Founders

ABOUT Rhonda-T and mitch

Growing up in New England, and spending days with dogs, parrots, horses, and a host of rodent friends, at 11 years old, one half of Terra’s founding team decided being vegetarian was the most just way to live.  After moving to Spokane in 1981 and graduating from The Evergreen State College  with distinction in Behavioral Science, Rhonda-T would learn it was veganism that was the most just.  She has been the President and Director of the Sanctuary since 2015, and the Manager of Sales and Marketing for an Outdoor Advertising company since 2008. Her career in sales and marketing communications has spanned over 35 years. Rhonda-T’s experience also consists of corporate recruiting, and over a decade of project management for a local airport’s fixed base operation.  

She also serves served as a director on the board of the region’s largest animal sanctuary and has several social media pages dedicated to issues surrounding animal rights and veganism.  Rhonda-T has additionally been a member of several non-profit boards and committees within the community.  

The second half of Terra’s founding couple is a Washington Native with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and a minor in economics from Eastern Washington University. He also holds an AAS degree in Water Resources from Spokane Community College. Mitch serves as Vice President and Treasurer of the Sanctuary and is currently employed by an environmental state agency as a Hydrologist. He also has extensive experience in data management and inventory control.

Rhonda-T and Mitch founded Terra because they saw a need. They witnessed an extraordinary number of sentient individuals desperate for care and lifelong support and vowed to do whatever they could to make a difference in the lives of these beings. The bulk of the financial responsibility for running the sanctuary falls on the Founders. A gift of monetary support helps them succeed at their mission.