Board of Directors

SUSAN KRUPANSKI, PRESIDENT GLOUCESTER, MA

Susan has been a member of the Board of Directors and the Governance and Community Outreach Committees since 2017. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Emmanuel College, her Juris Doctor from New England School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University School of Law. She embarked on her legal career as a Judge Advocate General for the United States Coast Guard at USCG Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and worked closely with the US Department of Justice enforcing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and Admiralty laws. She later was assigned to the 1st District Legal Office in Boston, specializing in port security and drug interdiction. She worked closely with the United States Attorney's Office, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander after 8 rewarding years. Not wanting to leave her Massachusetts roots, she departed military service and joined the General Counsel's Office of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority as Assistant General Counsel specializing in procurement and contract law. Her outside interests include twice monthly CAAA shelter puppy visits to the Den-Mar Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rockport, boating, gardening, fine dining and taking care of Maddie, her rescue pup from Puerto Rico, and rescue kitty Lucy.

KATE GLIDDEN, VICE PRESIDENT GLOUCESTER, MA

Kate joined the Board of Directors in 2020 and serves on the Winter Ball Planning Committee. She graduated from the University of Vermont and studied at the University of Economics in Prague. She is a financial advisor with Compass Point Retirement Planning in Wakefield. She is an avid traveler, loves exploring New England, and is a fan of live music. Kate also volunteers by serving community meals at St. Peter’s Church in Beverly and is a member of North Shore Women in Business. She likes living on Cape Ann and spending time on the water and at the fantastic beaches. She lives with her significant other, Jesse, and their three rescue cats; Willy, Agnes and Stanley and rescue pup, Dixie.

MARISSA GOODWIN, SECRETARY GLOUCESTER, MA

Marissa grew up in Beverly and Gloucester and joined the Winter Ball Committee in 2017 and the Board of Directors in 2020. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Endicott College and works in Commercial Lending at Bank Gloucester. Animal welfare has been a lifelong passion. Marissa is an advocate for senior animal adoption and has adopted many senior animals throughout her life as well. Ensuring that these animals have a wonderful end of life experience is very important to her. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike and their two rescue dogs, Novi and Johnny. They all love going out on the boat and going to the beach.

CRISTOPHER PETERSON, TREASURER GLOUCESTER, MA

Cris has served as CIO with large corporations and consulted to smaller enterprises navigating significant change. He co-founded Cardinal Group, a software development company and has co-taught graduate level computer science courses in Harvard University.

Cris holds degrees in Computer Science and Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with his daughter Lea and three cats, Desi, Sam and Oliver. He’s an avid sea kayaker and cyclist embarking on his sixth Pan Mass Challenge this year, riding 192 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown.

LAURA O'NEILL, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Laura has lived in Gloucester since 2004, and began volunteering at Cape Ann Animal Aid after adopting her beloved cat, Butterbean (she volunteers with dogs to get her 'dog fix'). Laura joined the Winter Ball Committee in 2014, and the Board in 2015. She also serves on the Development Committee. Laura has worked in development for 20+ years, for a variety of organizations including the Museum of Science, the USS Constitution Museum, and many other consulting clients. Today, she serves as Major Gifts Officer for Pathways for Children. In the summer, Laura is often on the water, and in the winter, traveling to find water. Her recently adopted fur baby, Little One, provided the editing for this entry as he enjoys 'working' with her when she insists on doing so at home.

MELANIE LOVELL, BOARD MEMBER LYNNFIELD, MA

Melanie grew up in Gloucester and has been a member of the Cape Ann Animal Aid Board of Directors since 2014. She is a member of several shelter committees, including the Human Resources Committee and Finance Committee. She is an attorney at Doherty, Cella, Keane & Associates, a law firm in Beverly exclusively dedicated to the process of obtaining Social Security disability benefits. She graduated from Washington and Lee University and received her law degree and MBA from Suffolk University. She was a member of the Lynnfield Conservation Commission for over five years and is currently a member of Lynnfield’s Tree Committee. In her free time she enjoys gardening, travel, escape rooms, and spending time with her husband Scott and their two rescue dogs, Papaya and Picasso.

TESSA BROWNE, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Tessa has been a member of the Board of Directors and Building Committee since 2017. Her first involvement with CAAA was when she joined the Winter Ball Committee in 2015 to help with décor and the rest is history. Her love for animals has been a lifelong passion. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of New Hampshire and her MBA from Endicott College. Her post undergraduate years were spent working for her family company in the Boston Flower Exchange and continuing her education. In the spring of 2017, she started her own wholesale lobster and bait operation, Cape Ann Lobstermen, in Gloucester, which she currently owns and operates. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan, a commercial lobsterman, and spoiling her three rescue dogs Bower, Scupper and Storm, and two rescue cats Buoy and Olive. They all love spending time out on the water or in Maine. 

