EXECUTIVE TEAM - BIOGRAPHIES.
Dan Rossi, Executive Director
Jack Hagerman, Associate Executive Director
As a child, Jack Hagerman founded and operated his own make-shift animal rescue – taking in stray cats, injured birds, and the occasional bunny. Clearly not learning his lesson as an adult, he co-founded a critically endangered livestock conservancy on his farm in Wisconsin, where he cared for and rehabilitated more than 400 animals in 17 different critically endangered livestock species. Think Dr. Doolittle meets Noah’s Arc.
A native Angelino, he moved back to LA to pursue an animal welfare career at Pasadena Humane. He went on to become the CEO of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, Northern New Mexico’s largest open admission, No-Kill shelter. Most recently, he ran Albuquerque Animal Welfare, New Mexico’s largest municipal animal shelter.
For several years, Jack has had a pet column that ran in 11 local newspapers throughout Southern California. In his spare time, he formulates compelling arguments to convince his husband it’s a good idea to adopt a red panda or fun-loving lemur. Or a raccoon, maybe. Or a potty-trained duck (which he’s pretty sure doesn’t exist, but still).
Bart Verry, Development Director
Bart joined the Palm Springs Animal Shelter as the Director of Development in December, 2021. Bart oversees the fundraising and marketing efforts for the Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies. Bart has been in the development field for over 25 years in Southern California, having worked for a variety of organizations such as Global Green USA, the Make-A Wish Foundation, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles and The Pablove Foundation and serves on the Board of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce. Bart enjoys volunteering as a small dog walker for the shelter, and lives in Palm Springs with his husband Mark and their dog Roxxy, who they adopted from PSAS.
Dr. Philip Caldwell, Medical Director
Dr. Phil Caldwell graduated from the Canadian Ontario Veterinary College in 1994. After graduation, he moved to Las Vegas and practiced there for twelve years before moving to Los Angeles and then to the Coachella Valley where he currently resides. He has provided nonprofit veterinary care to small animals in India as well as Cambodia. In his spare time, he is the CEO and founder of the Savong Foundation Cambodia which provides scholarships to underprivileged students who wish to pursue professional careers. More information about this philanthropic work can be found at www.savongfoundation.org. One of his passions is writing and he has completed a book called The Pet Doctor’s Shoes which details his adventures in the trenches of small animal medicine and surgery. He is very proud to be a part of the PSAS team where an enormous amount of effort goes into saving lives and adopting out great pets.
Jasmina Sumanovic, Director of Operations
Jasmina Sumanovic is the Director of Operations at Palm Springs Animal Shelter.
Originally from Germany, Jasmina grew up surrounded by animals—from dogs and cats to chickens, birds, and even a goat. She moved to the United States in 2014 for what was supposed to be a three-year assignment with an international manufacturing company, but life had other plans.
While working full-time, she began volunteering at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter as a dog handler, photographer, and foster for dogs with behavioral needs. That experience sparked a passion for animal welfare and inspired her to become a certified dog trainer and Certified Family Dog Mediator®. Along the way, she also worked with shelters in the Houston and Richmond areas, providing training, behavior assessments, and foster support.
Today, Jasmina combines her love for animals with more than 20 years of leadership and process improvement experience in her role as Operations Director. She is passionate about helping both people and pets succeed and believes every animal deserves the opportunity to find the right home.