President

Vice President

Gayle Hance is former hospital and non-profit administrator who has lived in the Petoskey area for 22 years. To date, she has adopted eight pets from LTBHS. Her two dogs, Honey and Jasmine as well as her kitty Olive, currently reside in her home.

Gayle has served on several area nonprofit boards over the years and currently devotes all her service oriented passion and volunteering to LTBHS.

Reading, outdoor activities and spending time with family and friends are favorite activities. Gayle and her husband Joe also appreciate music and travel.

Lori Jodar moved to Petoskey in 1976. Lori has been involved with purebred Bernese Mountain Dogs almost all of her adult life and has served the breed in many volunteer capacities including as President of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America. She is currently the President of The Berner-Garde Foundation, a volunteer organization dedicated to the health of Bernese Mountain Dogs. Lori also served on the Charlevoix Area Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, retiring in 2013. Educated as a Registered Nurse, Lori currently owns her own real estate business, Lori Jodar & Co., practicing as a broker in Northern Michigan. Lori shares her home with two amazing cats, Marigold and Tess, both LTBHS alumni.

Secretary

Treasurer

Gordon Ford graduated from Denison University with a B.A. in 1991. Presently he volunteers with the Children’s Center of Wayne County in Detroit, Michigan. Gordon previously served as Vice President of the Board of Directors at St. Peter’s Home for Boys in Detroit, Michigan. While on the Board, Gordon participated in various committees including finance, development and fundraising. Gordon lives with his wife, Tina, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan along with their pit bull mix Bosco who was rescued from LTBHS. They own a home in Harbor Springs where they spend much of their time.

Bill McKinley and his wife Celeste have been residents of Harbor Springs for over 20 years. Their love of animals stretches back to childhood, especially dogs. They live with their two dogs, Daisy and Sailor , who love to spend time hiking trails and chasing the occasional grouse in the UP. Bill enjoys utilizing his background in finance and investments to help LTBHS achieve its goals and objectives.

Board Member

Richard Bolton is an attorney with extensive experience in all areas of Private Equity, Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities. He serves as Managing Director of Dickinson Wright’s Private Equity Practice. He provides legal counsel to private equity and mezzanine firms in numerous mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, divestitures, “going private,” mezzanine finance and other similar transactions. Rick is an alumni of both Michigan State University and Northwestern University School of Law. He lives in Good Hart and Grosse Pointe Farms with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Parker. Avid dog lovers, Rick and Linda cherish the memories of Murphy, Darby, Decoy, Hunter and Remy, all of whom loved to run and play on the beach and in the woods in Good Hart.

As the senior managing director of Townsend Search Group, Peter Bridges has spent decades successfully placing senior executives, primarily within middle-market organizations. He earned his MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Northwood University.
Peter enjoys learning and developing a mastery of his passions. He enjoys several outdoor activities including skiing, hiking and boating. He also enjoys restoring old cars and aviation. In 2005, he received his private pilot’s license, and today is a commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot.
Peter and his wife Jill – also a passionate animal lover and LTBHS volunteer – have two children. The pair reside in Harbor Springs and have two dogs, a pit mix named Ollie, and a Doberman named Biggie.

Board Member

Becky lives in Petoskey with her husband, Brad, two sons and rescue pup, Freddie. She grew up in the Detroit area and attended the University of Wisconson-Madison. In her spare time, she enjoys camping and skiing with her family. She is the owner of Bearcub Outfitters in Petoskey.

Julie is a Petoskey native, holding Engineering and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan. After 33 years in product and project management with Ford Motor Company, she and her husband moved north to Petoskey. Living her retirement dream as a full-time dog mom to Bullitt and Bronco, a sweet pair of Fox Red Labs, Julie joined the LTBHS Board in 2024 to put her people, process, and business knowledge and skills to use for the organization.

Board Member

Liesa joined the LTBHS Board in July of 2023. She is a Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Prior, Liesa worked as a commercial litigation associate for the firm of King & Spalding, LLP. Liesa has a Doodle named Bailey that she spends her free time with. We are excited to have her and her wealth of knowledge on the board, serving as an advocate for animals.

Board of Directors