We have a small, amazing team here at Herd & Flock who work passionately (and sometimes a bit sleepily too) making sure our organization fulfills its mission, our animal friends enjoy a high quality of life, and the community has the support needed to help neglected, abused and unwanted animals.
Board of Directors
Lisa Franzetta, Board Member
Lisa is a lifelong animal lover whose dedication to animal rights and advocacy began when she refused to dissect a frog in her high school biology class. She has been vegan for the animals since 1999 and has worked leading outreach and fundraising campaigns for local, national, and international animal protection organizations for more than 20 years. A doctor of acupuncture and integrative medicine, she is the founder of Griffin Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine in Oakland, California and enjoys providing holistic support to both human and animal patients. She lives in Oakland with her partner and their spoiled rescue cats.
Salena Copeland, Board Member
Salena joined the board of Herd and Flock in 2023. She brings both her decades-long commitment to veganism and animal rights and her governance experience as an executive director for a California legal nonprofit. Salena grew up in semi-rural Texas and has family who ran chicken farms, so she understood at a young age how animals are raised for meat and knows how factory farming at such a large scale means countless animals suffer.
Salena is definitely a cat person and has rescued and kept seven cats over the last 20 years (including the same five for nearly 20 years), but her family now has a dog, Elsie, rescued from the Milo Foundation. She's a member of a vegan weightlifting group and spends a lot of time talking about fitness and veganism with the group. Her children have been raised vegan and are a great reminder that it's a daily choice to be vegan and act with kindness to all animals - not just the ones in our house.
Erika Hazel is the Bizerkeley Vegan, a vegan food blogger and expert who works to uplift amazing vegan food that is meat eater-approved. She has been hosting philanthropy-based events since she was 8 years old and "party" is basically her middle name. She loves throwing gatherings with people in the community around plant-based foods to debunk the myth that vegan food is grass. She currently run the Bay Area's largest vegan food festival, The Bizerkeley Food Festival. She says, "I was inspired to go vegan after learning about the treatment of animals on factory farms. It's changed my life for the better in so many ways, from improved sleep to better overall health."
Meghan Dibble, Founder and Sanctuary Director
Meghan founded Herd & Flock with her wife, Katie, in 2019 to help bring awareness to the neglect and abuse of factory farming. While she did not have much lifelong experience caring for farm animals, she has received wonderful support from Farm Sanctuary, Open Sanctuary Project and too many sanctuaries and rescues to count along the west coast of the US.
For her job-job, Meghan currently teaches singing and piano online and is on the music faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as at Skyline College in San Bruno. You can find her singing around town from time to time.
Katie Dwight, Founder and Financial Director
Katie’s dream of living in the country started in 2014 when she told Meghan she wanted to “get 10 acres and put a cow on it.” After 5 years of light searching, she found the perfect spot in Vacaville, CA; a 60-acre ranch that was already a farm animal sanctuary. With 80 permanent residents and hundreds of fosters, Herd & Flock is actively working with rescue groups, other sanctuaries, and the community to help as many animals as possible.
For her job-job, Katie has 15 years experience practicing immigration law and vacating convictions for immigrants with criminal convictions. She spent many years as a member of the public attorney panel for the Sixth District Court of Appeal, handling appeals for criminal defendants who cannot afford to hire attorneys for themselves.
Brian Skipworth, Advisory Board Member
Brian began helping Herd and Flock with their website in 2022. He had been managing software development teams for many years and seeking opportunities to volunteer his skills for important causes.
Brian grew up in a house full of animals; dogs, cats, rodents, lizards, snakes, and fish. He also loved exploring the century-old former dairy farm where his aunt and uncle raised honey bees. Brian lives with a pair of cats adopted from Stray Cat Alliance, who take turns curling up in his lap while he works.
Aleli Samson, Board Member
Jake Wilson, Board Member
Jake is a financial professional spanning many industries such as aviation, auto finance, higher education, farmed animal welfare, and environmental conservation. He has been vegan since 2021 and can regularly be found volunteering his time helping rescued farmed animals and working towards a cruelty-free future.
Forest McClymonds, Board Member
Vegan for over 13 years, Forest is a photographer and videographer whose art's main focus is animal liberation. They are incredibly passionate about the farmed animal sanctuary movement’s role within the pursuit of collective liberation, both working and volunteering over the years at various sanctuaries as a caregiver, visual storyteller, and humane educator. Forest volunteered at Herd & Flock while living in San Francisco a few years ago and is extremely excited to support the organization's mission as a Board member. When not behind the camera, Forest can be found backpacking, hiking, making pottery, and spending time with their foster pit bull(s).
{Pictured with Forest is Greg the steer.}
Staff
Moneek Arzaga, Animal Care Manager
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
Bantam Chickens have never failed to surprise me. How can they fit so many essential organs and still lay an egg in their teeny bodies ??!
