AWLA’s Board of Directors

Leadership, Guidance and Oversight

The Board of Directors is appointed to serve the AWLA and the general community in a number of ways. The Board provides leadership, guidance and oversight to the AWLA. It serves a critical role in the success of the AWLAby providing the “big picture” view. The Board is governed by bylaws that contain the overall structure and operations from which the Board functions.

Members of the Board are leaders in the community with an interest in the well-being of animals, the influence to raise funds and the expertise to set direction and goals. Members act with the utmost integrity and strictly adhere to the AWLA’s Conflict of Interest Policy and Code of Ethics. They work toward raising awareness of issues that affect the health and welfare of companion animals. Additionally, members make a personal commitment to keep abreast of current trends and practices in the field.

Meet the Board

Suzanne Goulden, Chair

Suzanne Goulden has worked in Human Resources in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years.  She is currently the Manager, Compensation, at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and her recent employment includes managing the benefits and compensation programs for the Society for Human Resource Management, the Graduate Management Admission Council and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Suzanne has been involved with organizations supporting animal welfare for nearly 20 years, including more than 15 years with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.  She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and University of Maryland University College with a Master’s Degree in General Administration, with concentrations in Not-for-Profit Management and Human Resources.  Suzanne and her husband live in Alexandria with their rescue dog Rosie.

Mark Davis, Vice Chair

Mark Davis, CPA, has worked in public accounting and corporate finance for over 25 years. He began his career as an auditor with PriceWaterhouseCoopers prior to moving into a corporate finance role. After being involved in the successful sale of two organizations to publicly-traded companies, Mark went back to school and completed his MBA at the University of Maryland. Since 2002, Mark has been with Oxford Finance LLC, a corporate healthcare lender based in Alexandria, VA. Mark is a member of the Alumni Development Council for his alma mater, the Wake Forest University School of Business, and a board member for Running Brooke, an Alexandria-based charity focused on supporting exercise and movement programs in public schools to spark learning. Mark lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife and daughter, and they have adopted several dear pets from the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter.

Laura MacLean, DVM, Treasurer

Dr. Laura MacLean has been the Medical Director of VCA Old Town Animal Hospital for more than ten years. In addition to this role, she also provides preventative care and performs surgeries, as well as practicing acupuncture and dispensing herbal medicine. Often she finds that the combination of “Western Medicine” and “Eastern Medicine” provides the best possible care for the pets she sees. She has one dog, Bender, who is currently working on his “Master’s degree in behavior training,” as well as one cat, Fresca, and one bird, Barley.

Julie Conway

Julie Conway is President of Shamrock Advisors, LLC, an Alexandria-based boutique consulting firm she founded in 2007. The firm specializes in political advocacy, grassroots strategy, non-profit development and fundraising management. Over the past 25 years, Julie has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for countless Members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and both local and national 501(c)(3) organizations. Julie has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The American University and a Master of Arts in Political Management from The George Washington University. Julie is a regular panelist and presenter at various women in politics events and candidate schools, as well as a guest speaker at numerous corporate and association political development and Board gatherings. Julie resides near Del Ray with her handsome pup Porter.

Louise Salas

Louise is a distinguished award-winning Creative Director with more than 23 years in the advertising industry which—lucky for her— has taken her to many corners of the world. Whether she was working on renowned national brands or building brands from the ground up, her work won countless awards from some of the most distinguished award shows, including regional and national Addy’s, Telly’s and the ever sought after, One Show. In 2017, she took all her branding/advertising smarts and turned podcast creator/producer in order to introduce the world to the Designated Drinker Show. And in 2019, she and Hal Schild came together to establish Missing Link, a Latina-owned production co-op in Alexandria, VA. She kicked off her creative career with a bang, surprisingly in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her tenacity combined with a strong work ethic got her noticed and placed on the creative teams for some of the most demanding yet rewarding clients. From print to out-of-home to TV and even a few radio spots, she produced award-wining work for a long line of clients including, Meineke Car Care Center, Barton’s Lumber, Nature Conservancy and Chenal Homes—a subsidiary of Deltic Timber. She came up through the advertising ranks as an art director, and her dedication to both the work and her team earned her the title of Creative Director. In 2006, her entrepreneurial spirit could be quieted no longer, and she break-off to establish Red Rover Creative, a small agency where branding was king. During this time in Hawaii, she launched cellular, solar and real estate brands (to name a few), all being regionally awarded. After moving back to the mainland in 2018, she expanded her reach into the DC market, first focusing on branding initiatives for an apartment/commercial real estate finding agent, a child development center and teaming up with many east coast agencies working on a variety of clients. Eventually, she joined Wunderman DC, where she was introduced to the world of big pharma by working on creative digital content for Pfizer, Jensen and AstraZeneca. Since 2010, Louise has served on Board of Directors of AAFDC, the local chapter of a national organization where she happily mentors up-and-coming talent and continues to service her mar-comm community. In her down time, she can often be found at one of her favorite watering holes with her husband by her side, her dogs at her feet, and a glass of wine in her hand.

Mary Mann

Mary served as Senior Director, Global Government Relations for International Paper for over 24 years. An expert in federal tax policies, she held high level national security clearance from the U.S. Government to represent the company on domestic and international trade matters. Mary lives in Old Town with her husband, Bob, and their dog Mabel, an AWLA alum!

Richard Fiske

Richard Fiske is a retired Navy Engineering Duty Officer and Navy diver. Following six years aboard various ships Richard shifted to Engineering Duty, received two graduate engineering degrees from MIT, and specialized in ship repair and diving and salvage for the rest of his 27 year Navy career. Richard then worked as Director of Marine Operations in deep ocean search and recovery. He attended law school (admitted to the Virginia Bar) and served as a legal consultant and expert witness for maritime issues. He is co-author of legal treatises “The International Law of the Shipmaster” and “Defending Against Pirates: The International Law of Small Arms, Armed Guards And Privateers”. He also wrote the Salvage article in the “McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology”. Now fully retired, Richard is an actor, having appeared in 35+ professional and community theatre productions. He is also a role-player for various security and military training exercises and a practice patient for medical training. Richard and his wife Helen currently volunteer at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and share their home with two frequently wonderful cats, Janet and Juniper.

Stella Hanly, Executive Director

Stella made the switch to the nonprofit sector after more than a decade providing technical and consulting support in the supply chain software space as a Senior Consultant for Manhattan Associates. Stella’s first nonprofit position was with the Aspen Institute in an International Development role; however her goal was to ultimately find a position that aligned with her life-long love for animals, and she moved to the Washington Humane Society (now Humane Rescue Alliance) as the Director of Community Engagement in 2013.  Wanting to help animals directly in her community, Stella moved to the AWLA as Director of Community Programs in 2016, and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2018, before being named as Executive Director in 2019.

Stella has an MPA with a concentration in nonprofit management from George Mason University, and received her BSc in Mathematics from The Queen’s University of Belfast in her native Ireland. In 2021, Stella was selected for the prestigious Leadership Alexandria program from which she graduated as a member of Class of ‘22. In 2022, Stella was selected for Boston University’s Professional Fundraising Certification from which she graduated in December 2022.

Stella lives in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, VA, with her family, including her dog Rupert, rescued from a shelter in Atlanta where she had previously lived. Her hobbies include running and reading.