Heidi has been with ARC in one capacity or another for over three decades. She says, “It was obvious to me from the beginning that ARC is an extraordinary organization that I wanted to be a part of. All these years later I still want to be a part of it!” Having earned a doctorate from Purdue University in the Sociology of Health & Medicine, Heidi became interested in the animal rights movement primarily because of vivisection and the use of animals in research. At that time she also went vegetarian after seeing a flyer that said, “Why do we call some animals pets and other animals food?” Going vegan happened for her several years later at an animal rights conference in Madison, Wisconsin, while watching the horrors of what happens to male baby chicks in the egg industry. As President of the ARC Board of Directors, Heidi hopes to expand the animal rights community by encouraging activism and volunteerism. In her downtime she enjoys hiking and tending to her flower gardens. Heidi lives in the south metro with Abbie and McGee, two rescued Yorkies who make her smile and laugh every day.