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I majored in Animal Science at UCDavis and was looking for a job with animal care experience. Little did I know, I have that and more medical care experience than I ever expected to garner!
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
My dog, Callie. She knows she can rely on me for anything and is not afraid to be sassy with it. She has taught me patience, self-regulation, quick thinking, and consistency.
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
Goats, sheep, and cows are just big dogs. Chickens make great household pets. All animals have feelings, motives, and a will to live!
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?
When I walk through the pasture, Olivia the Farm Pig greets me with the most enthusiastic grunts, asking for head pats and belly rubs.
Taylor Patterson, Associate Animal Care Manager
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
My best friend tortilla surprised me with how he interacted with me, I really had no interest in pigeons but he changed my view of this species. Also, I've never worked with farm animals before so I had no clue that goats were so playful! So I was surprised to see their expressive nature.
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I had no clue where life was going to take me but I've always wanted to experience what it was like to manage a farm. Animals in general have always fascinated me so when an opportunity to work at an animal sanctuary arose I was quick to take that chance.
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
The most meaningful animal in my life has to be my first dog, Bronx. I feel like we had a bond that I've never experienced since.
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
Something I wish more people understood is how sensitive and how insightful different animals can be. They have heart, and plenty personality. More personality than some people haha.
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?
Being able just to spread love to the animals by making sure they're set for the day means the most to me. Securing their peace and happiness makes my day full.
Ashley Cabrera, Animal Caregiver
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
Yes! I was impressed by Colson Rooster's leadership! Always took good care of his girls and even protected me from the other roosters when they would sneak up on me.
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I always knew I wanted to work with animals, and in the past, I've worked in facilities where animals had to “work” or were used for a purpose. I always wanted to work at a sanctuary where they could just enjoy life and this place does just that for them.
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
My most meaningful companion without a doubt has been my dog, Louie. From the day my family found him they knew he was perfect for me. He helped me heal from the heartbreak of losing all my previous dogs and is absolutely the best boy (he even lived in my dorm room with me in college).
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
I wish people understood how intelligent farm animals are and how each species is special. They all have feelings and strong emotions. They have best friends and build strong bonds with one another. I wish more people could experience what animal caretakers do to understand them deeply.
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?
Before he passed I would call out to Colson the Rooster as soon as I arrived every shift, and he would come over and stare at me. Now I have a similar experience with Peets the Rooster. When I walk into his enclosure he starts quickly pacing left to right, and I've learned to point out where I'll clean since he has to stand near or even on top of the spot to pace and stare at me.
Izzy Jefferson, Animal Caregiver
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
I think it surprised me how social and emotionally aware the cows are. Seeing how often Rocky and Finn checked on Han was real heart warming and cool to see
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I watched Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron as a little kid and it is still my favorite movie today as an adult. I started really loving horses and that love expanded into farm life and farmed animals
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
As far as the animal sanctuary goes I can't pick one. They are all meaningful in different ways in seeing how each species experiences the world in their own way and each individual animals has recognizable mannerisms
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
I think the fact that each one’s got a story you can learn from good or bad
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?Thursday, February 19th
The people. As someone who struggles really badly with anxiety I haven't always felt like a part of anything and a lot of times people would forget I even existed. Everyone at Herd and Flock is real nice and easy people to talk to. They made me feel like a part of their family almost instantly and always seem grateful for everything and everyone they have.
Walker Johnson, Animal Caregiver
Allan Solorio, Animal Caregiver
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
Yes, the cows being so social and warm towards other people surprised me as I had not seen that before.
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I was raised in a farm environment and moving into the city pushed me away from that environment. Once seeing the position available I knew it was an opportunity to get back into it.
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
The most meaningful companion I’ve made has been here with our cow Rocky. He changed the way I saw the animals.
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
I wish more people understood that these animals have more feelings than what we think, their emotions are as complex as ours.
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?
Seeing Meg or Snowflake running towards me as I walk into the pasture makes my day every time.
Lynn Wang, Animal Caregiver
• Was there a species or individual animal who surprised you when you started working here? How?
They've all been equally surprising!
• What first drew you to working with farmed animals or at an animal sanctuary? Was there a particular experience that shaped your path?
I used to say I loved animals and traveling the world, but my actions didn’t reflect that. I ate meat and ignored the impact the meat, dairy, and egg industries have on animals and the environment. Going vegan and working at a farmed animal sanctuary changed that, and is a constant affirmation of living in alignment with my values.
• Who has been one of the most meaningful animal companions in your life, and why?
My rescue pup Roxy--adopt don't shop! She taught me resiliency and that love is unconditional.
• What is something you wish more people understood about farmed animals?
We've been conditioned at a young age to dissociate from the pain and suffering of those labeled as "other", starting with animals. Yet we have far more in common with farmed animals than the billionaires/ruling class that control our lives.
• What is a small, everyday moment here that brings you joy at Herd & Flock?
Learning from and building relationships with our animals.
That's all the people - now meet the animals!