Steve has always had an affinity for helping animals. After marrying and decades of serving the public in an auto body repair capacity, he and Elizabeth decided to make it official and start Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary. Steve is hands on and cares for all of the farm animals. He constructs their housing, and maintains the farm and its equipment , All the while still operating the small business they have, which feeds the humans

Born with the compassion and love of dogs, Elizabeth’s dream was always to help the animals. After meeting her husband, Steve, together they reached their goals in the auto industry, The years passed quickly, and though they rescued and helped many along the way, , and she realized the time has come to fulfill her true passion. Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary was born out of the love and desire to help those who were placed in harms way by others . To save those who to show them that life can be wonderful , and they deserve to be cared for and loved for all of their days.

Elizabeth runs the daily operations , caring for the animals, updating sites, event planning, fundraising, speaking at schools , phone and email, etc etc etc etc

Retiring from Federal service, Mary felt the desire for change, for a heartfelt fulfillment her past career lacked. As a lover of all animals , she chose to join her sister and brother in law ( Elizabeth and Steve), and embark on a new adventure for her future. Uprooting from the North, she came to Barky Pines in December of 2014, and jumped head first into the rescue world , so unfamiliar to her. Taking care of the animals, calming the new additions, events and errands, is just some of the intricate work Mary performs each day.

Margherita Jurim is a creative, loving and caring person to people and furry friends. She is currently employed by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital as an IT Analyst. Her responsibilities are in daily operations of the Laboratory IT department. Her greatest accomplishment was becoming a mom to an amazing son. She loves to travel, reconnect with distant family members and feed the ones she loves. Margherita assists with placements in the NorthEast , as well as advisory

Jennifer Accomando has spent two decades as VP of Personnel for Morgan Stanley. She is well versed in her field and finance

A native Floridian, Abby Ross was born and raised in South Florida. She attended Florida Atlantic University for both her bachelors and master’s degrees and has spent the last decade working in the Florida Legislature for members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Abby has spent many election cycles working for candidates and issues in which she is passionate. She has volunteered countless hours to campaigns, candidates and many local political, civic and community causes, especially those benefiting the local Palm Beach County area. Abby sits on her condo community’s HOA board and is a member of Leadership Palm Beach County’s Class of 2020. In her spare time, Abby enjoys running, the outdoors and spending time with her fiancé and pets.

Alyssa is the executive director of the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County. She was born and raised in Southeastern Michigan, before moving to South Florida in 2008. She is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a focus in public relations. Alyssa graduated with her MBA in Organizational Leadership from Ashford University in 2017. She is part of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2020 and past board member of the Florida Fishing Academy. She lives in Royal Palm Beach with her husband, two daughters, and two rescue dogs.

Noel Chessman is the IT Director of Palm Beach County’s 15 th district Court

He resides in Loxahatchee with his wife Shannon and their 2 rescue dogs.