OUR TEAM

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Agaphen (they/he) has been a library page, an organic vegetable farmer, and metal fabricator building custom wheelchairs for animals. They wanted to work with animals their entire life, even trying to be a dairy farmer in order to have cow friends (which obviously did not work out). After becoming vegan in 2017, he found his calling in being a caregiver for rescued and formerly farmed animals in sanctuary. Agaphen strives to make the world more accessible, compassionate, and creative for everyone. They are a liberationist, disability advocate, dancer, Trekkie, and sassy sidekick to their companions, a disabled bulldog and house chicken, who are the real main characters of the family.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Ally became a caregiver at Woodstock Sanctuary after interning for one year and falling in love with the rescued residents and the Sanctuary’s work. Forming a stronger connection to the animals here pushed Ally in a stronger direction with her advocacy. Ally’s partial to the chickens and never passes on some hen cuddles when she has a break in her days. When she’s not busy taking care of nearly 400 rescued animal residents, Ally enjoys baking and spending time with her two cats and hen companion, all three of whom were adopted from Woodstock.

FINANCE + ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Amie, who was born and raised here in the Hudson Valley, has over 20 years of accounting and management experience, as well as experience in nonprofit healthcare industries. Her heart is for the animals—at Amie’s house, two cats and two dogs live happily with her, her husband, and four children. Amie finally feels at home at Woodstock Sanctuary now that her job functions serve a larger purpose and meet her level of compassion for all animals. When Amie isn’t keeping all the Sanctuary’s finances on track, she likes to spend time with her children and can be found near an ocean.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Amy, who has been vegan since 1999, has always loved animals and originally wanted to be a vet as a child. She has a degree in art and art history, but after a decade career in the art world, left that to take an internship at a farm animal sanctuary. During this time she realized this work aligned with her values as an ethical vegan. After spending nearly eight years at Farm Sanctuary, Amy joined Woodstock Farm Sanctuary’s animal caregiving team. When not caring for the rescued residents, Amy spends her time with two rescued chihuahua mixes and a senior rescued cat.

EDUCATION MANAGER

Anna has loved animals since early childhood and was lucky to have had opportunities to meet farmed animals and learn about animal and environmental advocacy from a young age. Anna holds an MS in Anthrozoology from Canisius College, where she primarily focused her studies on sanctuary regulation, public policy, and animal ethics. She loves helping people question their assumptions about veganism and think more deeply about their relationships with other species. In her free time, she enjoys experimental vegan baking (and eating), road trips, and puzzles.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

From a young age, Annastasia always questioned where her food came from, leading her to become vegan as a teenager. While spending two years as a regular volunteer, she fell in love with Woodstock and the residents and knew caring for rescued farmed animals is what she wanted to dedicate her life to. When not at the Sanctuary, Annastasia loves to cook meals for the food insecure people in her community and works toward making vegan food more accessible to all. Annastasia lives with her two companion cats, one companion chicken, and 50 houseplants.

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Christine always loved animals and as a teenager began to question the food she was eating. After researching animal agriculture and determining that ethical veganism was the only way to go, she went vegan in 2009. A few years later, Christine decided to pursue farmed animal protection full time. She became an intern at Farm Sanctuary where she got her first experience working with farmed animals. Christine eventually joined the Development team at Animal Equality and discovered a passion for non-profit fundraising. Always a sanctuary person at heart, Christine moved back to the east coast in hopes of bringing her skills to a sanctuary and found Woodstock. In her free time, Christine can most likely be found reading and hanging out at local independent bookstores.

SHELTER MANAGER

As a Licensed Veterinary Technician, Diana has always had a special connection with animals from an early age. In 2004 she pursued her passion by starting her career in the veterinary field that included a lot of rescue work. Once Diana learned the truth about animal agriculture, she became vegan in 2014. After visiting Woodstock in 2015 for the first time, Diana immediately knew that everything they stood for aligned with her morals and that this is where she wanted to work. By 2018 she got accepted into the Animal Caregiving Internship Program with the intent to hopefully get a job here, and shortly after starting her internship, an Animal Caregiving position opened and was offered to her. Diana is now the Shelter Manager and oversees the Volunteer and Internship program, and loves working with a team that shares the same love and compassion for all living beings.

