MO4PAWS WAS FOUNDED BY PASSIONATE PEOPLE WHO ARE DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF ANIMALS.
Monica Wiesener
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Ever since childhood, Monica had two loves in her life, animals and sports. Before MO4PAWS, Monica played Division I college tennis on a full scholarship at UC Berkeley and USD where she graduated with a Bachelor in Business Administration Economics. After college, she played professional tennis on the WTA Tour until she got injured. Following her tennis career, Monica experienced different ventures in real estate, modeling and acting, to working as an Enterprise Sales Executive at prestigious companies like Apple, Gartner, and Salesforce.com.
In 2018, Monica decided to take her love and devotion for animals to the next level by launching MO4PAWS. Combining her business acumen and love for animals, she has made it her mission to work towards a world where animals are valued and protected. Monica and her husband share a home ruled by 3 cats and a dog.
Lauren Gruwell
VICE PRESIDENT
Lauren Gruwell is a successful business professional in the Technology Industry, and Vice President of MO4PAWS. Prior to following her dream into animal welfare, Lauren worked at Apple in the Enterprise Sales organization where she first met Monica. They not only became instant friends, but also quickly realized they shared a very similar passion and vision when it comes to companion animals and animal welfare.
Lauren has continued on at Apple to work as a Manager in the Worldwide Enterprise Partner organization, and currently in a role in Channel Partnerships on the Apple Pay team.
At MO4PAWS, Lauren oversees innovative programs aimed at promoting the human-animal bond, advocating for shelter reform and adoption, and strategic planing for the MO4PAWS flagship Adoption Stores.
Lauren and her husband currently share a home ruled by two rescue pups named Tanner and Ted. They are one of the many inspirations for Lauren’s desire to help save dogs and other animals in need!
Dr. Stanko Bjelajac, DDS
TREASURER
Dr. Stanko Bjelajac, DDS is the owner of Mulcahy Family Dentistry in Palo Alto and Treasurer of MO4PAWS. Stanko’s goal as Treasurer is to help MO4PAWS acquire and maintain the much needed funds to continue to help saves lives and educate communities about our mission.
Stanko met Monica at UC Berkeley and quickly after became an avid animal lover. After graduating from UC Berkeley’s Molecular Cell Biology program, Stanko turned his love of science into a passion for dentistry and his love for animals into a passion for animal welfare.
Stanko shares a home with Monica ruled by cats and their rescued Malamute and Samoyed mix named Simba who they saved from Downey Animal Shelter. One of the most influential animals in their life was Amelia the cat they rescued from Downey Animal Shelter. Amelia unfortunately passed away at a very young age.
Daniella Monet
HEAD OF BRAND AWARENESS
Daniella Monet is a prominent member of the animal welfare community and an American actress and singer, who is best known for portraying Trina Vega on Victorious, Rebecca Martin on Zoey 101, and Bertha throughout the Fred series.
As a longtime animal activist and passionate vegan, she has become a huge voice for this movement. At MO4PAWS, Daniella is the Head of Brand Awareness and oversees initiatives in promoting animal welfare and strategic brand development.
Daniella and her fiancé currently share a home ruled by two rescued pitbulls named Jake and Sofi.
We are so grateful to have Daniella on the board of MO4PAWS. She is truly an inspiration.
Ashley Marie
HEAD OF BRAND STRATEGY
Ashley Marie is the CEO of A. Marie Jewelry and serves on the board of MO4PAWS as Head of Brand Strategy.
Ashley has demonstrated a successful history of working in the luxury goods and jewelry industry and has many skills in numerous areas ranging from Sales, Marketing, Jewelry Design, Fashion, and Social Media. Before starting her own jewelry business, she focused on Law and Political Science at California Lutheran University.
Ashley and Monica teamed up to create the ALL PAWS ON DECK AMJ x MO4PAWS jewelry line where all the proceeds go towards saving the lives of companion animals and helping MO4PAWS fund their first Adoption Store. A collaboration doesn’t get any better than this when you combine compassion and love for animals & fashion.
