Leadership

Sandee Ting Simshauser is a retired corporate securities attorney with over a decade of leadership non-profit board experience. A long-time member of the Hilda Club, Sandee joined the Board of Directors at Farm Sanctuary in 2020, and since then she has served in various positions including, Vice-Chair of the Board, Chair of the CEO Search Committee, Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee, and Secretary.

She holds leadership roles at several non-profits in the Boston area serving as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and Co-Chair of the Board of The Midas Collaborative. An alumna of Brown University, she has served as a past Co-Chair of the President’s Women’s Leadership Council and Chair of the Board and President of the Brown University Club of Boston. She recently became an Advisory Board member for GBH, the public media organization for PBS, NPR, and NOVA, and is a long-time member of the Corporation of The Winsor School in Boston.

Seven years ago, she became vegan at the encouragement of her daughters, and she has discovered a new passion for animal welfare. After living in California for 20 years, she and her husband relocated their family to the Boston area where they now reside in Newton, MA.

Sandee earned a dual BA degree with honors in Computer Science and English Literature from Brown University, and a JD from the University of California at Berkeley.

Robert Procaccianti is a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management with UBS. He creates and implements investment portfolios that avoid all forms of animal exploitation. Robert also serves as Ambassador to the UBS Global Visionaries program, which connects private investors to leading environmental and social entrepreneurs. He has been a member of Farm Sanctuary since 2017, and is a member of the Friends of Hilda Club and Legacy Society.

He previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Animal Rescue Rhode Island, a companion animal rescue organization. During his tenure, the organization experienced record-high adoption rates and became one of the first animal shelters in the United States to adopt the usage of certified cruelty-free cleaning products. In Rhode Island, he has been involved in legislative initiatives such as the Beagle Freedom Bill, elimination of chicken battery cages, prohibition of the use of live animals in medical training programs, and a sales ban of foie gras.

Robert graduated Magna Cum Laude from Stonehill College (MA) with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Robert is a resident of Narragansett, RI, where he lives with his rescue hound. He is also a boxing coach.

After working as a history teacher (in Brussels and Boston) and then as a newspaper editor, Sharon surprised friends and family by going to law school and becoming a tax attorney. She is a Partner at Casner & Edwards, LLP and enjoys the challenge and creativity of advising nonprofit organizations on a wide variety of strategic matters related to their tax-exempt status, governance, and operations. In addition, she assists clients in matters directly involving the Internal Revenue Service, including audits and even the occasional Tax Court case. Her clients range from small startup nonprofits to well-established charitable institutions.

Sharon graduated from Dartmouth College (summa cum laude) and from Harvard Law School (cum laude) and is licensed in both California and Massachusetts.

In 2017, Sharon made the transition from vegetarian to entirely plant based. It is a decision that has helped to instill in her a more profound appreciation of the miracle that is life on this beautiful blue planet. She is a New Englander currently transplanted in Northern California and enjoys the luxury of being able to go hiking all year long.

Arne Emerson is a Partner at Morphosis Architects in Los Angeles. Founded in 1972, Morphosis is a renowned global architecture and design firm that creates compelling work that is intelligent, pragmatic, and powerful. As one of four partners, Arne oversees the leadership and design at Morphosis. In addition to his professional work, he is a dedicated educator, guest critic, and lecturer.

Arne has served as a board member of Farm Sanctuary since December 2023, and is a committed animal rights activist who has been vegan for 12 years. Raised in rural Wyoming, Arne was inspired by his mother’s compassion for rescuing homeless animals, which shaped his dedication to animal welfare. A pivotal experience on a farm during his teens revealed the distress animals face, deepening his understanding of their sentience. Motivated by Farm Sanctuary’s mission of research, rescue and advocacy, Arne works to raise awareness of the cruelty in animal agriculture and promote the idea that farmed animals deserve compassion and respect. Through his efforts, he aims to create a world where sanctuary replaces exploitation.