Dorothea Lotter: Executive Director, Chair of the Board, and Ranch Manager
Dorothea is one of the founders of The Longears Safehouse and also our Executive Director. She has a background in academia (Philosophy, English Literature, and Linguistics) and had her first experiences rescuing animals (including equine) at a very young age.
Dorothea manages our core rescue, rehab, adoption, and educational outreach programs and is our executive director, ranch manager, and member of the volunteer management team. She also currently presides over the Board of Directors until another equally or better suitable individual can be found for this function. It is her dream that someday she will be able to step aside, retire, and still watch our organization thrive, grow, and succeed.
Like all of our board members and officers, Dorothea volunteers for the rescue. In her "free time" she does paid translation work (German and English, in both directions) to fund her personal needs.
Dorothea manages our core rescue, rehab, adoption, and educational outreach programs and is our executive director, ranch manager, and member of the volunteer management team. She also currently presides over the Board of Directors until another equally or better suitable individual can be found for this function. It is her dream that someday she will be able to step aside, retire, and still watch our organization thrive, grow, and succeed.
Like all of our board members and officers, Dorothea volunteers for the rescue. In her "free time" she does paid translation work (German and English, in both directions) to fund her personal needs.
Andrew Cross: Board Member, Secretary
Andrew is the second co-founder of The Longears Safehouse and was directly involved in operations for many years. He has a B.A. in Music and Philosophy from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley. After many years in academia, he now resides in Philadelphia,”where he runs Bowtie Tours, a company that offers historical tours covering the Revolutionary period and the creation of the American republic. He misses the donkeys and continues to lend his support in various ways. Andrew acts as the secretary for our board and is in charge of the minutes of our board meetings.
Janette Burch: Board Member, Member of the Volunteer Management Team
Janette grew up in a farmer's family in Nebraska and has been a horse woman most of her life. She first contacted The Longears Safehouse about some advice after rescuing a jennet that was hard to handle. She later came to visit and promptly adopted another jennet from us as a companion for her own rescue donkey. Janette has been with us mostly in an advisory role since 2021, and she has also helped out with trailering and transporting tasks. Janette, who resides in the Pecos area, wished she lived closer to our rescue ranch, so she could be more involved in daily operations. She currently helps to manage volunteers mostly in an advisory role.
John Kuderik: Board Member & Treasurer
John Kuderik is a certified CPA and runs accounting firm Kuderik & Associates based in Santa Fe, NM, jointly with his wife Marybeth. Not only does John have a heart for donkeys and mules, but he also loves cats and occasionally sponsors one or the other of our farm cats. John currently helps to transition our books and financial reports to Quickbooks.