Ashley currently shares a home with three rescued dogs who are one of the many inspirations for Ashley’s desire to give back to animals in need and be part of the incredible mission that the MO4PAWS team works towards every minute of every day.
Ryan Gabler
SECRETARY
Ryan Gabler is an attorney at the Law Offices of Gerald Marcus, specializing in personal injury matters including automobile accidents, slip/trip and falls, premises liability, dog bites, and wrongful death cases. Ryan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, and his law degree from Southwestern Law School, in Los Angeles.
Ryan has been an instrumental part of the MO4PAWS team and serves on the board as the Secretary. He excels as an advocate for his clients in the court room and when it comes to animals and their rights.
Ryan and his wife Erin currently share a home with a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog named Lady that MO4PAWS rescued.
Kylie Gerber
ADOPTIONS DIRECTOR & COORDINATOR
Kylie Gerber is a longtime animal advocate and passionate vegan who serves on the board of MO4PAWS as the Adoptions Director and Coordinator. Kylie provides the vision necessary to create a phenomenal experience around adopting, and ensures that the process runs smoothly and efficiently for everyone involved.
Prior to following her dream into animal rescue, Kylie spent numerous years working in the fashion industry as a Senior Buyer for Ross. Kylie went to Monica to aid with rescue efforts of pets left behind and abandoned by their owners and who were running out of time at shelters.
Kylie shares a home with her husband and three kids, two of which are rescued fur kids (James the Russian Blue cat rescued from the East Valley animal shelter and Walter the Giant Schnauzer mix saved from China’s dog meat trade).
Ben Herrmann
HEAD OF OPERATIONS & STRATEGY
Ben is a Bay area native that currently works as a Global Supply Chain Manager at Tesla. He adopted his furbaby Midnight in 2012 (funny enough this is when he met Monica, the founder of MO4PAWS). Midnight is a black lab that loves fetch more than she loves food (seriously). In their free time you can find Midnight and Ben hiking the local trails in the bay area, jumping into the pool to cool off, or snuggling on the couch with some good Netflix.
Ben serves on the board focusing on partner outreach and business development operations. Ben has always had a compassion for dogs and animals. Monica’s passion for helping animals was contagious, and furthered his desire to join the team when Monica approached him.
Raquel Swan
HEAD OF EVENTS
Raquel Swan is a social media coordinator at Digital Standout in addition to serving on the board of MO4PAWS as Head of Events.
Raquel is an avid animal lover and incredible asset to the planning, coordination, public awareness efforts, and organization involved with the MO4PAWS Adoption and Fundraising events that allow us the opportunity to save even more lives!
Raquel and her beautiful family currently share a home with a Koko the Maltese dog rescued from Pasadena Humane Society animal shelter and a cat rescued from Downey animal shelter named Tigger.
Arielle Harrison
FOSTER DIRECTOR & DIGITAL MARKETING
Arielle Harrison is a brand strategist living in Studio City, CA. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia in a town called Malvern. She made her way west and graduated from the University of Arizona in which she earned her Bachelors in Communication. While attending the University of Arizona, she volunteered at the Pima Animal Care Center and quickly realized the abundance of wonderful companion animals found in shelters, and that not all shelters are created equally.
After graduating in 2010, Arielle moved to Los Angeles and now lives with her husband and fur baby. It was actually Monica and Erin who informed her about a local organization in Sherman Oaks called Animal Hope and Wellness which led to the adoption of her pup, Brandy. Brandy is a mixed breed who was rescued from the horrific meat trade in China. Brandy is one of the many inspirations for Arielle’s desire to help save dogs and other animals in need!
Arielle has previously worked as a Marketing Coordinator for Levi Strauss & Co.’s showroom in Los Angeles, and as an Account Manager for several other fashion and lifestyle brands.