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Hannah’s life has always revolved around her love of animals. She began to question her food choices young after learning about animal agriculture and its environmental impact. This led her to vegetarianism, followed by veganism. Admiration of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary led Hannah to become a more active voice for farmed animals. She is so thrilled to have found a team and community that share her values. She can be found drawing in her studio, exploring the Hudson Valley with her husband and four dogs, watching horror movies, teaching yoga, and chilling with her best friend, Albie the goat.

SHELTER DIRECTOR

Hervé has been vegan since 2001 and fighting for animal rights both in France and the United States since 2007. Before moving to New York to join our team as an animal caregiver, he did undercover investigations and was the Campaign Manager for the French animal rights organization L214, which now he sits on the board of. He was hired at Woodstock Sanctuary in 2012 and has had several roles: Animal Caregiver, Humane Educator, Outreach Coordinator. He became the Shelter Director in 2018. His love for animals is fulfilled by the hands-on time he spends tending to our residents, observing and understanding their behavior, researching and working with vets and prosthetists to create and implement the best care and treatment protocols, and overseeing our team of caregivers.

IT SYSTEMS MANAGER

Jasen is a long-time animal lover and dedicated vegan. Along with his many talents that keep Woodstock Sanctuary running smoothly, he offers a strong background in technology and retail. Whether it be helping out the office team with IT support or running the Sanctuary Store, Jasen enjoys continually refining the digital pathways that keep the Sanctuary and animal residents so well connected with our friends and supporters from all over the world. When he’s not working at his desk, Jasen can be found playing with River the sheep in his pasture or tending to our on-site shop for weekend visitors.

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Jenny visited a farmed animal sanctuary for the first time in 2017 and has been vegan ever since. She began her relationship with Woodstock Farm Sanctuary as a supporter and was thrilled to align her passion for social justice and animal rights movements with her professional skillset as a full-time staff member. She loves connecting with the Sanctuary's community of supporters and is inspired by their dedication to the residents who call the Sanctuary home. Before her time at Woodstock, Jenny spent nine years working in New York City in marketing and consulting. Outside of work hours, Jenny can be found giving chin scratches in the goat and sheep barn, chit-chatting with Loren the turkey, dog sitting, or enjoying the Hudson Valley’s beautiful walking trails.

MARKETING COORDINATOR

From a young age, Kat always felt a strong connection to animals. After questioning animal agriculture for years, they strived to learn more through literature and many documentaries. It wasn’t until watching Earthlings, in 2014, that they made the choice to go vegan. Kat always had a strong interest and passion for Woodstock Sanctuary’s work. After being a member for a few years, they decided to pursue a position with the Sanctuary in marketing. Kat is truly happy to be working with an organization that they align with, while being able to utilize their creative background. Kat is an active freelance illustrator and graphic designer with a degree in Fine Art. On their days off, they can be found working on a new drawing or playing with their rescued dog, Ginger.

