Board of Directors
Suzanne Amos
Director
Suzanne Amos
Suzanne Amos is a native Southern Californian and recently moved to Amelia Island after 24 years in Baltimore, MD. She has spent her life embracing a love for pets, and had the honor of serving on the Baltimore Humane Society board for many years. As a resident of Amelia Island, Suzanne says, “Having the opportunity to work on the board of the Nassau Humane Society is a pleasure.”
She has lived and worked out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, then moved to the U.K., and retired after 34 years with United Airlines. She lived and worked in London with frequent business trips to India, the Orient and Pacific Rim, and assignments involving government work and aircraft certifications. She eventually settled in Maryland and embraced an opportunity to help the Baltimore Humane Society, while also serving as an Aviation Commissioner for the state of Maryland, a member of the Baltimore Airport Board, and member of the Maryland State Arts Council board.
Throughout all these moves and travel, Suzanne's passion for the care of animals has remained strong. She says, “I'm looking forward to many years helping to grow the Nassau Humane Society for this wonderful community, and proud to be involved.” She and her husband are the proud best friends of two Bernese Mountain Dogs, Amelia and Roland.
(Photo: Suzanne with Roland, 140 pounds of love and snuggles.)
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.)
John Landregan
Assistant Treasurer / Past President
John Landregan
John Landregan is a mainstay of the Nassau Humane Society, and his contributions to NHS cannot be overstated. He spearheaded the fund-raising campaigns for the NHS Adoption Center, which replaced dilapidated structures that had been the shelter’s home, and the NHS Dog Park. He brings four decades of financial experience at General Electric to the NHS board, where he has served for 18 years. He is the longest-tenured board member and has held all three executive positions, president, vice president and treasurer.
John was born and raised in Jacksonville. His career in finance and accounting management positions at GE took him to Tampa and Louisville before he relocated to Amelia Island in 1996. He is married with two children, and his wife Penny was the driving force behind our highly successful Second Chance and Closet resale stores. When the Adoption Center opened in 2014, following the Dog Park's 2009 launch, the combined “Landregan Campus” was dedicated in their honor.
In addition to volunteering for 20 years at NHS, John has been a mentor in the Take Stock in Children program for 5 years. He says, “My support and passion is helping children find their place in this world through solid education and establishing confidence in their own abilities. I believe a community that doesn't take responsibility for its homeless animals lacks compassion for its citizens. To be real, compassion requires action, not just words.
“I believe the Nassau Humane Society continues to demonstrate its compassion for all of the homeless animals in our community.”
(Photo: John with his NHS rescue dog, Dixie Belle.)
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.)
Jared Standerwick
Director
Jared Standerwick
Jared Standerwick is a strategy-minded and solutions-oriented leader with more than 15 years of experience in banking and finance. Prior to making Amelia Island home in 2018, Jared spent nearly 20 years in Oregon, graduating from Oregon State University with degrees in finance and management.
Jared is passionate about supporting charitable organizations that make a positive difference in the community, especially those that support children, provide access to social services, or support animals. As a parent of multiple rescue dogs (including his current dog, Mandi), he is a lifelong lover of animals and an advocate for animal compassion and the human-animal bond.
“I believe that animals need an advocate and I view Nassau Humane Society as an incredible resource for the welfare of animals in our community,” Jared says. "As our community continues to grow and evolve, I see an ongoing need for the support of animal welfare, and I’m encouraged by the foundation and opportunity that NHS has to continue making a positive difference. I believe it is up to all of us to drive positive change in our community and I’m thankful to be in a position to contribute to the mission and vision of Nassau Humane Society.”
(Jared and his rescue dog, Mandi.)
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.)