate with KPMG LLP’s Advisory practice. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Ana enjoys giving back to the community and helping those less fortunate. She is a member of KPMG’s Involve Committee that coordinates volunteer events and has always been involved with non-profit organizations. She has a passion for rescuing animals, and is dedicated to making a better life for not only human victims, but also animal victims whose voice cannot be heard.

Joanna Pera
Graduating with a BA in psychology from Florida Atlantic University, Ms. Pera has made working to improve the health of people and animals a lifelong passion. With a background in senior health, veterinary and small business consulting, she has spent decades donating her time to causes that help humans and animals live happier, healthier lives. Her charitable work includes helping at-risk and special needs youths in programs such as JASP: Juvenile Action Service Program and literacy tutoring in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, inner-city schools, as well as volunteering at the YMCA as a swimming teacher for disabled children. Ms. Pera was heavily involved in Katrina relief efforts, including the Adopt-a-Katrina-Family program and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown, MS. She was also a board member of the Hug Fund, which provides grants to people who have experienced a catastrophic event. She has been a crisis line volunteer for Partnership Against Domestic Violence in Atlanta and has donated her time to the Easter Seals Treatment Center in Rockville, MD. Ms. Pera is the Divisional Director of Business Development for Heartland Home Health and Hospice and does marketing consulting via her own company, Powered By Pera Consulting. She shares her home and her life with her five dogs and three cats in Atlanta.

Melissa Woodhead
Ms. Woodhead is the owner and general manager of Kelsey's Dog House. Previously, she owned and managed a veterinary hospital for 7 years. She received both her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and her DVM degree from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys teaching Life Skill Classes and helping with the children at Forsyth Family Haven Women’s Shelter. As a domestic violence survivor, she has a passion for helping children, pets and families of domestic violence.

Program Services Coordinator

Myra Rasnick
Ms. Rasnick received her bachelor's degree in Psychology at James Madison University with a concentration in Women's Studies. While completing her degree, she began volunteering on the crisis line at Citizens Against Sexual Assault (The Collins Center), where she was later employed as the Program Assistant. Upon graduation she relocated to the metro Atlanta area, where she worked as the Advocacy Coordinator for the Gwinnett Sexual Assault & Children's Advocacy Center for almost 5 years. In her current position at Ahimsa House, Ms. Rasnick manages the crisis line and provides assistance to victims of domestic violence seeking shelter for their pets. She also coordinates Ahimsa House's foster home program, in addition to developing Ahimsa House's relationships with domestic violence shelters, veterinary clinics, and boarding facilities throughout Georgia. Ms. Rasnick is dedicated to working to assist victims and end violence against women. She has extensive volunteer experience, including facilitating a children's support group at a local domestic violence shelter, acting as a mentor and tutor for developmentally delayed children, and providing assistance to the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault. She is also an avid animal lover and has one dog, Libby, whom she rescued from a local animal shelter.

Advisory Council

David Bressman, DVM
Owner, Lenox Pet Hospital

Joey Brooks
Animal Cruelty Investigator, Gwinnett County

Emily Christie
Founder, Ahimsa House
Ms. Christie founded Ahimsa House as a result of personal tragedy. After years of dreaming and planning, Ahimsa House finally became a reality in 2004. Ms. Christie is a graduate of Goddard College where she majored in social justice, religion, and psychology.

Christine Cox, Esq.
Attorney

Laura Janssen, Esq.
Senior Assistant District Attorney, Fulton County, Georgia

Shawn Ellen LaGrua, Esq.
Inspector General, Office of Secretary of State Karen Handel

Melinda Merck, DVM
Senior Director of Veterinary Forensics
Anti-Cruelty Initiatives, ASPCA

Aline Jesus Rafi, MA
Ms. Rafi is the Coordinator of Sexual Assault Prevention Education and Response
at Emory University. For the past 7 years, she has worked as an advocate, educator, volunteer, and board member in the field of violence prevention. From 2003 to 2006, she served as both the Director of Multicultural Outreach and Prevention and as Victim Services Coordinator at the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center in Decatur, Georgia. Ms. Rafi holds a Bachelor of Arts (1999) and Master of Arts in Psychology (2002) from the University of West Georgia. She is very involved in the field of sexual assault prevention and advocacy, and in addition to her work with Ahimsa House, she currently serves on the board of Arte Sana, a nonprofit agency for underserved survivors of gender and racial violence that promotes healing and empowerment through the arts and community education. During the past few years Ms. Rafi has also volunteered and collaborated with several local organizations, such the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault, Tapestri, Inc, Raksha, Inc., International Women's House, Caminar Latino, Inc, and Refugee Family Services, among others. In addition, she has been a frequent speaker at conferences nationwide on issues related to sexual violence and social justice.

Merrie Rennard, LMSW
Ph.D. Fellow, Veterinary Social Work Program, University of Tennessee

Kelly Trogdon, DVM
Owner, Faithful Friend Mobile Veterinary Clinic

Stephen Walker
Owner, S. R. Walker Designs