MOAS Leadership
Dedicated to excellence and serving our community.
Shelter Management
Board of Directors
The MOAS Board of Directors is an all volunteer board who meet at least monthly to manage shelter affairs. Learn more about our board members below!
Sherrie Hines
President - Contact her at BoardPresident@moaspets.com
Sherrie Hines is the Interim Chief Assistant Attorney with the Athens-Clarke County Attorney’s Office where, among other things, she prosecutes all animal control ordinance violations and assists with animal cruelty investigations. She completed her undergraduate and law school degrees at the University of Georgia and enjoys being able to combine her legal training with her passion for animal welfare. In addition to being the Board President of the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter, she is also the Board Secretary for the Friends of Bear Hollow (a municipal zoo for non-releasable, native wildlife) and volunteers with ACC Animal Services, Athenspets, and other local animal rescue groups. She is also a 3rd Degree Black Belt and teaches karate for free locally. She lives in Madison County with her husband Connor and their three rescue pets.
Deb Rolfe
Secretary - Contact her at BoardSecretary@moaspets.com
Deb Rolfe and her family moved to Georgia and bought Happy Tails Playhouse Boarding and Training Center in Winterville. She loves the Georgia lifestyle and working with dogs every day. Her mission to help shelter dogs started with Dog Days Adoption Events and then Homeward Bound Adoption Events in Connecticut many years ago. Deb has worked closely with the Atlanta-based Safe Harbor Animal Rescue to find shelter dogs loving homes for many years. Deb enjoys fostering and training shelter dogs. Some of the dogs she fosters require medical care and others need training to help them become more adoptable. They all need love and attention that she is happy to provide.
Ruth Vernotico
Member
Ruth Vernotico is a local marketing professional and lifelong animal advocate who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana. After moving to northeast Georgia in late 2017, Ruth began serving his community through seats on multiple boards in conjunction with his continued affiliation and work with the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans and his personal passion of studying, promoting and digitally preserving John James Audubon’s ‘The Birds of America.’ Ruth joined MOAS’s board in August 2020 and is honored to be working with an organization that plays such an integral role in the promotion of animal welfare and advocacy for the counties it serves.
Board Meetings
Meetings of the MOAS Board of Directors are currently held on the 2nd Thursday of every month starting at 6:30pm. Any interested members of the public are invited to attend but may be asked to step out towards the end of the meeting if there are any board-only topics that need to be discussed.
Citizens are eligible to join the Board of Directors after they have attended at least three consecutive meetings. Note that eligibility does not in and of itself guarantee an invitation to join the Board.
Interesting in joining the Board? We encourage you to get started by volunteering! Not only will it help you familiarize yourself with MOAS and the work that we do, but demonstrated commitment to our mission is an important element of Board membership.
