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Our board
Liz Wheeler (she/her), Co-Founder, Board President
Liz is a passionate animal advocate who is dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our community. She has completed a certificate in Animal Welfare from Thompson Rivers University and a certification in Anthrozoology at the University of Windsor. In the past five years, her enthusiasm for connecting people and animals together has led her to a career as a professional fundraiser. She's worked at the Ottawa Humane Society, Humane Canada (Canadian Federation of Humane Societies) and is currently the Philanthropy Manager at Faunalytics. Liz spends her life dedicated to animals and when she's not working or running Secondhand Stories she is finding new ways to advocate for animal rights to various levels of government.
Email: liz@secondhandstories.ca
Craig Wheeler (he/him), Co-Founder, Board Vice President
Craig is a social worker and lifelong animal lover who brings his professional experience working with children and adults facing mental health challenges, addictions, and crisis situations to his compassionate animal advocacy work. Craig has extensive experience volunteering with local animal rescues and sanctuaries in various capacities, and has fostered over 250 cats and kittens, including advanced critical care cases. Through his work with chickens, Craig has developed a better understanding of their unique personalities and intelligence, finding comfort in their presence during challenging times. This connection has inspired him to become a dedicated advocate for chicken welfare, engaging city councillors on bylaw issues, writing educational blogs, and corresponding with major chicken operations to promote policy improvements. Craig leads our animal care operations and maintenance while ensuring the chickens receive daily care, cleaning, and feeding. He is our behind-the-scenes rockstar.
Haley Aldred (she/her), Board Secretary
Haley is a data analyst for the federal government who moonlights as a chicken snuggler and tireless advocate for animals. What started out as weekend volunteering with Secondhand Stories quickly became a passion for amplifying the voices of one of the world’s most misunderstood animals: the chicken. Spoiler: they love cuddles! Now as Board Secretary, Haley brings her analytical skills and empathy to shine a light on the rich, often funny, and complex lives of the chickens. Her work with the sanctuary allows her to act in alignment with her core values of compassion, autonomy, and environmental stewardship - principles that guide both her advocacy and her everyday life. Outside of spreadsheets and sanctuary visits, she’s a certified DINKWAD (dual income, no kids, with a dog), an avid yogi, rock climber, paddleboarder, and an enthusiastic collector of hobbies (somewhere between 7 and 70 at last count).
Bernard Walker, Board Treasurer
Bernard sees how the exploitation of chickens has resulted in a significantly higher degree of suffering than most, if not all, other factory-farmed animals. Many individuals assume chickens are provided a greater degree of respect than happens in reality. He believes speaking up for chickens is one of the most effective ways to reduce suffering in the world today. Also, chickens are cute. Bernard is passionate about educating the general public about the plight of chickens, both those abused in factory farms and those neglected by backyard farms. Bernard is the Cat Dad to a Pepper (a black cow-print shorthair) and some Pickles (a void of unusual intelligence).
Jo Anderson, Board Member
Jo is an advocate for animals and science. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Waterloo and has proudly put it to use for farmed animals and their advocates since 2016. From 2017-2024, Jo led a program of research dedicated to helping other animal advocates do better work as the Research Director at Faunalytics. Now an independent research consultant, she continues to support animals primarily from behind a screen, but finds contributing to Secondhand Stories' rescue work particularly motivating. Data is inherently impersonal, and Jo finds it crucial to meet the chickens and put faces and personalities to the issues, providing a regular reminder of who the work is for and why it’s worth it. Outside of work, Jo and her partner Bernard care for a bonded pair of rescue cats who also provide an adorable, demanding, daily reminder of the importance of serving animals, especially when it’s their dinner time.
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