Deborah Blum - Co-Chair

Deb’s been pretty busy in her life with careers that include swimwear designer, restaurateur, and commercial pilot. After living in San Francisco for 22 years, Deborah left the city bought a house, and moved to Santa Rosa. The new acreage gave her the space for a few chickens and a couple of goats. One thing led to another and her love of farm animals grew, as did her furry and feathered family. After seeing a video about animal agriculture and feeling shocked and saddened, she became vegan overnight. She devoted herself to the belief that all beings deserve to live a life free of harm and fear.  As a result Deborah started rescuing animals and founded the Goatlandia Sanctuary: a 36 acre plot home to a family of goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, horses, dogs, and two happy (and very busy) humans!

Nicole Schonemann - Co-Chair (nschonem@gmail.com)

Nicole, one of the four original founders of the Goat Conspiracy, began this journey with a very naive understanding of dairy.  As a result, she learned that dairy, even when done as well as possible, leaves sustainability and animal welfare gaps that are impossible to close, and that one of the best kept food secrets is that cheese is not vegetarian (something she would love to tell you more about if you'd like).  She and her partner thus began their own journey towards veganism, away from dairy farming and helping to start the GC Sanctuary.  In the fall of 2023, they started Planted Bloomington (a plant-based food truck and catering biz) and are now immersed in their current project of converting the former creamery into a vegan commercial kitchen. She is very excited about the Goat Conspiracy Sanctuary, the animals who call it home, and the people who work there! 

Mark Veldman - Treasurer

Alice Dobie-Galuska - Secretary

Alice has been involved with the Goat Conspiracy Farm for several years and is excited to be on the Sanctuary Board! She has been vegan since 2015 after learning from her two children about the ethical, environmental, and health issues related to consuming animals and animal products. Alice is an academic advisor at Indiana University and her family are the proud owners of a vegan bakery in Bloomington.

Mary Alie Cox

Dr. Mary Alice Cox is a retired small animal veterinarian who is passionate about animal welfare.  She believes the human animal bond extends across species and supports the One Health paradigm which means that the health and well being of people, animals, and the environment are all connected.  The mission and vision of the Goat Conspiracy Sanctuary align with that philosophy.