Leadership

Robert Procaccianti is a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management with UBS. In his practice, he creates and implements investment portfolios that avoid all forms of animal exploitation.

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. 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. He is a resident of Narragansett, RI and 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.

Sepi Sepasi is a Chief Financial Officer at Mellon Foundation, supporting its mission to advance the arts and humanities. She has held senior leadership roles across higher education and previously worked in management consulting at Deloitte. Most notably, served as the CFO for the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That period deepened her awareness of the food system and animal welfare, ultimately leading her to adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Sepi holds an MBA from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management and a BA degree from Michigan
State University. She lives in the Princeton area, with her husband, two children and two golden
doodles.

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 of Farm Sanctuary in 2020. Sandee is honored to have served in multiple board roles including Chair of the Board, Vice-Chair, Governance Committee Chair, and CEO Search Committee Chair. Eight years ago, she became vegan at the encouragement of her daughters which ignited a lifelong commitment to animal rights and protection.

Sandee is currently an Advisory Board member of GBH, the public media corporation, and the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, a non-profit that seeks to empower Asians and new immigrants through various programs. She has previously served as Co-Chair of the Brown University Women’s Leadership Council and as Board Chair and President of the Brown University Alumni Club of Boston.

Originally from New York City, Sandee has lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and she currently splits her time between Boston and Sedona. She has four grown children, a husband, and an adopted rescue terrier.

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

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.

Caryn Ginsberg has over 20 years of experience as a strategy consultant and board member in the animal protection field. She is a long-term member of the Hilda Club and met Hilda at Farm Sanctuary’s Watkins Glen, NY location in 1996.

Caryn also serves as board president for Faunalytics and on the advisory board for the Institute for Humane Education. She is author of Animal Impact: Secrets Proven to Achieve Results and Move the World, a VegNews Editors’ Pick. She has spoken at conferences including the Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit, Taking Action for Animals, Human Behaviour Change for Animals (UK) and many others. She has taught courses in strategy and marketing for Humane Society University and in the MBA program at Johns Hopkins University.

Caryn co-founded her consulting firm Priority Visions in 1994 to help organizations use analytically-based strategy to get better results. She previously held positions in consulting and financial services, including as Senior Vice President of Retail Marketing for an $11B bank. She holds an A.B. in Economics and Mathematics, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Originally from Massachusetts, she and her husband live outside Washington, DC.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and master’s degree from New York University, Sarah spent 10 years in the corporate world and 20 years as a consultant before retiring in 2022. Throughout her career, she served on a number of nonprofit boards that advanced corporate engagement with small and diverse businesses.

Sarah, from a family of animal lovers, finds joy when she’s around furry, feathered and hooved friends. Vegan since 2016 and a Hilda Club member, Sarah’s passion is supporting animal rights. She believes that when you view animals in a compassionate light, it promotes more humane choices, benefiting farm animals and the health of our communities, future generations and our planet. Through her active involvement with Farm Sanctuary, Sarah looks forward to helping communities make the connection to a more humane lifestyle.

Originally from the East Coast, Sarah resides in Northern California with her rescue dog. She is an avid yoga practitioner and a lover of nature and travel.

• Forbes 50 Over 50
• INC. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders (2022)
• Food and Wine Magazine’s “Game Changer”
• UN Women’s “Vegan Revolutionary”

Miyoko Schinner is an award-winning chef, author, entrepreneur and speaker. She founded Miyoko’s Creamery, one of the leading alternative dairy producers, and is often credited for bringing vegan cheese to mainstream audiences. She is also the founder of the non-profit Rancho Compasión, a farmed animal sanctuary and education center for school-age youth. She is currently a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Miyoko is the author of six cookbooks, including the bestselling The Homemade Vegan Pantry, and the book credited for launching the vegan cheese revolution, Artisan Vegan Cheese. Her 7th book, The Homemade Vegan Creamery, is slated to come out in 2025. She co-hosted a vegan cooking show on PBS called Vegan Mashup that aired for three seasons. She currently hosts a new YouTube cooking channel called The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko, and was featured in a 4-part Netflix series, You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.

Calling herself an epicurean activist, she has worked tirelessly for over thirty years to reimagine a food system built on sustainability, equity, and compassion for animals. Her popular cookbooks, products, and thought leadership have inspired people across the globe to reconsider their food choices and take personal joy and responsibility in helping to participate in a better food system.

Miyoko has spoken all over the world in Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Korea, as well as home in the US at Google, Dropbox, The Smithsonian, and more. She is regularly featured on podcasts and interviews.

Miyoko has been recognized by major media outlets as a cultural icon and food innovator, and was named to the coveted inaugural list of Forbes 50 Over 50, a “Game Changer” by Food and Wine Magazine, and a “Vegan Revolutionary” by UN Women.

Miyoko has three grown children and resides in West Marin with her dogs, cats, and the over 100 animals of Rancho Compasión.

Website: https://www.miyokoschinner.com/
Instagram: @miyokoschinner
LinkedIn: @miyokoschinner