Working at the intersection between animal welfare, environmental impact and the climate crisis.
WELL/BEINGS is a 501(c)(3) charity movement established 2018, dedicated to ONE PLANET WELFARE through holistic impact. A start-up venture philanthropy - disruptive in both mission and approach. Our dynamic grant making, education and awareness campaigns underscore this interconnection.
Our TRANSPARENCY
100% of your donation goes directly to our campaigns
Through the founders’ own philanthropic experiences, it was a constant curiosity where their donations were going or what was being funded. It was a core pillar for WELL/BEINGS that there was 100% transparency to our donors and that every dollar goes back to our partners.
Our MISSION
WELL/BEINGS is growing a next-gen movement
Our approach is to elevate and unite animal welfare and environmental protection by shining a spotlight on new models and helping to scale the most promising solutions.
Our VISION
We believe everything is connected
Fostering empathy, promoting education, and focusing on solution driven causes is part of who we are. It is our vision to help create a kind,
thriving, safe world for all beings.
DONATE NOW
PLANT MANGROVES
Be a part of helping plant mangroves. They save 4x more carbon than the rainforest
ANIMAL WELFARE
Help restore and save precious habitat.
We are all interconnected.
OCEAN HEALTH
70% of earth is covered in water. Every second breath we take comes from the ocean.
COMMUNITY
Support local communities in PR and BVI.
Be a part of our WELL/BEINGS Warriors.
Our CAMPAIGNS
Every 3 years we choose one critical area to raise funding and awareness for our partner organizations. We work hand in hand to create a holistic campaign that tackles tough issues. It is our goal to create connections with other thought leaders, experts and innovators working at the intersection of animal welfare and environmental protection. Each campaign is connected to the other. They build on each other to underscore our vision for One Planet Welfare.
Our CORE VALUES
We celebrate the connection and interdependence between all living beings and habitats on the planet where we all co-exist. We place our trust in collaboration and transparency and believe that together we can make incremental positive impact on the one world we share.
EVERYONE can HELP
No donation is too big or too small because every little bit helps. 100% of your donation goes directly to our campaigns because transparency in philanthropy is our priority. Every person’s contribution counts, even if it’s simply making small changes to your daily lifestyle.
Our FOUNDERS
Amanda Hearst Rønning and Breanna Schultz co-founded WELL/BEINGS in 2018 after working together for almost a decade at NYC animal welfare organizations. Amanda founded Friends of Finn, an initiative dedicated to ending the puppy mill industry, and spent three years on the Executive Board of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Currently, she is the co-founder of MAISON-DE-MODE.COM, a luxury sustainable fashion platform, and sits on the advisory boards of ethical fashion non-profits NEST and Remake.
Breanna has served on the Executive Committee for the National Council of the HSUS and is a member of the organization’s Humane Generation. She also holds a Master of Arts in Animal Behavior and Conservation and sits on the Executive Board of Animal Haven, one of the pre-eminent no-kill shelters in Manhattan.
Female founded, both women came together to build a non-profit that offers sustainable solutions to both climate change and animal welfare issues.
Our TEAM
Shanin Molinaro
Chief Marketing Officer
-
Shanin Molinaro has spent nearly two decades leading and collaborating with some of the world’s most recognizable names in fashion, e-commerce, luxury, and lifestyle brands.
Working with stellar creatives and leaders like Tom Ford, Yahoo!, Tommy Hilfiger, Nespresso, Farfetch.com and more. Shanin has been instrumental in spearheading key transformational initiatives and strategies for both products and brands, a force in leading sales growth by more than 200% both online and off. Her professional influence in philanthropy has always been at the intersection of her advocacy personally for all things good, human(e), and the overall well-being of Mother Earth. Shanin remains deeply committed to her advisory role with the charity, Musicians On Call, with whom she has been involved for over 10 years, and is the proud mum of 4 dogs and 2 incredible humans.
Sandy Pinto
Director of development
-
Sandy brings over twenty years of experience in fundraising and increasing brand awareness in the nonprofit sector. She spent fifteen years at the National Audubon Society where she oversaw all commercial use of the organization’s trademarks and large-scale national partnerships. Working with brands like Epcot, American Express, Stonyfield Farm, and Capital One; she successfully bridged nonprofit and corporate worlds, which realized significant revenue in support of birds, wildlife, and their habitats. Most recently, she worked as a development consultant building fundraising departments for smaller charities with missions that strived to protect habitat and provide social services at the community level. She is an avid cyclist and kayaker and has always been passionate about spending time in nature.
Prio Opelanio
Director, operations and programs
-
Originally from the Philippines, Prio Opelanio started his professional career working with indigenous communities in disaster risk reduction and management. He later moved to New York and has since worked in operations for for-profit companies before pivoting back to the nonprofit sector. He received double degrees in health sciences and development studies from Ateneo de Manila University, and is the self-proclaimed adoptive uncle of every dog he meets.
In late 2022, he started his career at WELL/BEINGS as the Executive Assistant to the Co-Founders.
Board of DIRECTORS
-
Doug Melville is a 20 year executive in the field of Marketing, Reputation Management and Corporate Diversity. He most recently lived in Geneva, Switzerland where he traveled to 40 countries to implement sustainability and DEI efforts in the luxury industry. In his free time Melville is an author, his debut book Invisible Generals was released on Simon & Schuster in 2023. Originally from Connecticut, Melville attended Syracuse University.