At MO4PAWS, Arielle serves on the board as the Foster Director & Coordinator and helps with digital marketing initiatives and campaigns.
Rachel Farac
HEAD OF SHELTER ADVOCACY
Rachel is a successful business professional who dedicates a lot of time to volunteering. She was a member of the 2019 Marin County's Civil Grand Jury, is currently a member of the Junior League, a Board Member for the Marin County Mental Health Board, and on numerous committees for her city.
Rachel’s career in animal welfare began at a young age. She has volunteered all over the world helping animals in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America. Her best memory was volunteering in South Africa at the largest Rhino Sanctuary in the world.
When she arrived back, she wanted to be apart of an animal organization that was thinking outside the box, goal oriented, and not only saving animals but learning about legislation to drive change. She stumbled on MO4PAWS, and the experience has been incredible.
Rachel is Head of Shelter Advocacy for MO4PAWS, and continues to help MO4PAWS collect data on animal shelters throughout the United States. In addition, she engages in various partnerships and initiatives for MO4PAWS to create a more humane, connected community.
Ann Benavides
VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR/COORDINATOR
Ann Benavides is originally from Illinois, but has been living in the Bay Area since 2007. Ever since Ann was a little girl, she has always loved animals!
When Monica (whom she met years ago working in the technology industry) started MO4PAWS, she knew she needed to get involved. Rescuing animals and saving the lives of innocent dogs and cats is one of the most rewarding things to Ann and is something she is so passionate about.
Ann’s first rescue dog, Sonny, changed her life and the memories Sonny provided will forever be instilled in her heart. While fostering a beautiful Doxon mix that MO4PAWS rescued from Central California Shelter in Fresno, Ann ended up falling in love with the dog (Lady), and becoming a “foster fail”. Lady is now a part of her family, and will always be part of Ann’s journey as she helps MO4PAWS rescue others dogs that are in desperate need of a second chance at life from high-kill shelters.
Erin Gabler
DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS
Erin Gabler is a longtime animal lover who serves on the board of MO4PAWS as the Director of Partnerships focusing on engaging various partnerships and initiatives to promote the mission of MO4PAWS and create a more humane, connected community.
Prior to following her dream into animal rescue, Erin achieved her Bachelors in Health Science and Masters of Science in Nursing to become a Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner. Erin currently is a Registered Nurse at California Fertility Partners in Los Angeles.
Erin shares a home with her husband Ryan and their beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog named Lady that MO4PAWS rescued.
Amelia Larkin
DIRECTOR
Amelia Larkin has been an animal lover since her first breath, and is thrilled to be a part of the MO4PAWS team. Amelia believes in MO4PAWS ability to help reform the shelter system, and be the voice for these furry friends so that countless animals can be saved on a broad scale worldwide.
Through her education in human development and as a tennis teaching professional at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, Amelia has learned firsthand the positive impact of the addition of a pet to family life. Amelia aims to spread the belief that a house is not a home without a pet. She strives to do all that she can to help more people experience the love and loyalty of a shelter animal.
She grew up with her rescue kitten for 17 years, and now is the loving dog mom to Sawyer, a 10 year old rescue pup. Despite serious health concerns, Sawyer is living a happy and healthy life, as all our rescue animals deserve!
As a member of the MO4PAWS board, Amelia is excited to be a part of saving the lives of animals.
Raylene Bartolacci
HEAD OF INNOVATION SERVICES
Raylene Bartolacci is the Owner of the LALA Look and Vice President of JBN-Just Be Natural in addition to serving on the board of MO4PAWS as the Director of Innovation Services.
As a longtime animal lover, she contributes her entrepreneurial, marketing expertise, and creative spirit to MO4PAWS by overseeing innovative programs and services aimed at promoting the MO4PAWS mission and brand.
In loving memory of her beautiful dog Diesel, Raylene joined the incredible MO4PAWS family to honor the unconditional love Diesel and her will always share by helping other companion animals find their forever homes.
Andrew Gardner