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Animal Care Director
Lenore Braford (she/her) is the Founder, interim Executive Director, and Animal Care Director at the Refuge. Her drive to advocate for populations in need began in middle school when she began worked with children with disabilities.
That work continues today, but her circle of compassion widened to include farm animals when she began to question how our society views and treats them during her studies at Oberlin College. Since that time she has worked steadily to advocate for farm animals while educating the general public about the truths behind their treatment and their worth as individuals.
Lenore has been vegan since 2007 and enjoys playing music and being outdoors.
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Animal Caregiver
In 2014, Ruth (she/her) followed in her older sisters’ footsteps and became the third vegan in her family. After meeting the turkey residents of the Refuge, her mom was inspired to become vegan too. Ever since, Ruth has believed in the power of sanctuaries to change and save lives. An animal care internship at Farm Sanctuary and a lonely year of Zoom classes in 2020 led Ruth to begin volunteering at the Refuge, where snuggles with the sheep and chats with the ducks made — and continue to make — her feel most human.
Ruth is an alum of AmeriCorps NCCC and the creative nonfiction program at UNC Chapel Hill. Originally from Winston-Salem, she now lives in Carrboro, where she enjoys riding the bus for free and watching the deer meander through her neighborhood. After North Carolina, the place she loves most in the world is Palestine. She likes to eat tomatoes, tofu, and vegan ice cream — but not at the same time.
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Animal Caregiver
Originally from Massachusetts, Aviv (they/them) made their way to North Carolina in late 2020 after interning at Farm Sanctuary in New York and Wild Earth Farm and Sanctuary in Kentucky. Seeking a new place to explore, they landed in Winston Salem, where their brother resides, and they have lived in a few other cities in the state since then, including Shelby, NC, where they worked at Changing Hearts Farm Sanctuary.
Aviv made their home here in the Triangle area in 2022 and lives with their two large dogs (Biggie Smalls and Sandy Cheeks) and two senior rats (Trouble and Nepal). Aviv has had the chance to explore a variety of career paths, but their happiest is when working with farmed animals in sanctuaries. Aviv has been vegan since 2014 and has had a love for animals since childhood. When not at the Refuge you can find Aviv hanging out with their companion animals, being in nature, thrifting, and eating at the vegan spots around town.
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Facilities Director
Lala (they, them) is a lifelong tinkerer and animal lover who relocated to North Carolina in October 2023 from Los Angeles, CA where they had a successful career as a handyperson. They learned about the Refuge through a social media post shortly after relocating. At the time, Lala was looking to apply their skills in a more meaningful way, and the Refuge combined their childhood dreams of working with animals and building things.
Lala is originally from Massachusetts, has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Maryland, and has a background in biomedical sciences. When not at the Refuge, you can find them playing outside with their partner and four cats or tinkering with their vintage campervan, Big Sue.
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Design Director
Emily (she/her) is a California transplant who began volunteering at the Refuge shortly after settling in North Carolina. The magnetic pull of Piedmont was strong from the start, as she had “Sign up to volunteer at Piedmont” on her to-do list months before the cross-country move!
As the Design Director, Emily is eager to make another meaningful contribution to the Refuge's mission. With a background in art and design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she has dedicated her professional career to providing strong design support to mission-based organizations advocating for the fundamental rights of all beings.
Emily’s decision to embrace a vegan lifestyle was sparked by learning about the fate of male chicks, making the Piedmont logo particularly meaningful to her. She is committed to using design to shine a light on the soul of this special place, which is both a safe haven for some dear non-human friends, and a guiding influence to advocate for the broader community of animals we can uplift.
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Administrative Director
Laura (she/her) grew up in sunny Southern California before embarking on an adventurous 12-year journey in New York City. This time in NYC was pivotal for her career, leading her through a range of roles from office management to employee experience. The blend of her passion for hospitality and her skills in administrative support equipped her to thrive in diverse environments, from a liberal arts college to various tech startups. She traded the concrete jungle for the natural beauty and southern charm of North Carolina in 2023, shortly after her family relocated from CA to NC themselves.
Laura's vegan lifestyle began in 2020, after being inspired by her sister's transition to going plant-based. She had always loved animals but realized that "love" was indeed conditional. Making this holistic change ignited her passion for animal welfare and rights. Finding the Refuge's admin director role in a Facebook group that she had recently joined was a true stroke of luck. Laura is living her dream, getting to contribute her skills and experience to a cause that is so dear to her heart. A lover of 90s nostalgia, all things Ireland, Trader Joes, and British crime dramas, she cherishes cozy evenings at home with her dog, Stella.
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Animal Caregiver
After receiving her degree in Marine Biology at Southampton College on Long Island, Annik (she/her) taught marine environmental science to students all over the island. However, her real desire was to work with and care for animals. Annik moved to Florida in 2003 and started volunteering, ultimately obtaining a temporary position for the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park; caring for rehabilitated native wildlife who could not be released back into their natural habitats. This experience led to her 17 year career at Busch Gardens, Tampa, as an animal caregiver for a variety of animals, mainly multiple African ungulate species.
In 2021, Annik relocated to North Carolina with her husband, Matt, son, Brodie, daughter, Astrid, dog, Jack Jack, tortoise, Click Click, and bearded dragon, Didgeridoo. She has since welcomed two more members to the family, dog, Daisy and guinea pig, Frosty. Annik really missed a life that had included caring for animals and started volunteering at the Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge in April 2022. She has really enjoyed sharing her passion and experience in caring for the residents of the refuge.