Board of Directors

Ginny Munger Kahn,  President

Ginny has served as President and a Director of LI-DOG since 2004. In that role, she has led efforts to create dog parks around Long Island including in Blydenburgh , Cherry Ave., Robinson Farm, and West Hills parks, plus the off-leash beach at Mud Creek County Park in Patchogue. Along with LI-DOG Founder Barbara Buscareno, Ginny was an integral player in the passage of legislation in 2007 to create five new dog parks in Suffolk County. Ginny serves as the LI-DOG representative on the Huntington Greenway Trails Citizens Advisory Committee where she contributed to the committee’s successful recommendation to open Huntington’s parks to on-leash dog walking. Ginny is a former freelance financial journalist. She enjoys walking her Golden Retrievers in dog-friendly parks around Huntington and throughout Long Island.

Peggy Heijmen, Vice President

Peggy is a Board Member and a Vice President of LI-DOG. Since 2012 she has been the liaison with the Town of Oyster Bay and has worked on various campaigns for access to parks and beaches throughout the Town of Oyster Bay, the Town of North Hempstead and Nassau County. Peggy is one of the leaders on LI-DOG’s current petition and campaign for access to NYS beaches. Peggy is the Parish Administrator for Christ Church in Oyster Bay, where her dogs Daisy & Blossom also work as Security Officers and Church Greeters. Their daily compensation comes in the form of belly pats and doggie treats. Peggy enjoys taking both of her dogs on walking trails and parks throughout Nassau and Suffolk County.

Chris Laubis, Vice President

Chris is a trial attorney for a major insurance company and a founder of LI-DOG’s Nassau Committee. As such, she is the leader of LI-DOG’s campaign to gain on-leash access to Nassau County parks. Chris gathered more than 1,200 names on a petition to create a dog park in Eisenhower Park a few years ago and later represented LI-DOG in discussions between Nassau County and the park’s sponsor Pet Supplies Plus that resulted in the opening of the Eisenhower Dog Park in October 2012. In addition to her work for LI-DOG, Chris has been a volunteer dog walker at a local animal shelter since 1995. Chris enjoys taking her rescue dog Daisy hiking at Massapequa Preserve and other local  parks.

Lynn Kiraly, Treasurer

Lynn is a CPA and Adjunct Professor of Accounting at SUNY-Old Westbury. She has served as Treasurer of LI-DOG and has been a member of the Board since Feb. 2009. Lynn has frequented Coindre Hall for years with all of her Labrador retrievers.

Kelly Morenus

Kelly is the newest board member of LI-DOG and helps run the group’s Instagram and Twitter pages. Kelly lives in Babylon and is a middle school social studies teacher and amateur quilter. Kelly joined LI-DOG after the Babylon mayor decided to shutter the beloved dog park she frequented. Although she was unable to save the park, she is committed to gaining greater access for dog owners to park land across Long Island, and is also involved in the campaign to gain access to state beaches. She loves visiting local parks and trails with her two rescue pups, Eli and Lucy.
 

Joann Garguola,  Secretary

Joann is a software designer and has been developing databases primarily for accounting and municipal software for over 30 years. She has been actively involved with LI-DOG since 2013 and was elected to the Board of Directors in October 2017. Joann also leads the LI-DOG’s Events Committee. In that capacity she manages all of LI-DOG’s fundraising events including our Pints-n-Paws™ Luau, Barkin’ Brunch at the Refuge, Barkentine’s™ Day, Howl-o-ween Pawty and LI-DOG’s Pack Walks™. In addition, Joann has worked on LI-DOG’s campaign for more access to Town of Hempstead parks, serves as LI-DOG’s primary photographer, and creates many designs and design elements for the organization. Joann’s rambunctious dog, Bailey enjoys seeing his friends at the LI-DOG events and packwalks. Together, Bailey and Joann enjoy walking in parks and visiting wineries around Long Island. They are looking forward to walking and playing on Long Island beaches one day soon.

Barbara Buscareno

Barbara is the founder of LI-DOG and has been a Director since May 2004. Barbara has been an integral player in all of LI-DOG’s organizational efforts beginning with her work on Coindre Hall in 1998 and continuing through the creation of dog parks in East Northport, West Hills, Blydenburgh, Robinson Farm, Cherry Ave., and the off-leash beach at Mud Creek County Park in Patchogue. Barbara played a key role in LI-DOG’s efforts to organize dog owners and gain support for the designation of on-leash dog walking trails in the Town of Huntington. Barbara trains and exercises her 2 English Cocker Spaniels – Lexi and CeCe. They both enjoy visiting many of the dog friendly parks that LI-Dog has helped create and competing in obedience and agility trials.

Elizabeth Haban

Elizabeth is a marketing, promotions and public relations professional and has been actively involved in LI-DOG since 2010. She has developed promotions that generate content to further our goals of more access to public parks and beaches for LI dog owners and their dogs. She now serves on the Communications Committee where her focus is on helping to create and design our organization’s marketing and promotional materials as well as contributing to our newly designed website, all with the goal of increasing awareness of LI-DOG and its mission. Liz and her Mutt-i-gree/Terrier mix Maxwell can be found enjoying parks and beaches around Long Island.

Ed McMullin

Ed has played a key role in LI-DOG’s campaigns and organizational efforts since 2004, including the creation of the Blydenburgh Dog Park and other dog parks under the Five New Dog Parks initiative. As webmaster and the head of LI-DOG’s Technology Committee, Ed redesigned and re-launched the organization’s website. Ed, his late wife Arlyne and their Shelties have visited over 100 dog parks throughout the U.S. and Canada.