Our Team
James Dascoli - Founder, Treasurer
Jim’s first experience with German Shepherds was as an infant looking up at a 120-pound GSD named Duke. At 6 he held his breathe until his dad chose the little white German Shepherd that no one wanted. It was only natural that as an adult he would be working with German Shepherds. As an adult, the first two dogs Jim and his wife Arlene took in were a 7-year-old GSD and a 6-year-old Husky. Jim served as President of Garden State German Shepherd Rescue from 2008-2009 and 2011-2013. When not rescuing dogs or studying Stoic philosophy, Jim is helping to keep dogs in their home by offering training services with Canine Dimensions.
Jim Silverstein - Secretary
Dogs and dog hair have been the fabric of Jim’s life for over 50 years. Jim has been bringing home rescued German Shepherds into his home ever since moving to New Jersey over 25 year ago. He hasn’t stopped and now not only a foster and adopter of Sedona Shepherd dog, but now our Secretary. As the former owner of Rix Pool and Spa, Jim brings his business acumen to our team. On his free time, Jim is an avid gardener, golfer and enjoys some good rock and roll. When he needs to get his Siberian Husky fix, Jim heads up to Alaska and volunteers for the Iditarod Trail Committee every February.
Lisa Fardella - President
Lisa has been volunteering for social and animal causes for over two decades. Even as a child, she had a passion for German Shepherds which eventually led to her involvement with German Shepherd rescue. Lisa dedicates herself to being a voice for the voiceless through social media and marketing, video production, transporting, fundraising and events. She has a hand in all aspects of finding the forever homes for the loyal and intelligent dogs at Sedona Shepherd. Lisa spends her days going back 90 million years in time as a manager at Field Station Dinosaurs.
David Katona - Board Member
David Katona is a man of many talents. Walk down the streets of lower and midtown Manhattan with him and you would wonder if he were in politics as he inevitably runs into someone he knows. David has been active in philanthropic ventures, for many years especially with his work with the Milken Institute, Friends of Acadia and The River Fund. David brings exceptional business talents to our board as well as a love for dogs. He graduated from Bates College, enjoys as much time in the summer on Mount Desert Island in Maine as possible (with his family dog Barley).
Michael McConnell - Board Member
At age 6, Michael got his first German Shepherd puppy named Heidi from the Seeing Eye Dog Foundation. Heidi lived for an incredible 16 years and fired his passion for German Shepherds. He is dedicated supporter and also board member for Common Sense for Animals, a no-kill shelter in Western Jersey. He lives in beautiful Tewksbury NJ.
Patricia Rode - Adoption Coordinator
In 2014, Patricia was looking for a German Shepherd rescue to include in a benefit she was holding in honor of her beloved German Shepherd, Sonny Boy, who crossed over to heaven just after his sixth birthday. Someone told her about this guy named Jim, who was creating a rescue for adult and senior German Shepherds, and the rest is history. After the benefit, in 2016, she began to volunteer for Sedona so that she could help other shepherds in Sonny’s name, and also became a certified Pet Loss & Bereavement Counselor, a Grief Educator and an End-of-Life Pet Doula. Patricia volunteers with Sedona doing behind the scenes work with applications. Patricia now lives with her dog Emma, and the ‘kitten’ family,’ a rescued mom and her offspring, in midcoast Maine.
Lisa Fardella - Social Media and Marketing
Lisa has been volunteering for social and animal causes for over a decade. Even as a child, she had a passion for German Shepherds which eventually led to her involvement with German Shepherd rescue. Lisa dedicates herself to being a voice for the voiceless through social media and marketing, video production, transporting, fundraising and events. She has a hand in all aspects of finding the forever homes for the loyal and intelligent German Shepherds. Lisa spends her days going back 90 million years in time as a manager at Field Station: Dinosaurs and is the proud mom to Jaxon, her GSD.