Board of Directors
Kelly Bankston
Board Member
Kelly Bankston
Originally from Rochester, New York, Kelly brings a wealth of experience in finance, leadership, and nonprofit governance. With a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Kelly built a distinguished career in corporate America spanning over three decades. Kelly has held roles at Bank of America, Wachovia, and currently works full-time at Citibank, contributing to strategic initiatives, risk management, and financial stewardship.
After moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, Kelly lived there for 25 years before relocating full-time to Fernandina Beach in 2020. This transition marked a renewed commitment to community involvement and hands-on service, particularly in animal welfare.
A lifelong animal advocate, Kelly began volunteering with local rescue groups around 2010. Kelly founded and led a running group at a local shelter, Dogs on the Run, promoting wellness and companionship for shelter dogs. In 2016, Kelly joined the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Tails of the Trail, where Kelly regularly hikes shelter dogs throughout the community. In 2020, Kelly assumed full-time leadership of the program as Director, operating in Fernandina Beach with a dedicated team of volunteers to advance adoption and welfare initiatives.
An avid adopter of rescue dogs, Kelly currently shares her home with three rescue dogs, reflecting a personal commitment to animal rescue and welfare.
When asked to join NHS Board of Directors, it felt like a perfect fit—aligning professional expertise with a strong passion for community service. Kelly looks forward to contributing to NHS, guiding strategic growth, governance and program development, continuing to advance the organization’s vision for the future.
Ed Hardee
Secretary
Ed Hardee
Ed Hardee grew up in Fernandina Beach with his family, which always included a dog. His (hazy) recollection is that the nearest veterinarian's office was in Oceanway. He says, “I’m so grateful to my parents for allowing my brother and me to have dogs throughout our childhood,” which fostered a lifelong love of animals.
After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in communications from Florida State University, Ed embarked on a newspaper career that included editing roles at the Tallahassee Democrat and Miami Herald. He gained experience in writing, editing, promotion, photography and layout, which proved valuable in his favorite job of all – volunteering at NHS in his retirement, starting as a dogwalker in the early 2000s. Armed with a pocket-sized Flip video camera (you can look it up!), Ed began shooting videos of dogs as he walked them, then posted them on a pet-adoption website. In those early days before Facebook and iPhones grew popular, the videos prompted people from hundreds of miles away to adopt from NHS, and earned Ed a spot on the board. He has served as board secretary since 2017.
“I’ve always felt our area was fortunate to have a Humane Society with so much community support, and it's been amazing to watch its growth,” Ed says. “Our area is so pet-friendly, and so many people have contributed to NHS's progress through the years – now more than ever. I'm grateful to have been even just a small part of it, and excited for our future.”
(Photo: Ed with his NHS rescue dog, BeeGee.)
Beth Hughes
Treasurer / Past President
Beth Hughes
Beth joined the board in 2013 and has served as president several times. She grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and graduated from Harvard University with a Slavic Studies degree. She spent a semester at Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) University in the Soviet Union in 1977, then went on to get her law degree from the University of Maryland. Beth and her partner moved from the D.C. area to Amelia Island full-time in 2012 after having had a second home here since 2002. Beth practiced corporate, securities and mergers and acquisitions law in Baltimore, D.C. and Northern Virginia for a major law firm for more than 30 years.
Most importantly, Beth has had dogs all of her life and can’t imagine being without one. She and her partner currently have a senior rescue dog. They have typically adopted older dogs who are less likely to find homes.
Beth says, “Serving on the NHS board is such a rewarding opportunity. The staff at the shelter truly are animal lovers and work very hard every day to make our shelter animals’ time with us as good as it can be. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated people. In addition, we are fortunate to have a team of devoted volunteers who perform many different tasks to help staff, such as walking dogs, working in our catteries, keeping our dog park pool clean and performing tasks inside the shelter.”
In addition to the shelter and dog park, NHS has two resale stores, Second Chance and The Closet. Beth says, “The success and growth of these stores and their contributions of funds to the shelter operations has been amazing! The shelter simply could not operate at the level it does without the stores. The stores’ staff and volunteers are so dedicated to the mission of NHS and work incredibly hard to allow NHS to succeed. I feel lucky to be part of this organization and am grateful to all those who support us.”
(Cutline: Beth adopts senior dogs who typically are less likely to find homes.)
Kevin Mahony
Board Member
Kathy Smeraglinolo
President
Kathy Smeraglinolo
Kathy and her husband Tony moved to Amelia Island full-time from the Northern Virginia area in 2017, and took up golf, pickleball, and rescuing dogs shortly thereafter. They have a combined family of two sons, a daughter, four grandchildren, and currently two rescue dogs. They enjoy walking the trails and the beach with their dogs, Brody and Stella.
Kathy spent her 30-year career in the government contracting industry, primarily supporting the Department of Defense. She held roles of increasing responsibilities and leadership in the financial and business operations field. Her role prior to retiring in 2015 was VP Business Operations/COO for a $2-billion publicly traded corporation. Her time since retirement has been focused on volunteer work, and she continues to volunteer weekly at NHS walking and caring for our dogs and cats.
“My passion is for animals,” Kathy says. “By adopting your best animal friend, you’ve made a positive and enormous effect on that life and others that come after. Let’s make spay/neuter common practice.”
(Kathy with her NHS rescue dog, Brody.)
Joyce Tuten
Board Member
Joyce Tuten
Joyce Tuten is a retired high school science teacher and taught wherever the Army sent her family. Her husband’s family owned a place in Fernandina for fifty years, so retirement brought them here in 2020. Prior to serving as a City Commissioner, Joyce spent her time volunteering on turtle nest patrol, shorebird nest stewarding, horseshoe crab tagging, Florida state Envirothon, Wild Amelia (KNB), Invader Raiders (invasive plant removal) and Conserve Nassau. She grew up with a Newfoundland and his boss, a loveable stray cat her family adopted. She and her husband have taken in 4 rescue cats over the years, some of whom served as the bosses to our beloved Golden Retriever we lost many years ago. Our Labrador Piper is now living her best life here on Amelia. She especially loves to swim at the beach (on leash!). Joyce feels strongly that our treatment of animals is a reflection of our deeper compassion, empathy and love for one another.
Robin Wrinn
Vice President
Robin Wrinn
Robin is a retired, Atlanta-based public relations executive with tenure at Fortune 100 and 500 companies. She joined the NHS Board of Directors in 2023. A native Floridian from the Tampa Bay area, Robin completed both her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and Master of Arts in Mass Communication at the University of Florida. She and her husband Steve moved to Amelia Island in 2018.
Robin began volunteering at the NHS cattery after the loss of her beloved cat, Sydney. If not at the shelter coaxing a new intake cat to purr, she can be found working volunteer shifts at The Closet, NHS’s resale retail clothing operation. Passionate on animal welfare, Robin is impressed by the unwavering and genuine care NHS’s dedicated staff provides to each dog, cat, occasional bunny and guinea pig, as well as the organization’s regional outreach.
In Robin's words, “NHS is a staple in our community, and plays a crucial role in the lives of homeless, lost or abandoned animals on and off the island. Beyond that, its funding aids human companions struggling to care for and keep their cherished pet. As a member of its board, I am gratified to play a small role in NHS’s mission to better the lives of innocent, loving animals.”
(Robin and her sweet Sydney.)
