2010 Board of Directors and Staff Members

Joan Giampaolo, President
Joan’s background in finance includes 10+ years experience in financial planning, 13 years as a financial analyst for GE including the financial management program. She holds a B.S. degree in Finance from SJSU and previously served on the WCSV board as Treasurer and bookkeeper. Her interests for the Wildlife Center are fundraising and financial planning to ensure long term sustainability. Joan has a love for animals and the environment.

Jon Neumann, Vice President
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jon has loved animals his entire life. While attending law school at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon served as the President of the Boalt Hall Animal Law Society. Jon works as an attorney for the United States Treasury Department and has been involved with the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley since spring of 2006.

Janet Alexander Thompson, Secretary
Janet has worked in the nonprofit animal care industry for the last two decades. Prior to opening her own pet grooming business in 2007 Janet served as the Director of Operations for the WCSV for six years, overseeing all aspects of the organization from fundraising to public relations, helping it grow into a self-sustaining organization. A founding member of WCSV, she previously served on the Board of Directors for several years before becoming a staff member in 2002. Janet has been a member of the San Jose Animal Advisory Committee for four years and served on the Santa Clara County Animal Advisory Commission for two terms, providing guidance and consultation to our elected city and county officials. Janet’s focus will be on special events and fundraising.

Larry Stites, Treasurer
Before becoming a director, Larry initially began serving the Board as a financial advisor in 2006. He has more than 30 years of experience as a public accountant and financial executive and, most recently, as a financial consultant to entrepreneurial, privately-held and start-up companies in a wide range of industries. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, a BA from Knox College, Galesburg, IL and is a CPA.

An Lu, Director
An is proud to join the board at WCSV and brings her finance, marketing, and non-profit management background to the existing talent in the organization. An was the Communications and Public Affairs Director for San Jose City Councilmember Forrest Williams. Prior to that, she was the executive director of Tapestry Arts, a non-profit arts education provider in San Jose. Her interests for the Wildlife Center are fundraising, governance and strategic planning. She holds a degree in Mass Communications, with an emphasis in Business Administration, from UC Berkeley.

Sophie Duckett, Director
Sophie has been a volunteer at the wildlife Center since 1988. When not raising orphan deer, Sophie and her husband Steve managed several companies in Silicon Valley. Prior to that, Sophie managed computer centers for Nasa and private corporations. Her volunteer activities have ranged from soup kitchen cook to fundraiser for a fish hatchery.

Bill Paker, Director
In May 2000, Bill retired from a business career after completing 32 years of manufacturing accounting in the high-tech industry. One week later he joined WCSV as a volunteer, and in November 2000 he was promoted to Animal Care Supervisor. In addition to animal care, Bill has coordinated the facilities maintenance/building activities at the Center for the past seven years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree and an MBA from Santa Clara University. When he is not examining animals or building enclosures he tries to keep up with his five daughters and eight grandchildren.

Mac Makhni, Director
Mac is excited to join the board and fulfill a lifelong passion for helping animals. He has 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and senior management and is currently part of the management team at a dynamic technology start-up. Mac is looking forward to working on corporate fundraising, community outreach and strategic planning for the Wildlife Center. He holds an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a BSEE from Punjab Engineering College, India.

Staff

Stephanie Ellis, Director of Animal Care
We are pleased to have Stephanie Ellis on board as the Director of Animal Care for the Center. Stephanie graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston with a B.A. in Psychology and BioBehavior and a focus in Ornithology; she also has an Associate’s Degree in Business Management. Most recently, she worked as the Outreach and Programs Coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Prior to that, she worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary as seasonal ornithologist offering a variety of workshops, birding trips, and educational classes. Stephanie has always held a passion for the conservation of wildlife through rehabilitation, outreach, and education and holds a special affinity for birds; she is currently on the Board of Directors for the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. We are delighted to have her lead our Animal Care staff.

Ashley Kinney, Assistant Director of Animal Care
WCSV is pleased to add an Animal Care Assistant to our roster of staff members. This is currently a part-time seasonal position with the hope that it will grow to a year-round one as finances allow. We welcome volunteer Ashley Kinney as our newest staff member. Ashley has been a WCSV volunteer since 2002, providing hands-on animal care and husbandry for patients at the Center. She has also gained animal care experience volunteering at Youth Science Institute at Alum Rock Park caring for non-releasable educational animals for the last several years. Ashley is currently enrolled in Foothill College’s Veterinary Technology program. We are delighted to have Ashley join our animal care staff.

Jennifer Constantin, Operations Coordinator
Jennifer is the Operations Coordinator, which encompasses administrative duties and coordinating all volunteers at WCSV. She comes to us with a diverse background as an office manager, volunteer coordinator and a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology. As a graduate student, Jennifer helped care for four captive chimpanzees who use American Sign Language, and frequently gave presentations to the public concerning the chimpanzee plight. Jennifer has always been passionate about animals and conservation, and is very excited to be with WCSV!