BOARD OF DIRECTORS

	TGF's Board of Directors Julie Weiss Murad (President) President and Founder; Parrot Behavior Consultant Elizabeth, CO Julie Weiss Murad, affectionately known as The Birdbrain, has been involved with companion parrots for thirty five years. She is a national avian behavioral consultatnt based in Colorado. She has lectured both nationally and internationally and has written for several avian publications. Ms. Murad employs many ideas of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as taught by Susan Friedman, PhD, founder of Living and Learning with Parrots (LLP) which are based on the use of positive reinforcement. Julie has worked with a number of retailers, breeders, students, aviculturists, manufacturers, companion parrot "owners" and veterinarians to promote an educated awareness of the many needs of companion parrots. Julie is founder and president of The Gabriel Foundation®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1996. Headquartered in Colorado, TGF is dedicated to educating the public about the complex needs of psittacine birds through each of its seven programs: Education and Outreach, Adoption, Sanctuary, Rehabilitation, Rescue, Long-term Foster care, and Conservation.the importance of conservation to preserve the parrots in their wild habitats. In 1995, Julie opened The Birdbrain to provide information and product resources to enhance the human/parrot relationship. Always a revenue and support source for TGF, The Birdbrain became fully owned by The Gabriel Foundation in early 2008. All proceeds continue help to support the Foundation’s programs. Julie has been published nationally and internationally. In addition to her many national presentations, she has been a regular presenter at the AAV, AFA and NAVC conferences and  she has internationally Canada, the U.K., and Japan and She is a member of AAV, and a lifetime member of A.F.A. and WPT and Loro Parque Fundaçion. She is a member of A.S.A., IAATE and professional organizations in the animal sheltering community. She has traveled widely to observe parrots in their natural habitats and learn firsthand the critical importance of in situ conservation programs. Julie shares her home with many animals including a variety of macaws and cockatoo species, Amazons, Grey parrots, Eclectus, Great-bills, Poicephalus, lovebirds, cockatiels, and canaries. At Rancho Papagayo, many other animals can be found: Horses, donkeys, llama, sheep, dogs and cats – all rehomed.   Julie’s vision and philanthropy for The Gabriel Foundation have been shaped over many years and a variety of experiences. She has dedicated her resources to providing for the longeivity and future of the organization, its programs and its residents.
	Sharon Sidell (Secretary) Chicago, IL Dr. Sidell has been affiliated with The Gabriel Foundation since its inception in 1996.  Her contribution to the organization is based upon her background as an Organizational Psychologist.  She specializes in business development for non-profit organizations and has assisted Ms. Murad with organizational design and development.  Principal of the consulting firm S.L. Sidell & Associates, her area of specialization is business development and management for small, community based hospitals and health care organizations.  Sharon presently shares her Chicago loft with three parrots: J.D. (Lilac crown Amazon), Selby (Green cheeked Amazon) and Sydney (Blue headed Pionus).  J.D. and Selby were adopted from the Foundation.
	Board MEMBERS
	Shauna Roberts Battleground, WA   Shauna Roberts grew up in WA state with a love of birds. As a young girl in the early 60's, her first birds were a pair of finches as well as a pigeon and some mallard ducks.  She tamed some and raised 4 after they were abandoned. They fledged and flew in her neighborhood. She received her first parrot in 1994 from a client while working at a veterinary clinic. Soon after, she found a male Umbrella Cockatoo that changed her life by making it all about parrots.  Shauna worked as a volunteer elementary school teacher’s assistant for 7 years and then as a veterinary assistant for 5 years. She has written articles for Pet Bird Report, Good Bird and Pet and Aviary Birds magazines. In1999 Shauna donated her watercolor parrot artwork to help The Gabriel Foundation raise funds.. She has organized  fundraisers and conferences for The Gabriel Foundation in the Portland, OR area as well as in CO and she has been involved as an offsite volunteer since 1999. She has been an instrumental part of teaching TGF’s online Beyond Birdie Basics course, providing behavior consultants (with a special interest in Cockatoos) and writing for TGF’s newsletter and website. As a member of TGF and the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) she has assisted in all behavior/training labs taught at the AAV conferences around the country as well as NAVC and WVC conferences. She’s pursued her passion for parrots by traveling to Loro Parque, Japan and to places where parrots can still be seen in the wild.  Shauna and her husband Allen currently live with 15 parrots which consist of 7 Umbrella cockatoos, 2 Moluccan 'toos, 3 Hawkheads, 2  Cockatiels and a Yellow Naped Amazon. She visits TGF a few times a year and when there you will often find her hanging out with the Cockatoos.