CINDY DUNN, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Cindy moved to Gloucester 20 years ago after graduating from Vermont Law School and immediately fell in love with the city. She has served as Assistant General Counsel to the City of Gloucester and is currently the Director of the Danvers, Middleton and Rowley Housing Authorities. Cindy has been a member of the Board of Directors of Cape Ann Animal Aid since 2002 and is a past President and Vice President. Cindy was the co-chair of Capital Campaign to raise funds and build the new shelter at 4 Paws Lane, and she currently sits on the Personnel, Governance, Community Outreach and Development Committees. Cindy enjoys walking the beaches and wooded trails with her spouse Sandy and their 2 rescue dogs; Thurston and Rosey, and their new grand dog, Millie. She is equally in love with her 2 rescue cats, Panda and Adrian. Cindy is currently a member of the Gloucester Dogtown Advisory Committee and has served on two ad hoc committees that worked to increase the number of off-leash areas in Gloucester for dogs.

DEBORAH ELIASON, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Deborah is a long time resident of Gloucester and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2005. She is a current member of the Development and Governance Committees and previously served on the Personnel Committee and as co-chair of CAAA’s New Shelter Building Committee. She participates in the shelter’s foster program fostering dogs from the shelter until they find their forever family. Deborah is principal and founder of Eliason Law Office, LLC ("Eliason Law"), located in downtown Gloucester. Eliason Law advises clients regarding residential and commercial building projects and real estate transactions. With more than thirty years of legal experience, she has been involved in a wide variety of projects and transactions and has represented clients throughout Massachusetts.
She graduated from Salve Regina College and received her law degree from Suffolk University School of Law. She spends her free time with family and friends, kayaking on the Annisquam River and working on her house and garden.

EMILY NEISH, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Emily was born and raised in Canada, but has roots in Massachusetts spanning generations. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts at York University in Toronto and a speciality certificate in Animal Care from Sheridan College, she ventured here permanently in 2004. She went straight to work at the MSPCA's Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, serving proudly for 12 years as an emergency nurse and anesthesia technician, eventually becoming Supervisor of Anesthesia. The ocean called, however, and Emily excitedly decided to make Gloucester her new home in 2016. She ran a successful pet care business for the first few years, eventually getting back into veterinary medicine at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn and now, locally, at Cape Ann Veterinary Hospital.
She joined the Winter Ball planning committee in 2021 and started volunteering regularly in the CAAA dog kennel in 2022. Rescue work has been a lifelong passion and she had cared for a multitude of adopted dogs and cats over the past two decades. She currently lives with her partner, Natalia, and their 3 rescued Chihuahua mixes and 2 rescued cats. In their free time, they can often be found at the beach with their dogs or checking out the newest restaurant. Travel, live music, and biking are also huge passions.

ELIZABETH "LIBBY" ETRE, BOARD MEMBER GLOUCESTER, MA

Elizabeth “Libby” Etrie received her Bachelor of Science from Husson University and her Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams School of Law. She is the Program Director of the Northeast Sector Service Network (NESSN), a membership organization that provides operational and administrative support for federal groundfish fishing cooperatives based out of Gloucester, Boston, New Bedford and the South Shore. When not working with and advocating for members of the commercial fishing industry Libby enjoys adventuring and doing scent work classes with her two rescue dogs. She is mindful that both of her four-legged family members entered her life because families opened their homes to them as fosters. She is passionate about sharing the value of rescue work, particularly fostering and she tries to carry that forward whenever she can.

MIDORI WILLIAMS, BOARD MEMBER ROCKPORT, MA

Midori grew up in Littleton but has since moved to Cape Ann, first to Gloucester and now in Rockport. She is deeply passionate about dog welfare, with a particular focus on Giant Breed advocacy and the development of training and behavior management programs. She received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Boston University. She is a partner with Verge Advisors, a consulting CFO and Controller firm, where she works with companies at nearly all stages of growth, advising on their financial operations and helping them navigate a variety of complex challenges. When not buried in spreadsheets or following hundreds of dogs on social media, Midori enjoys traveling, going to classical music concerts, and trying new restaurants with her husband, Jonathan.

EMERITUS DIRECTORS

LINZEE COOLIDGE GLOUCESTER, MA
CAMILLA RICH SOUTH HAMILTON, MA