JOHN PATTERSON & NIKKI VALKO PATTERSON

Nikki Valko Patterson and John Patterson are the co-founders of Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary. Both lifelong animal lovers, they finally realized their dream of opening an animal sanctuary. They saw that they had the space for large animals to roam, and they focused on farm animals, since they are the animals with the least protections. Former Santa Monica residents, and neither having any former farm animal experience, they both had a lot to learn! They dove into the deep end, head first, with a commitment to bring compassion into the lives of farm animals, highlight their unique personalities, and to foster the human-animal connection.

Nikki worked in the entertainment industry for 30 years before opening the sanctuary. An Emmy award winning Casting Director, she now focuses on a whole new cast of characters, such as Fuzzy the sheep and Casper the goat, among more than 100 others. The sanctuary is named after Nikki’s mom, Martha, who instilled in her an empathy and love for all animals.

John spent his long career first as a Partner at Andersen Consulting and then at the United Nations, working to help countries with their development programs. He now spends his days focusing his energies at the sanctuary making sure all the animals have the ability to flourish.

Kevin Cabaniss

Kevin Allen Cabaniss is a Central Coast local with more than 20 years of experience in real estate and marketing. He’s a proud Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alum. When he’s not helping clients find their dream homes, Kevin is living his dream as an animal advocate. From a young age, his love for animals has been unwavering, and today, he volunteers weekly at Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary. Whether it’s closing deals or caring for creatures, Kevin’s passion shines through in everything he does.

Sharon Klein

Sharon Klein currently serves as head of Casting, Disney Entertainment Television, where she leads the casting teams of 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, Freeform, Onyx Collective and Walt Disney Television Alternative. She is responsible for the casting of all series and pilots, identifying talent for holding deals, and spearheading casting and talent strategy for the numerous entities now under her purview.

Most recently, Klein and her team led the search for a trio of fresh young stars – Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri – for the hit series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”; added Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd to the star-studded cast of “Only Murders in the Building”; and cast Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart and Demi Moore as the Manhattan socialites at the center of “FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans.” Casting on upcoming series includes “High Potential” starring Kaitlin Olson for ABC, “Under The Bridge” starring Riley Keough for Hulu, “Tracker” starring Justin Hartley for CBS, and the Untitled Erin Foster comedy starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody for Netflix.

Previously, Klein served as EVP, Casting, Disney Television Studios and FX Entertainment, and oversaw casting on such recent successes as “Dopesick,” “The Dropout” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Only Murders in the Building” for Hulu; “Feud,” “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Genius: Aretha,” “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” “Mrs. America” and “The Old Man” for FX; “UnPrisoned” for Onyx; “Big Sky” and “The Rookie: Feds” for ABC; as well as “American Born Chinese” and “National Treasure: Edge of History” for Disney+; and “Bad Sisters” and “The Last Thing He Told Me” for Apple TV+.

An Emmy® Award-winning casting director, Klein led the former 20th Century Fox Television’s casting team for two decades, assembling the ensembles of projects like “9-1-1” and “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” “Empire,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Glee,” “Homeland,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Modern Family,” “New Girl,” “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story,” “Pose” and “This Is Us,” and among dozens of other series. She worked with such creative talents as Lee Daniels, Dan Fogelman, Erin and Sara Foster, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Liz Heldens, Ron Howard, Jenni Konner, Thomas Kail, Steve Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Seth MacFarlane, Liz Meriwether, Raamla Mohamed, Ryan Murphy, Liz Tigelaar and countless others as the studio’s chief casting executive since 2001.

Prior to joining the studio, Klein served as an independent casting director and won an Emmy for casting the HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.” Klein is a graduate of Brandeis University and a native of New York.

Dr. Carolina Lopez

Dr. Carolina Lopez hails from the widely-respected Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos. In addition to being Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Lopez has a special interest in teaching and mentors interns and externs at Alamo Pintado. She is passionate about providing clients with thoughtful continuing education.

​Alamo Pintado is renowned for its comprehensive equine veterinary services. Established in 1972, the center offers advanced medical technologies and treatments, including state-of-the-art surgical facilities, diagnostic imaging, regenerative medicine, and wellness care.

Lisa Olin

Born and raised in New York, Lisa moved to Los Angeles after college and worked as a Producer/Executive in the film and television industry for 20 years. Having a passion for all things cake, Lisa used her vision and producing skills to create Cake Monkey Bakery in 2007, a Los Angeles based retail and wholesale bakery, still going strong after 18 years. Cake Monkey has earned national acclaim and has been featured on The Food Network and the Cooking Channel as well as in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and other publications.

An avid animal lover, Lisa lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband, Jeremiah, her dog, Ella and her rascally cat, Chewie.

Mary Clare Patterson

Mary Clare Patterson is a public defender based in Trenton, New Jersey, working for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. She represents adult and juvenile clients who are charged with criminal and juvenile offenses in New Jersey state courts when the court determines that they cannot afford to hire private lawyers. Mary Clare is a graduate of Tulane University, and received her law degree from Rutgers University. She worked as a Legal Advocate in the Civil Defense Practice of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, in New York City. She also interned with the New York County Defenders and with the Pan American Health Organization. She is an animal lover and supports the Board with her professional and legal expertise.