WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Farm Sanctuary, a national animal protection group with three shelters in New York and California, today announces that they are taking their mission to end cruelty to farm animals to the next level with the addition of a dynamic group of new board members that includes the likes of Emily Deschanel, star of the FOX show “Bones.” The new board members’ extensive expertise in the realms of entertainment, business, philanthropy, and design, and unwavering dedication to bettering the lives of underserved populations will help the organization fulfill its vision of inspiring the U.S. to reconsider the way we think about farm animals and to make compassionate daily choices.
“The Board of Directors is very pleased to welcome this dynamic group of talented and proven leaders from across the country. Each has already made significant contributions to Farm Sanctuary, and we are very excited to work with them as members of the Board to further advance this vibrant organization as it explores and implements new high impact strategies to end cruelty to farm animals,” said Board Chair Megan Watkins. “We stand at an exciting moment in history as society is beginning to question the hidden costs of our industrialized food system and make changes in the way we think about farm animals,” said Gene Baur, founder and president of Farm Sanctuary. The unique talents of our new board members will enable us to reach larger audiences with Farm Sanctuary’s message.”
The new members are:
Emily Deschanel is an actress and television producer who is best known for her role as Dr. Temperance Brennan in the FOX crime comedy-drama series “Bones.” A vegan since reading “Diet for a New America” in high school and member of Farm Sanctuary since 2006, Emily has served as Honorary Chair and Host of the organization’s black-tie Galas, National Spokesperson for the 2011 Walk for Farm Animals, host of the group’s Celebration for the Turkeys Thanksgiving event, and has recorded educational videos and so much more.
James Costa is a board member of the International Documentary Association, a member of the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), and founder of the film company Birdstreet Productions. His documentary “Lunch Hour” (released March 2014) examines the National School Lunch Program, childhood obesity, and our addiction to unhealthy foods. He is the chairman of the board for the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, which works with families to support the educational progress of the children of Hunts Point, in the South Bronx. He is also a board member of the California Wildlife Center and serves on the Advisory Board of Sea Shepherd and on the President’s Council of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
Stacey Barsema is president of the Barsema Family Foundation, which supports a number of organizations worldwide, focusing primarily on education, poverty, and animal rights. As a founding board member of Carpenter’s Place, a nonprofit in Rockford, Illinois, she has worked on aiding and rebuilding lives of the homeless. Prior to joining Farm Sanctuary, Stacey served on the board of directors of Opportunity International, a worldwide organization with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois that distributes more than $250 million in micro-loans to the poorest of poor around the world. Stacey was also co-chairperson of Opportunity International’s Lending Hope to Africa Campaign, which raised over $25 million to fight AIDS in Africa.
Lyn Devon is an American luxury sportswear designer who W calls “the go-to designer for Manhattan’s best dressed.” Known for her polished and playful designs, the born and raised New Yorker studied at Parsons and designed women’s ready to wear for Ralph Lauren. She presented her first full Ready-to-Wear collection in September 2005, and was quickly named Women’s Design ‘Rising Star’ by the Fashion Group International. Soon after, she was awarded the prestigious Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for womenswear. In 2009 she was accepted as a member of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America).
Ari Nessel is president of Nessel Development, a Bay Area, Calif.-based real estate re-development company that focuses on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Ari oversees the acquisition and improvement of properties including people-centric renovation, planet-saving materials and profit-generating business practices. He is also founder and president of The Pollination Project, which makes $1000 seed grants and loans to individual change-makers to make their communities and their world a better place. The Pollination Project focuses on passionate individuals working for the benefit of people, planet and animals in areas like environmental sustainability, social justice and community health and wellness.
To learn more about Farm Sanctuary, visit farmsanctuary.org.
