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TEAM MEMBERS
Lisa Beal
Born in India, Lisa was adopted at the age of two by a single mother. She grew up in Southern California. In 2013, she graduated from California State University, San Bernadino, with a BA in Criminal Justice. She worked with the San Bernadino Sheriff’s Department for seven years. In 2018, she moved from the “Golden State” to the “Evergreen State.” Lisa lived on the Long Beach Peninsula, in Washington, for four years. While living there, Lisa was a volunteer dog walker for the South Pacific County Humane Society. Lisa shares their vision to provide every cat and dog with a loving home, free of abuse and neglect. Lisa adamantly opposes every act of animal cruelty and violence.
Lisa started volunteering with Ruff Haven in March of 2023. Lisa’s goal is to provide the dogs at Ruff Haven with the love and affection they truly deserve. Ruff Haven is important to Lisa because the shelter is committed to keeping furbabies with their owners. She has had dogs her entire life and could never imagine being permanently separated from them. Lisa loves and adores her 14-year-old Chihuahua/Poodle named “Titus.” His personality sure fits his powerful name. He is small but mighty! She credits Titus with saving her life. He is the light of her life. Lisa also enjoys volunteering with the Road to Recovery Program, through The American Cancer Society.
Dog Walking Mentor
Taleigh Barnhart
Hello, my name is Taleigh, and I am 25 years old. I grew up in Ohio and am the eldest of four siblings, with three younger brothers. At 18, I enlisted in the Air Force, which led me to Utah, where I recently completed my service in January.
Currently, I work with children on the autism spectrum, and I am preparing to begin my studies in radiology. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband, Cory, who is still serving in the Air Force. Together, we have three cats: Keira, our tuxedo princess; Jimmy, our affectionate orange cat energy guy; and Abcey, our shy companion who enjoys watching romantic comedies and “helping” with crafts. Abcey is also an alumnus of Ruff Haven.
In my spare time, I enjoy horseback riding, crocheting/crafting, gardening, outdoor activities, and cooking and baking.
Foster Sitter Coordinator
Chris Bereshnyi
Purradise City Coordinator
Chris has been an animal lover all his life, something which was greatly influenced by his mother, who was always taking in stray and injured animals. As such, he has had the pleasure of interacting with numerous animals growing up.
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Chris have two cats of his own, Mitch and Carl, who are the quintessential odd couple. He began volunteering at the Humane Society of Utah in 2012, and still continues do so. He is a family therapist with Salt Lake County, and feels that interaction with animals can be very therapeutic and healing.
Tali Brenner
Tali is beyond ecstatic to join Ruff Haven as its Volunteer Coordinator! Ruff Haven’s unique mission of keeping pets with their people spoke directly to her. After losing her father at a young age, her family immediately welcomed their first two doggos, Bella and Mouse, who provided immense snuggles and unconditional love. Bella and Mouse would teach her the value of the animal human relationship.
Tali grew up in the Washington D.C. metro area, and carried her passion for people, animals, and volunteering to various countries and cities, such as New Orleans, Jamaica, Uganda, Chicago, and now Salt Lake City. Working in a variety of animal-rescue settings, she learned the same lesson carries on; animal welfare and human welfare are intertwined.
Outside of volunteering, Tali enjoys donuts, tacos, data-crunching and visualization, dog-memes, and escaping into the mountains. While she doesn’t own a pet currently, her dream dog/dog name would be a Pit Bull named Tato, short for Potato/Pitato.
Volunteer Coordinator
Isabel Imbriano
Graphic Designer
Isabel is a designer and artist living in Brooklyn, New York with her Bichon Frise Clover and cat Marcello. She graduated from the Fashion Institute Of Technology for graphic design and began volunteering with Ruff Haven in 2021. She enjoys doing art of animals, traveling and visiting roadside attractions, making stickers, and visiting New York's Prospect Park with her dog.
Caitlin Lisle
Caitlin grew up with a fierce love for all animals. Her childhood best friend was a rescue lab mix named Sammy who went everywhere with her! As Caitlin got older, her love for animals only grew stronger.
Caitlin has been working at The Humane Society of Utah for 12 years. Over the years she has worked in many different departments such as; outreach, behavior/rescue, clinic, and adoptions. With her experience and college background in education, she then started the Humane Education Department and is currently the Director.
Caitlin strongly believes that the future of animal welfare starts with children. Teaching our children empathy and how to care for our companion animals is the greatest way to accomplish change and keep people and animals together.
Caitlin is a huge bully breed advocate and shares her life with her four adopted dogs-Eleanor, Humphrey, Hazel and Winifred.
Foster Sitter Coordinator
Nikki Gordon
Nikki’s journey with Ruff Haven began a few years ago, driven by her belief that kindness should extend to both animals and the people who love them.
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Originally from Minnesota, she now calls Utah home, where she lives with her husband, Dan, and their two lovable dogs, Stilts and Charlie, both of whom were adopted after fostering through Best Friends Animal Society. Always looking for an adventure, I loves that her new(ish) home offers easy access to breathtaking destinations in every direction. In her free time, you can find her exploring National Parks, and attending hockey games or concerts.
In addition to her role at Ruff Haven, Nikki volunteers with My Pit Bull is Family as the National Rental Research Coordinator. She also serves as the Employee Engagement Manager for the R&R Partners Foundation, focusing on strengthening communities through employee giving, volunteering, and pro bono work.
Social Media Coordinator
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Jackie Stanworth
Donations Coordinator
While volunteering with an organization that aids the unsheltered human population, Jackie saw Ruff Haven in action and immediately knew she had to be involved. She loves everything she gets to do with them, but her favorite is the monthly outreach with the team. She’s grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team.
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Jackie is a dog trainer who works in an elementary special needs classroom during the day, works with drag queens on the weekend, and also has her own pet-sitting business. When she is not working she can be found playing the drums, making dog treats, taking care of community cats, and enjoying live music. Her best friend is her 13-year-old deaf pug, Opti. ​
She dedicates her life to working with humans and animals alike to ensure that everyone has a safe place in the world, is better understood, and gets the chance they deserve to succeed
Valerie Yoder
Valerie is excited to join Ruff Haven as its Community Operations Specialist. After graduating from Westminster College with a degree in Computer Science, Valerie adopted her first cat, which changed her life plans to include animal welfare. She began volunteering at Best Friends Animal Society's Kitten Care Center when it opened in 2013, then joined as a part time employee for five years. She learned and developed best practices for kitten medical care and shelter data management, and is looking forward to using her skills at Ruff Haven.
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In addition to working and volunteering in animal rescue, Valerie works as a Database Analyst in public health. Valerie enjoys gardening, hiking, and skiing in her spare time. She shares her home with her five cats and a variety of foster animals from bottle-fed kittens to unsocial cats and kittens.
Community Operations Specialist