Who We Are

• Meet our Staff
• Meet our Board
• Meet our Advisory Council

Staff

Maya Gupta, MS, PhD
Executive Director

Dr. Gupta holds a BA from Columbia University and an MS and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia, where her research focused on applying information about the connections between animal abuse and domestic violence to enhance the prediction and understanding of abusive behavior. She is the author of several publications on animal abuse and domestic violence, and is a frequent invited speaker on this topic both locally and nationally. Pursuing this passion, she joined the Board of Ahimsa House in 2007, and served as its President until taking on the role of Executive Director in Spring 2010. Dr. Gupta also serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence; as the Vice Chair of the Cobb County Domestic Violence Task Force; on the Animal Cruelty Advisory Council of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys; as Chair of the Section on Human-Animal Interaction in the American Psychological Association; and on the steering committee for the National Link Coalition. She is a certified trainer for the AniCare assessment/treatment model for juvenile and adult animal cruelty offenders. She previously served on the National Network to End Domestic Violence's Working Group on Efforts to Address the Link Between Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and Animal Abuse; on the National District Attorneys Association's Advisory Group on Animal Cruelty and Fighting; on the Advisory Board of the California organization Not Without My Pet; as advisor to the Animals and Society Institute's AniCare Child Evaluation Study; and as evaluator for the End Dogfighting Campaign of the Humane Society of the United States. In 2012, she received the Task Force Member of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. Prior to joining Ahimsa House, Dr. Gupta founded the Magi-Cat Adoption Network animal shelter in Athens, Georgia, and was involved in the rehabilitation and retraining of Thoroughbred racehorses.

Myra Rasnick
Program Services Coordinator

Ms. Rasnick received her bachelor's degree in Psychology at James Madison University with a concentration in Women's Studies. While completing her degree, she began volunteering on the crisis line at Citizens Against Sexual Assault (The Collins Center), where she was later employed as the Program Assistant. Upon graduation she relocated to the metro Atlanta area, where she worked as the Advocacy Coordinator for the Gwinnett Sexual Assault & Children's Advocacy Center for almost 5 years. In her current position at Ahimsa House, Ms. Rasnick manages the crisis line and provides assistance to victims of domestic violence seeking shelter for their pets. She also coordinates Ahimsa House's foster home program, in addition to developing Ahimsa House's relationships with domestic violence shelters, veterinary clinics, and boarding facilities throughout Georgia. Ms. Rasnick is dedicated to working to assist victims and end violence against women. She has extensive volunteer experience, including facilitating a children's support group at a local domestic violence shelter, acting as a mentor and tutor for developmentally delayed children, and providing assistance to the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault. She is also an avid animal lover and has one dog, Libby, whom she rescued from a local animal shelter.

Board of Directors

Ana Minter (President)
Director, Financial Solutions, Guidant Group

Lisa Bugni (Secretary)
Partner, Alston and Bird
 
Heather Siler (Treasurer)
Director, Business Analysis, Guidant Group

Christi Burton
Sales Consultant, Vera Bradley

Cheri Fulginiti
Vice President, Engineering, UPS

Andrew Hanna
Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial

Shannon Weathers
General Counsel, Council of Superior Court Judges

Kendra Westphal
Executive Recruiter, AquantUs, LLC

Advisory Council

David Bressman, DVM
Associate Veterinarian, Crabapple Animal Hospital

Joey Brooks
Animal Cruelty Investigator, Gwinnett County

Christy Showalter
Director of Training, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Emily Christie
Founder, Ahimsa House

Christine Cox, Esq.
Attorney

Paul Ebbs
Field Supervisor, Fulton County Animal Services

Annamarie Keck
Community Member

Hon. Shawn Ellen LaGrua
Superior Court Judge, Fulton County

Melinda Merck, DVM
Owner, Forensics Consulting, LLC

Merrie Rennard, LMSW
Ph.D. Fellow, Veterinary Social Work, University of Tennessee

Kelly Trogdon, DVM
Owner, Faithful Friend Mobile Veterinary Clinic

Stephen Walker
Owner, S. R. Walker Designs