Board of Directors

Events

Kathy Heath, SLP
President and Rescue Founder

Kathy is a native of Rocky Mount, NC and has served as a business owner and Speech Language Pathologist. She has a love for animal rescue and welfare. Her goal is to see the day come that no animal has to be euthanized because it is homeless. Every animal should have a loving home!

Profile details

Occupation: Speech Language Pathologist

Appointment: Pet Shelter Owner

Experience: 20 Years

Education: East Carolina University

Organizations: Pet Lover International Club, Pet Rescue Association

Achievements: Pet Protection Association Certificate, Animal Rights Certificate

ID: 1

Contact

Phone: 252-531-0453

E-mail: kathy-heath@live.com

Kim Costakis
Vice President of the Board

Kim was born and raised in eastern NC. She grew up with dogs, cats and horses and has always been an animal advocate. She attended New Bern Sr High School and then graduated from East Carolina University. She began a career in sales and has been working in pharmaceutical industry since 2004. She has a passion for animals and her patients. She enjoys the beach, boating and relaxing with friends. She currently has 3 cats. Her goal is to get people to understand the importance of spay and neutering, along with helping people understand animals are family. Her big goal is Animal cruelty prevention and the need to get government to enforce stricter laws.

Lori Edwards
Secretary of the Board

Dr. April Wyatt, DVM
Veterinary Advisor

Dr. April Wyatt has always felt comfortable around animals and feels that they are drawn to her as well. Raised around many pets in Gowanda, New York, Dr. Wyatt enjoys helping those that can’t speak for themselves.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Alfred University, Dr. Wyatt attended the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and was awarded a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. She has been a valued member of the team at Tenth Street Animal Hospital since 2004. Dr. Wyatt is interested in exotics, geriatrics and feline medicine. Dr. Wyatt is married to Shawn, a chemist, and together they have four children – two boys and two girls. She’s a huge sports fan who also enjoys crocheting.

Janet Knight
Board Member

David Alexander
Treasurer

David is a native North Carolinian and has lived here all his life. A life long animal advocate, David has never been without one or more animals at any point in his life to help him with his day-to-day stresses. After graduating from ECU in 1986, he started his financial services career with several different organizations until he started his own company, Alexander Financial Services, Inc in 2009. David is the current parent to 6 dogs and a cat and will do what it takes to make sure an animal is safe.

Holly Winkler
Board Member

Holly Winkler is a teaching instructor for the Leadership & Professional Development Program in the ECU College of Business. Before teaching, Holly worked in hospitality management for fifteen years. She married her husband Glenn in 2010 and moved to Greenville from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, where she was the chief financial officer for Westglow Resort & Spa. Holly attended Hollins College (now Hollins University) in Roanoke, Virginia, where she earned a B.A. in English. She also studied at East Carolina University, where she earned an MBA.

Holly was born and raised in Boone, North Carolina and still enjoys spending time in the mountains during the summer. When not working, Holly enjoys reading, hiking, running, cooking and hanging out with her eight furry children. Holly is a life-long animal lover and an experienced animal shelter volunteer and foster mom. In addition to volunteering her time and talents for Beare Garden Plantation, Holly also serves on the board of directors for the local affiliate of Rebuilding Together as board treasurer and past president.

David Schipper
Board Member

David and his wife Diana moved to Greenville, NC from Napa Valley in 2017. While in California, he became involved with a local cat rescue Whiskers, Tails, and Ferals.

David became involved in BGAR due to his wife’s many donations. A chance meeting with Dr. David Edwards cemented his relationship with the BGAR organization.

Dave has been a dedicated volunteer assisting at PetSmart as needed. My wife says I am a true cat whisperer, able to coax any cat out of their shell. David and Diana are the proud guardians of 4 rescue cats, 3 of which came from Beare Garden.

David is native of Grand Rapids, MI. He attended the University of Michigan where he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Engineering and also in Applied Mathematics as well as a Master of Science degree in Computer, Information, and Control Engineering.

Marion Blackburn
Board Member

Marion comes from Eastern North Carolina, where she learned to love animals of all kinds. She grew up on a farm in Edgecombe County, then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also attended the Sorbonne, in Paris. She holds a Master of Public Administration from East Carolina University, with a focus on animal policy.

During her many years as a journalist and freelance writer, and four years living in Europe, Marion developed as a writer, which is her main pursuit today.

She is completing her most important work, a trilogy of novels about animal agriculture, which are set in a dark future.

She loves animals of all kinds but especially Beare Garden kitties!!! She volunteers when possible, and has adopted several Beare Garden graduates! Esther, whose life was saved by Beare Garden, is among them. Marion also has two adored beagles, Maurice and Buddy. She is a vegan, avoiding any meat, dairy, eggs, or animal products of any kind.