	Allen Roberts Battleground, WA Mr. Roberts recently retired from UPS after 28 years of serving with their Corporate Management Group. Allen has been an active volunteer for The Gabriel Foundation for eight years and served as the Campaign Chair for the Capital Campaign.
	Kathleen Szabo Wellington, FL Ms. Szabo has been involved in aviculture since 1984 when she acquired her first bird. Since that time, she has gone on to become a well-respected parrot breeder working with the top aviculturists and veterinarians in the field. She has raised many rare species, providing the highest standard of veterinary care and husbandry for all birds at Luv Them Birds. She has traveled worldwide, observing parrots in their indigenous habitats, and has long been supportive of conservation. She has been intimately involved with TGF assisting with parrot relocation, aviary construction, nutrition and husbandry. With the long time collaboration of Board president, Julie Murad, Kathleen has continued to promote parrot welfare in many parrot retail stores. Operating a successful parrot breeding facility, Kathleen is keenly aware that many people will insist on acquiring a young parrot as a pet, and she actively works to promote higher standards of husbandry and accountability regarding the care of parrots in retail. She has actively assisted TGF at fundraising events and has been involved with TGF since its inception.
	Gabrielle Stodd Palm Beach, FL Ms. Stodd has been an avid supporter of The Gabriel Foundation for several years and has been involved with parrots for over a decade. Her interests include cockatoo behavior, nutrition and especially the supportive care for parrots with chronic disease. An attorney by trade, Gabby has put her focus into a comprehensive study of PDD, a disease fatal to any parrot that acquires the lethal virus.
	Jerry LaBonde, MS, DVM Englewood, CO Dr. LaBonde is the Medical Director for The Gabriel Foundation and is co-owner of Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital in Homestead, Colorado and Nelson Animal Hospital. He is the past president of the Association of Avian Veterinarians.  Dr. LaBonde has been active in avian and exotic medicine since 1986 and is a frequent lecturer at veterinary and avian related conferences throughout the country, has written numerous articles on avian medicine and diseases, and been published in some of the foremost avian medical books and journals.
	Rita Sambruna Clifton, VA An astrophysicist by profession, Rita Sambruna became interested in psittacines after acquiring her first parrot, a Jardine's named Reggie. Rita became involved with The Gabriel Foundation in 2006, and is currently fostering long-term two TGF parrots. She is an avid student of all things avian, and has been studying and teaching  behavior science under the guide of Prof. Susan Friedman. Rita is a firm believer in the power of evidence-based information to improve the lives of parrots, both in captivity and in the wild, and for all animals. She lives with her husband Joe, 7 parrots, and 2 horses in Clifton, Virginia.
	Maryellen Tison Denver, CO Lyn Tison has been a special friend of animals since a very young age. Born and raised in northern California, she grew up on a small ranch where there was always room for one more animal and remembers “always” having a budgie in the house. After finishing her master’s degree in nursing in San Francisco, she moved to Denver, Colorado in the early 1980’s. In 2001, she got her first parrot; her flock now numbers 13 parrots, including a caique, cockatoos, African greys and amazons. They amicably share her home with two poodles. Lyn is a nurse practitioner (internal medicine) working in a private practice.
	Virginia Smerlinski Denver, CO Virginia Smerlinski became a wild bird enthusiast in 1999 when she began feeding the local birds in her backyard.  A few months later she became involved with companion parrots, dedicating herself to personal and public education regarding husbandry and the application of positive reinforcement through Applied Behavior Analysis in all interactions. Ms. Smerlinski became a member in 2003 and began volunteering at TGF in 2004.  An insurance broker by trade, she brings her extensive and diverse business skills to all projects.  She has been involved with the Capital Campaign, writing, speaking, and teaching and supporting Beyond Birdie Basics.  In 2005 she adopted an Orange Wing Amazon from the foundation, and now shares her life with 3 parrots.