Meet the Humans
Meet the drivers, the doers, and the animal lovers that make Palmas Animal Welfare run every single day. From founders, to executive officers and board of directors, each of these people play a key role in making our mission possible!
Elisabeth Cusack
Founder / President
Elisabeth Cusack built her career as a tennis coach and professional, working in club and resort management for many years before moving from South Florida to Puerto Rico in 2016 with her family and two designer Maltese dogs. While she continues to coach tennis on the island, her life took on a new dimension when she encountered Puerto Rico’s stray animal crisis.
What began as daily drives past packs of abandoned dogs and puppies soon became a personal calling. As a dedicated volunteer, she has worked tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and advocate for animals—saving lives while helping to create a more humane and healthier community for both pets and people.
Volunteer Board
Kim is a former IT Professional who built her career leading large-scale software development projects & implementations at places like Yale University, Pfizer and Verizon. Originally from the northeast, she shares her home with her husband, Harry and 3 dachshund rescues. She has 6 children stateside, as well as 16 grandkids! Show More After retiring from Yale, as a Sr. Director of Web Technologies 3 years ago, she traded technology for paint brushes and moved to Puerto Rico full-time. She now paints and volunteers her time in animal rescue. She is an active Board Member for the East End Art Guild and Palmas Animal Welfare, both in Puerto Rico. As part of the Palmas Animal Welfare team of volunteers, Kim serves as the Board Secretary and also manages the Foster program. She helps match up cats & dogs with foster families to help prepare them for their forever homes. Fostering helps our animals decompress, learn basic skills as well as learn how to properly interact with humans and other animals, which positions them to be successful in their new home. It’s amazing how quickly their personalities begin to show once they are in a loving environment and not fighting to survive on a daily basis!
Sabrina has served as a volunteer treasurer for Palmas Animal Welfare since 2018, when inspired by her daughter Rayne's, compassionate mission to help animals displaced by hurricane Maria, they connected with Palmas Animal Welfare. With a background in finance, Sabrina brings structure, transparency and heart to the Rescue's fundraising efforts Show More as she oversees donation tracking and ensuring that every dollar supports the animals who need it the most. Along with Rayne, she is often at the Palmas Farmers market and other community events raising awareness, supporting animal welfare and community resilience. Sabrina and Rayne have fostered dozens of animals and adopted their own rescue dog Sunshine and more recently kitten Binx.
Attorney, Nurse and Animal Lover
My name is Myrna Rios; I am a condominium administrator and realtor for over 30 years in Puerto Rico. I have also been involved in animal rescue for the past 15 years, I have rescued, fostered and found amazing homes for my beloved furry friends! The most important lessons I have learned is that it takes courage, a village and determination to be a voice for those who need a voice. Show More As long as I am able I will support animal rescue, knowing that one dog or cat at a time does make a difference.
Rich is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer for Park Edge Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor. He began his career in 1988 with McDonald & Company as a Portfolio Analyst and later managed the firm’s Portfolio Strategies Group where he also chaired the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. In 1997, he joined an investment Show More advisory practice within McDonald that was established in 1952 to lead a succession plan for the practice and its clients. This later became Lowrie Wealth Management, a predecessor firm to Park Edge Advisors. Active in civic and economic policy circles, Rich has served as Economic Advisor to two presidential campaigns. In 2012, he advised Herman Cain, designing the widely recognized “9-9-9 Plan” for tax reform. That work was featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC, ABC, NBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and Fox Business. More recently, he served as Economic Advisor to 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, focusing on reforms to boost economic growth and improve monetary policy. A Cleveland, Ohio native, Rich resides in Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico, where he is deeply involved in stray dog welfare initiatives. As a volunteer with Palmas Animal Welfare, he has personally rescued and fostered many stray dogs — helping prepare them to find safe and loving homes both on and off the island. He failed with two of his own fosters, Cookie and Tito, adopting them. He rarely boards a flight without bringing a puppy to a new life on the mainland. His hands-on commitment to rescue reflects his belief that every dog deserves a second chance and any act of compassion, large or small, makes a lasting difference.
Elisabeth Cusack built her career as a tennis coach and professional, working in club and resort management for many years before moving from South Florida to Puerto Rico in 2016 with her family and two designer Maltese dogs. While she continues to coach tennis on the island, her life took on a new dimension when she encountered Puerto Rico’s Show More stray animal crisis. What began as daily drives past packs of abandoned dogs and puppies soon became a personal calling. As a dedicated volunteer, she has worked tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and advocate for animals—saving lives while helping to create a more humane and healthier community for both pets and people.