-
Brigid Fitzgerald is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, serving on the Board of Directors for the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. She is a media & technology software sales executive, and spends much of her free time volunteering to help local animal welfare organizations. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, and lives with her husband, her son and 2 rescue dogs in New York City. She is a lifelong animal lover.
-
Erin Gore has dedicated her career to helping great leaders propel purpose-driven growth whilst in parallel playing an active role in philanthropy. At SYPartners, she’s partnered with leadership at Starbucks, the Schultz Family Foundation, Georgetown University, and others, to use creativity and human-centered approaches to elevate strategies and potential.
She began her career at Bain & Company, and has held leadership roles at Purpose, The Bridgespan Group and Boston Consulting Groupher. Her experience includes work across sectors, including telecom, education, retail, consumer packaged goods, youth services, and industrial goods. Erin has written extensively on innovation and strategy for publications including the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, HuffPost, and The Washington Post, among others.
-
Vienn, before joining the Board of Directors, was CFO for WELL/BEINGS. Previous to this, Vienn worked in investment banking and venture capital. After leaving finance, she joined the lifestyle startup, Goop, as the Manager of Finance where she helped raise the company’s Series A funding round.
Vienn earned her Masters degree in Real Estate from Columbia University and Bachelors degree in Finance at The University of Georgia. She is a proud mother of two rescue dogs, Taco and Barney and one glorious human.
-
Taylor Hawes is Senior VP & Chief Financial Officer for Pacific Dental Services (PDS), a $2.5B dental services organization with over 900 offices servicing patients in 48 metro service areas. Prior to PDS, Taylor’s breadth of experience spans multiple challenging roles throughout his 25 years at Microsoft. Hawes is also a lifetime member of Financial Executives International (FEI), on the Advisory Board of USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting and Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair of Pilchuck Glass School.
-
Andrew McKechnie is a highly acclaimed marketer with over 20 years of experience building some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Apple and Verizon. He specializes in purpose-driven marketing, sustainability, and innovation as platforms to amplify brand growth. Andrew’s diverse experiences across Africa, Asia, New Zealand, and the Americas bring a truly unique and global perspective to his work. He is a tireless advocate for impactful DEI initiatives that create systemic change in the industry.
FOUNDERS circle
SCHULTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION
PAULINA CLAURE
KICK KENNEDY
Tara Smith Swibel
HILARY SWANK
ANNE HEARST MCINERNEY
Board of ADVISORS
-
Andrew deCoriolis is the Executive Director of Farm Forward where he advocates for safe, healthy, and humane animal farming. Andrew’s work at Farm Forward has been covered in leading periodicals including The New York Times, Fast Company, and Civil Eats. Andrew is currently an advisor to the WELL/BEINGS, the Game Changers Institute, The Good Food Purchasing Program, and the State Innovation Exchange. Andrew lives in Portland Oregon with his partner, son and rescue mutt Tater Tot.
-
Hassan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Maison de Mode. After studying at Parsons School of Design in New York City, Hassan launched his label "Way It Should Be," recycling and reinventing vintage couture fabrics into luxurious demi-couture collections. His passion was to help consumers make informed decisions about their purchases, fusing the way for sustainable fashion to be the standard fashion.
-
Karla has held leadership roles at the world’s top creative advertising agencies including Wieden & Kennedy, VCCP, GSPNY and 72andSunny, leading partnerships with Diageo, Heineken, General Mills, Apple, and Southern Comfort. She always had a passion for building powerful, focused teams who work with purpose and creative freedom.
After experiencing thyroid issues after the birth of her first child she co-founded Moody - a cycle tracking and wellness app. Leading the build, fundraising, team development and more, Karla remains on the board and continues her passion for women's health.
Karla is the founder of Revelry within agency, Tangerine, focused on connections, consulting and talent. She feels so lucky to spend everyday working with incredible people and brands to create transformation.
-
Masha Kalinina, Esq, coordinates The Pew Charitable Trust's cross-campaign efforts with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), working to ensure the ambitious global biodiversity strategies and sets targets adopted annually are maintained for the planet in their natural state. Before joining Pew, Masha worked for Humane Society International to protect elephants, lions, leopards, polar bears, and other species through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
-
Andrew Gray McDonnell is an adventurer and colorful raconteur driven by his curiosity for the natural world. Born and raised in Naples, Florida, amongst the Mangroves, AKA Panther, connects and advises globally recognized brands, individuals, and businesses to help bring widespread attention to urgent global environmental and safety issues. He brings huge passion and energy into everything he does. Andrew is a dedicated family man to his wife and son and currently resides in London, England.
-
Jonathan Lovvorn is Faculty Co-Director of the Yale Climate, Animal, Food, and Environmental Law & Policy Lab, which develops innovative legislative and litigation strategies to address animal, human, and environmental exploitation within the food system. He has taught courses on animal law, wildlife law, and climate policy at Yale, Harvard, NYU, and Georgetown, and published several articles concerning the intersection of animal law, environmental law, and food policy. He also serves as Chief Counsel for Animal Protection Litigation at the Humane Society of the United States, and as a board member and legal advisor to several animal and environmental protection organizations.
