Ruth Di Gregorio, Director and President

Ruth Di Gregorio has over 15 years experience as executive director of volunteer organizations.  They ranged from youth agencies to social service agencies, including a senior day care center for Alzheimer’s victims.  That experience was then put to work in a position as national sales management administrator, responsible for twelve regional sales offices for a national multimillion dollar computer company.  She also served as assistant manager for Sales Administration for a large aerospace corporation before retiring early to move to Switzerland.

After her husband retired they spent the next 10 years traveling to many countries around the world.  During those retirement years she also completed her Bachelor of Science degree at California State University, Fullerton.  The traveling became more difficult as she became more involved with Golden Retriever rescue.  She continues to be active with several organizations in a volunteer capacity.

Her involvement with Golden Retriever rescue began after adopting a senior dog through a Golden Retriever rescue in southern California.  She has held board positions as well as ‘in the trenches’ jobs such as animal shelter patrol, fostering, planning and executing fundraising events and adoption events, conducting many home interviews with prospective adopters, and taking Goldens that owners could no longer keep or no longer wanted.  She has fostered more than 40 Golden Retrievers in her home and spent hundreds of hours and thousands of miles transporting Goldens. 

Don retired in 2005 after an extensive and varied career in sales and marketing management. He started his management career as a service manager for a large corporation that made process instrumentation hardware in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved on to become an associate engineer for a petroleum company and then regional service manager for an electronic instrumentation manufacturer. Don earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technology from Cleveland State University.

Don and his family moved to California in 1979. While working for a large corporation in marketing & sales and engineering, Don obtained an MBA from California Lutheran College. It was at this time that Don realized sales and marketing was his calling.

Don went on to become western regional sales manager for a company near Philadelphia. After increasing sales fivefold, Don was given the responsibility of establishing sales and marketing channels in Asia. He became president of a Japanese subsidiary and director of international sales. Don enjoyed his extensive business travels, especially China and Korea. Don retired as vice president of global marketing and sales.

Don loves Golden Retrievers, including his two, and believes that every Golden deserves the best health and home possible.

Linda Nahrstedt has spent 30 years as a classroom teacher.  She started her teaching career in kindergarten in Cleveland public schools.  After an extended leave of absence to raise two children, Linda returned to the classroom in the field of Special Education.  Linda has been with the Hueneme Elementary School District for the past 23 years.  She has twice received the Honorary Service award from the California State PTA for her outstanding service to children and youth.  In 2007 Linda was named Teacher of the Year by the Oxnard Masonic Lodge.

After the death of their beloved Golden Retriever, Linda and her husband adopted a rescued Golden and became active volunteers in Golden Retriever rescue.  In the past six years, Linda and Don completed over 200 home interviews and helped place Golden Retrievers in many of these homes.  Linda held the position of chairperson for the program committee for the last rescue she was involved with, which included receiving and processing all applications and coordinating the intake of dogs turned in by their owners.

Linda and Don have adopted 2 rescued Goldens, one of which has special needs, much like the children that Linda deals with on a daily basis!  Linda’s philosophy in the classroom has carried over to her rescue work.  Her favorite quote is, “ Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass….It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

Al Schwartz, DVM, Director

Dr. Al Schwartz founded Moorpark Veterinary Hospital, a companion animal practice, in Moorpark, California, in 1990. The hospital’s mission is to compassionately care for pets and their people, and the entire team—three veterinarians, five registered veterinary nurses, and 10 assistants and receptionists—is dedicated to the cause. 

In addition to his thriving practice, Dr. Schwartz is actively involved in professional and civic organizations. Examples include:

• Association of Veterinary Family Practitioners:
• President, 2008-2009
• Founding member, board of directors, 2006-2010
• California Veterinary Medical Association:
• President, 1999-2000
• Member, board of directors, 1995-2001
• California Veterinary Medical Foundation, board of directors, 2000-2006
• Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, board of directors, 1996-2000
• College and universities, veterinary advisory board member:
• University of California, Davis
• Western University School of Veterinary Medicine
• Los Angeles Pierce College
• Moorpark College
• Media:
• Veterinary News Network, reporter
• Ventura County Star, veterinary consultant and spokesman
• KNBC and KTTV, on-air interviewee

Dr. Schwartz resides in Moorpark with his wife Lauren and is the proud father of two grown daughters. Daughter Lauren, 23, has a degree in child development from Cal State, Northridge, and works as an aide for special needs children. Michelle, 20, is a senior at California Lutheran University where she will graduate in May, 2010 with a degree in communications. Dr. and Mrs. Schwartz enjoy spending time with family and friends. They also pursue a passion for travel, gardening, reading, and theater. Their dog and cats permit them to share the house with them.

Joan Bien, Director

Joan grew up outside Chicago in suburban Glencoe, and attended college in Boulder, Colorado and Northridge, California. She worked as a newswriter in Los Angeles television on and off for many years. Joan has been married to another newsie for 22 years, most of that time spent living in Ventura County. She received her law degree a few years ago and now spends all her time working as a freelance writer and researcher. Joan recently closed a small antiques business specializing in midcentury and WWII era stuff. Her two mixed-breed dogs are Stella and Zac.

PATRICIA M. MEYER, President, Friends of the Island Fox, Inc.

Born and educated in England, Pat immigrated to Canada, and then to the United States, settling in Los Angeles where she completed her MBA through the University of Redlands, California. Following employment in advertising and marketing, the remainder of her career was spent as Vice President of Personnel and Administration for a nationwide property-casualty insurance company, handling all aspects of human resource management and the administration of the company’s five corporate offices.

Pat has been a docent at the Los Angeles Zoo since 1994. She served for five years as Editor of the docent newsletter All Creatures. She now lectures in the docent zoological course on Evolution, Ecology, Mammal Characteristics, Monotremes and Marsupials and is a member of the Lecture Advisory Committee.

The island fox’s story was chosen by Pat to be included in her Ecology lecture. During research she met Tim Coonan, the fox biologist at the Channel Islands National Park. He encouraged Pat to start an organization to support the efforts underway to save the endangered fox. Pat served as President of Friends of the Island Fox since its founding in 2004, receiving approval from the IRS to operate as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation in March, 2005.

In December, 2010 Friends of the Island Fox merged with the Channel Islands Park Foundation, with Pat serving as Island Fox Project Director. Friends of the Island Fox continues to support all the efforts to save the endangered island fox from extinction.

Jennifer Bispo, Director

Jennifer is a California native and has lived in the Conejo Valley since 1991. She is a newly converted dog person, since 2006, when I got my first Golden. Prior to that, I had always had cats (and I still have one. My friend Sandee is also is a giant dog lover. I live across the street from a park and am the neighborhood volunteer for restocking the doggy waste bag receptacle after successfully lobbying to have one installed as well as additional trash cans to keep the park clean. I keep busy with career, home, elderly parents and my animals! I am very happy about volunteering with FFGR Rescue and hope as a member of the Board of Directors to be able to contribute even more.