VETERINARIAN

Lindsay has always had a passion for working with animals. After earning a BS in biology she worked various “odd jobs” before attending veterinary school in 2008. She works primarily in companion animal private practice, but wanted to be involved with helping rescued farmed animals as well. Woodstock Farm Sanctuary was the place that inspired her commitment to living vegan in 2015 so was the perfect place to start. When not working, Lindsay is with her children, Avery and Julian and keeps involved activism. She loves being out in nature and road trips. She has a keen interest in holistic medicine, wellness care, nutrition, alternative therapies and is also building a health coaching business.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Since she was young Madilyn knew she wanted a job where she could help animals. While she had thought she wanted to attend graduate school to become a veterinarian, she ultimately decided it was not the best choice for her. After spending a summer interning at Farm Sanctuary she realized being an Animal Caregiver at a sanctuary would be a perfect fit. Soon after graduating from the University of Connecticut, Madilyn joined the care staff here at Woodstock.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Olivia's commitment to animals has been lifelong, deciding to become a vegetarian as a child and transitioning to veganism at age 20. After nearly a decade-long career in photography and filmmaking, she felt a calling for change. An internship at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary turned her world upside down, leading her to return a year later as a caregiver. Beyond the sanctuary, she still freelances as a photographer and video editor, teaches English as a certified TESOL tutor, and enjoys cooking, being in nature, and studying languages. Veganism isn't just a diet for Olivia; it's a profound joy. Connecting with and impacting the lives of rescued animals fills Olivia with purpose, and she couldn’t imagine her life any other way.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rachel has been the Executive Director at Woodstock Sanctuary since 2017 and on the team since 2014. Prior to that she was with Best Friends Animal Society and the Pennsylvania SPCA working in marketing and fundraising. Before her nonprofit career, she was a journalist. Rachel has been an animal rights activist since she was a child—participating in rodeo and circus protests and wildlife advocacy from the age of 10 on—and a dedicated vegan since 2005. Rachel speaks and writes on the subjects of animal rights, radical ecology, and farmed animal activism. She also is a nonprofitand strategic planning consultant. She lives near the Sanctuary with her partner, rescued elder dogs, and rescued doves.

HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR

Rena graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor of science in nutrition. During her time there, she struggled as a vegan attending a school that was renown for their animal agriculture programs. It felt as though no one related to her passion for animal rights and eating plant-based. She therefore interned at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in 2018 to meet like-minded people, and fell in love. Getting to live on site with innocent, rescued animals kept her spirit alive. She always looked back on that summer, and couldn't wait to come back. After working at an all-vegan bakery for a few years after graduation, she packed her bags to move from Michigan to New York and became the Hospitality Coordinator for The Gray Barn.

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDNATOR

Riki Higgins earned their Masters in Special Education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, but kept working animal rights actions into their free time. Riki volunteered at sanctuaries in TN and founded the Knoxville chapter of the Save Movement, leading vigils at pig slaughterhouses in the area. After deciding to leave the teaching world to work in the sanctuary world, Riki did caregiving work at Full Circle Farm Sanctuary in Georgia, eventually taking on their social media, running the volunteer program, and then the tour program. A few years later, Riki is excited about returning to NY and joining the Woodstock team. A decade long vegan, Riki believes that facilitating the formation of personal relationships between humans and formerly farmed animals is a major key to collective liberation, and tries to encourage connection in as many ways as possible between our species and others. Riki’s loves to hang out with turkeys, and one day they plan to get full sleeve tattoos of all the turkeys they’ve ever known.

ANIMAL CAREGIVER

Rosie always knew she wanted to work with animals since she was a kid. She originally went to the University of New Haven for Marine Biology right after high school, but then ended up taking some time off to figure out what she truly wanted to do with her life. She then joined the vet tech program at SUNY Ulster, which felt like the perfect fit. While in vet tech school, she visited Woodstock Farm Sanctuary and fell in love, knowing she wanted to work with large animals and do so at this sanctuary. Rose joined the team in 2019 after graduating from the vet tech program, and is currently working on getting licensed. Her favorite rescued resident is Benny the goat.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Sean went vegan in 2014 and knew he wanted to work with farmed animals shortly after. He came to Woodstock Sanctuary in December of 2019 and interned for six months gaining experience in animal care and learning more about the residents who lived at the Sanctuary. It wasn’t long before he was offered a full-time position as Volunteer Coordinator. You’ll often find Sean on his tractor, helping the care team any way he can to make sure the animals are happy. You most likely have met Sean during a volunteer shift. On his days off he likes to hang out with his dog K-PAX.

SHELTER ASSISTANT

Sofia has always loved and wanted to work with animals. As an animal loving child, she quit eating meat at 11 years old. Then within her first semester of getting her environmental studies degree back in 2015, she learned about the horrors of animal agriculture in detail and went fully vegan. She spent years pet sitting and doing volunteer work at a few animal shelters/rescue facilities before coming to volunteer at Woodstock Sanctuary and falling in love with the place. Back at home she lives with her kitty Morticia, which she got at the animal shelter she formerly volunteered at, and has a pond of four goldfish and two koi.