Our Board of Directors protects Heartland Animal Shelter’s mission.

The Heartland Animal Shelter Board of Directors is comprised of nine members, including our Executive Director, and is vested with the full power to promote Heartland’s welfare. The Board is elected annually by voting members including active volunteers and employees. The Board meets regularly to discuss the concerns, direction, and management of Heartland’s affairs.

Current Board Members:

Paige Anderson (Secretary) is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from HRCI.org with over 25 years of experience. She earned her BA in Human Resources and Psychology from Michigan State University. Her passion for animals began with her pet rabbit Jellybean, followed by her first adopted rescue dog, Spartan. Paige joined Heartland’s board in 2023 and has since welcomed two Heartland dogs into her family: Esme and Clark (formerly known as Smooch).

Alisa Brill (Director) is a CPA with over 30 years of experience in financial and operational leadership. She has led the accounting and operations areas at non-profits including The Chicago Lighthouse and PAWS Chicago. She received her Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and resides in Glenview, Illinois with her two rescue Frenchies, Louie and Latke. Alisa started volunteering at Heartland Animal Shelter in 2013 where she and her daughter Alexis were large dog walkers. Her daughter’s experience with Heartland led her to become a veterinarian! Alisa adopted long-term resident Papa Bear in 2017 and he lived out his best life with her. While not working or volunteering, you will most definitely find her at a concert.

Tom Bohn (Treasurer) retired after working for 40 years as a Statistical Analyst/Accountant for Allstate Insurance Co. in the Home Office. He was also very active with the Mid-America Horse Show Association for 20 years, in managing American Saddlebred Horse Shows. He graduated from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin and resides in Glenview, Illinois. His interest in Heartland Animal Shelter stems from his lifelong passion for the humane treatment of animals, especially the homeless. He has been an active volunteer with Heartland since 2007, has served several terms as a board member, and has both a dog and granddog from Heartland.

Amy Downey (Director) is a CPA and CFP® and the founder of Downey Advisors, LLC, a company providing tax consulting and financial planning. Prior to founding Downey Advisors, she ran a multi-generational family office in suburban Chicago, and prior to that was with Ernst & Young Chicago. She received her BA in Economics and Managerial Studies from Rice University in 1993 and followed up with her Master of Accounting from Rice University in 1994. She has fostered cats and kittens for Heartland since 2018 (currently at 184 and counting) and joined the Heartland Board in 2021. Her love for animals dates back to growing up on a farm in North Central Illinois. She lives in Glenview with her husband, 2 daughters and 3 cats (2 from Heartland), and usually 2-3 fosters.

John Fairbairn (Director) is a retired mechanical engineer. He has been a volunteer at Heartland since 2014, walking dogs, driving the transport van, mentoring volunteers, and serving as Interim Director for six months in 2022.

Shawn Fitzgerald (Director) made an exciting career shift in 2024 into nonprofit fundraising and began volunteering with Heartland, combining over 25 years of experience in process improvement, project management, HCM technology, talent acquisition, and change management. She now channels that expertise to help mission-driven organizations secure funding and support causes close to her heart—bringing a purpose-driven focus to every project and partnership. Shawn holds both a BA and MBA from Dominican University and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Her love for animal rights and welfare started early, when she and her mom spent their spare time rescuing stray animals in Chicago. Outside of work, Shawn enjoys baking, hiking, and spending time with her family. She and her husband live in the Chicago suburbs, where they’re proudly raising two very spoiled cats. She’s passionate about making a difference and is always eager to connect with others who share that same drive.

Scott Hargadon (Vice President) is a commercial real estate attorney with the Chicago law firm of Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle, where he heads the firm’s commercial leasing practice. He was previously a longtime board member and board chair of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. He joined the Heartland board in 2020 to advise the organization on real estate matters which culminated in the purchase and renovation of the new building. He also was a leader of the 2021-23 Major Gift Campaign which raised $1 Million for Heartland and was centrally involved in the rebuild of the shelter after the flood in June 2024. He has a special affinity for hounds because he and his wife have two coonhounds.

Andrew Kopon (Director) is an experienced civil defense trial attorney with Kopon LLC. He has over forty years experience representing not-for-profit organizations in the areas of education, employment law and healthcare. He joined the board in 2024 and is looking forward to advancing the mission of the Heartland Animal Shelter.

Deysi Rodriguez (Director) is a young professional passionate about animal welfare and community service, bringing both heart and positivity to new projects. She works in the Finance Department for the Village of Arlington Heights, where she contributes valuable experience in public finance and organizational accountability. Deysi has always had a deep love for animals and is a proud cat owner to Rocky, a spoiled only child. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lewis University and speaks both Spanish and English, helping her connect with people from diverse backgrounds. She’s an avid traveler and has recently visited Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Greece, and several U.S. cities, with El Salvador next on her list. She values staying involved in her community and supporting meaningful work wherever she can.

Teri Rossi (Director) has been a volunteer in the Heartland cat rooms since 2017 and is passionate about all animals and their welfare. She is a mentor to new volunteers , a cat adoption liaison and helps with transports. She was in the travel business for 30 years managing two offices and was also senior leader of a direct sales company for 15 years before going into Dementia and Alzheimer’s care and management. She is involved in many fundraising events, as well as volunteering with charities throughout the community. Teri and her husband (also a Heartland volunteer) are empty nesters (two boys) but live with the queen of the house, Rio, and their foster fail, Daisy.

Rick Schweiger (Director) has worked in Information Technology for over 25 years and is currently a VP of Technology at a SaaS company in Buffalo Grove. He graduated from the University of Tampa with a Masters of Science in Technology Innovation. Rick was introduced to Heartland through his wife, Mia, who is passionate about volunteering at Heartland and animal welfare in general. He is a dad to two adult children, one attending DePaul working toward her “PharmD” and one who works as an Animal Care Attendant (ACA) at Heartland with aspirations of one day launching his own animal sanctuary. Rick is also a pet parent to “the trio” – Brandy (Husky Mix), Lola (Border Collie Mix) and Milo (Lab Mix) who were all adopted from local shelters and immeasurably enrich his life and the life of his family.

C.J. Sultz (President) has been volunteering at Heartland as a dog walker for the past eight years, has served on the board since 2020, trains new dog walkers, and is an occasional foster mom. She resides in Glenview with her husband, has two adult daughters, and her family adopted the infamous “challenging chihuahua,” Dexter, from HAS. She received her M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and worked for 25 years in brand management, customer marketing, and business insights for Fortune 500 companies, but gets the most joy from applying her business skills to non-profit organizations. Through an organization called SHECAN, she also mentors two indigenous young women from Guatemala who are attending college in the United States.

Sharon Zuiker (Director) joined Baxter International in 2019 as an Associate General Counsel, after serving as an in-house counsel for Kraft Foods for almost 20 years. She received a BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and her law degree from Harvard Law School but always says she should have followed her love of animals and been a veterinarian. She first became involved with Heartland when her family adopted their dog, Socks, in 2015. In 2018, she started to volunteer as a dog walker and has also been a mentor to new volunteers, an adoption liaison and a dog foster. She is in her second stint on the Board after first serving from 2019-2021. Sharon and her husband are empty nesters and live in a house that is now too large for them in Glenview.