On behalf of the Board of Directors of Vegetarians of Central Florida (Charlie Behrens, Megan Boye, Steve Erlsten, Ryan Feinberg, and myself), we are very pleased to announce that Jessi VanPelt has been selected as the Executive Director of the group! She will be working on a number of great projects that we hope you all will enjoy and find useful. Jessi will describe those below in more detail. Thanks for your support!

"You may not be aware that Vegetarians of Central Florida and our non-profit 501c3 arm Animal Activists of Central Florida are not just Facebook/Meetup groups, but registered organizations that are managed by a volunteer Board and other volunteers. By creating a part-time Executive Director position, which will be guided by the Board, we can accomplish so much more.

I’m really excited to get started in implementing several new activities and programs, and improving our current ones. I’ve been a member of VegCF since November 2007, and volunteering for VegCF since mid 2009. I’ve been involved with everything from organizing aspects of Veg Fest and Earth Day, to planning volunteer days at local animal sanctuaries, to managing our Facebook page. I have a ton of ideas to benefit our organization and the community as a whole. I'll be working on: a veg mentor program, setting up a VegCF booth at community festivals, a member discount card, bringing our festivals up a notch, more web content, volunteer trips, and a lot more. We think you’ll be very pleased with the changes, and we hope you will support this organization that is here to serve you in your journey in vegetarianism/veganism.

A little about me: during the day, I currently work as a graphic designer, and am finishing up my degree in Organizational Communication, which involves everything from event planning, to social media, to public relations. In the future, I will be pursuing a Masters in Non-Profit Administration. I have dogs and cats, all rescues, and I also foster. I’ve been vegan since July 2009--for the animals, the environment and my health--and I love to cook and bake. I also volunteer for a couple other organizations including Carnism Awareness & Action Network. Please email me at [address removed] if you have any questions or concerns."