Founder and Board Members
Founder and Board Members for Leilani Farm Sanctuary
Below are the write-ups for the founder of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, Laurelee Blanchard and the various board members.
Laurelee Blanchard
Laurelee Blanchard, Founder and President of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, has dedicated her life to rescuing animals and fostering the compassionate treatment of all living beings.
In 1989, Laurelee started rescuing homeless cats, arranged for them to be spayed and neutered, and placed them in good homes. She led a successful three-year campaign that resulted in the Orange County Animal Shelter implementing a policy of sterilizing all cats and dogs prior to release as a way to combat companion animal overpopulation.
From 1998 to 2003 Laurelee served as Director of Communications for Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM), a non-profit public interest organization in Washington, DC dedicated to educating the public about large-scale factory farming of animals raised for food. Her responsibilities included preparing news releases, conducting media interviews, managing the letters to editor program, handling celebrity relations, maintaining contact with animal-friendly journalists, and requesting proclamations from government officials.
From 2003 to 2006, Laurelee worked as National Campaign Consultant to Farm Sanctuary, and was responsible for national farm animal protection campaigns and Hawaii legislation.
Since 2001, Laurelee has volunteered for the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii (VSH), and she currently maintains a position on its Board of Directors.
Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Real Estate Finance, Laurelee formerly worked as a professional real estate agent, donating 20% of her real estate commissions to animal protection organizations. Most recently, she worked as a consultant for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in its campaign to end the long-distance transport of live farm animals from the Mainland U.S. to Hawaii for slaughter: No Paradise for Pigs
Board of Directors
Melody Fisher
For more than four decades, Melody Fisher has been an advocate and activist for the abused and neglected, the homeless, the sick and the disenfranchised. Through her work in the fields of law enforcement, legal advocacy, domestic abuse, child welfare and social work, she has made significant contributions to her community and touched many lives. In 2007, Melody was the recipient of the Arizona Golden Rule Citizen Award for her work with autistic children and their families. She was also the Program Director for Whispering Hope Animal Ranch in Arizona, designing programs specific to particular disabilities for an 80 acre summer camp facility for disabled and at-risk youth. The facility partnered rescued animals of all kinds with disabled individuals. She has received additional training in ADA law, cultural awareness and the Boys and Girls Town model for positive behavioral outcomes as well as non-violent communication. Earning dual undergrad degrees in Marketing and Psychology from U.C. Berkeley, she has continued on as a life-long learner and has many certifications related to her fields of endeavor. She believes in the interconnection of all beings and the power that nature and creatures have to heal people, and has witnessed or facilitated many such miraculous healings with "animal angels" and specially challenged humans.
Catherine Blake, Reverend
Catherine has devoted 28 years to researching, teaching, and counseling about natural wellness, specializing in medicinal plants, nutrition, and spiritual well-being. She earned a Certificate of Nutritional Biochemistry in Micronutrients from the College of World Health and a Bachelor of Divinity. Catherine lives on Maui with her husband Dr. Steve Blake, two cats, and rescued chickens. She is also an active member of Vegetarian Society of Hawaii on Maui.
Barry Sultanoff, M.D.
Barry Sultanoff, M.D. has been vegetarian since 1969 and vegan since 2007. He received his medical degree from the University of Rochester, with an undergraduate degree from Cornell University. Dr. Sultanoff is the co-author of Putting out the Fire of Addiction. He runs marathons, swims, paddles, practices yoga, and plays Japanese taiko drums. He also hosts a popular radio show on Mana'o Radio, FM 91.5, on Wednesdays from 6 to 10 AM.
Sarah Taylor
Sarah Taylor has been a vegan since 2002 when she read Diet for a New America by John Robbins. Both the philosophy and the science supporting a vegan diet convinced her to go vegan, and she has never looked back. In 2006, Sarah started a company called The Vegan Next Door in an effort to spread the word about the vegan diet. She is now a motivational speaker, trainer, and author. Sarah's book, Vegan Vegan in 30 Days, gives step-by-step, practical advice to everyday people on how to go vegan, including what to eat to be a healthy vegan, how to be prepared in the kitchen, and how to elegantly navigate social situations.
Sarah has an undergraduate business degree from the University of Washington, an MBA from Seattle University, and holds a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. She is on the faculty at the Nutritional Education Institute, and spent about a year working with Joel Fuhrman MD, one of the premier physicians that treats disease using a plant based diet. In her personal time, Sarah enjoys playing competitive tennis, scuba diving, reading and adventure travel. She is happily married and lives in Gig Harbor, WA with her husband and companion animals.
Advisory Board
Peter Dobias, DVM
Dr. Dobias is a holistic veterinarian whose outside interests include kite-boarding, travel, reading, yoga, healthy lifestyle, photography, skiing, and surfing. Born in the Czech Republic, the tradition of healing has been in his family for generations. His grandfather was an experienced herbalist and his father was a veterinarian. He spent most of his teenage and university years around horses, admiring them for their connection to nature, their strength, and their gentleness. He recognized the undeniable fact that animals have personalities, emotions, individual needs, and the ability to perceive the world around them on a deeper energetic and intuitive level.
In 1999, he established Healing Place, a holistic veterinary medicine center in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Dr. Dobias had become increasingly interested in exploring the connections between physical health and emotional well-being. He saw clearly that clients' well being played an important role in their animals' healing process. This realization sparked his interest in courses on human homeopathy, and he studied with some of the most progressive and prominent teachers in the world.
The next step in his evolution was marked by the recognition of the undeniable similarity of animals to the people with whom they live. After years of experience and observation, Dr. Dobias confirmed that animals mirror their guardians' emotions, personalities, and often share the nature and location of their physical diseases. This connection led Peter to establishing a modern holistic healing system that offers clients the opportunity to become directly involved in the treatment process.
Cathy Goeggel
A founding member of Animal Rights Hawai'i (1977) and current Director of Research and Investigations, Cathy's work focuses on ending a wide range of animal abuse in Hawai'i, on the mainland and internationally. Cathy was President of the Honolulu Zoological Society and currently serves as Hawai'i State Chair of Project Patriot of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which provides support for wounded soldiers.
Brook and Home Le'amohala
Brook Le'amohala is a vegan living foods chef, co-author of Incredibly Delicious - Recipes for a New Paradigm, and co-owner of Mama Earth Cafe. Home Le'amohala is a public speaker, certified in vegetarian and vegan nutrition and co-owner of Mama Earth Cafe. They co-founded Optimum Living Alliance which is dedicated to providing the most current and accurate information for creating personal, community, and planetary health and vitality through the many benefits of a plant based diet and lifestyle.
Suki Halevi
Susan (Suki) Halevi has been on Maui since 2007 and in 2010 became an attorney in Hawai'i, representing community-based businesses and non-profit organizations. Suki was an attorney in Massachusetts for many years and also served as a borrower outreach representative for the Cooperative Fund of New England, a community based financial institution. She has facilitated consensus decision-making for organizations in transition, and is trained as a mediator. Suki has been a consultant for Pasifika Foundation Hawai'i and assists with community outreach for the Maui Film Festival. Suki is also a volunteer reader for Read Aloud America at Pukalani School on Maui, a member of the board of directors of Women Helping Women, and a member of the board of directors of Women Who Care. Suki graduated from Vassar College, has a master's degree from Tufts University and graduated with honors from Duke University School of Law.
