Meet the Protego Foundation's
Board of Directors!
Kathryn Henzler
Board President
she/her | Kathryn has a passion for anything nerdy and vegan, and is pretty much the American Hermione, complete with brown, frizzy hair. When she was in her sophomore year in college, not only did she discover the joys of Muggle Quidditch as a Keeper on the USC Quidditch team, but she also rekindled her passion of animal rights and became vegetarian. Since then, she has volunteered her time with various animal rights organizations and demonstrations. Since graduating, she has been passionate about incorporating animal rights and veganism into other areas of her life, like music, clothing and costume design, and sports. Her post-Potter series headcanon is that Hermione became vegan. |
Matthew Braun
Board Vice President 
he/him | As a motivational speaker, Matthew has spoken at conferences, marches, and rallies to encourage people to think about animals as people and to react to injustice based on species the same way that they would to other types of injustice. As a published contributing author in Voices for Animal Liberation, Matthew recounted his struggle with depression and the animal who changed his life forever. As an employment-based eyewitness investigator, Matthew's Slytherin qualities were on full display as he worked hanging chickens on a slaughter line while capturing footage that would hopefully help future generations of chickens from being born for the express purpose of being killed and eaten. As the Manager of Grassroots Protest Campaigns for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Matthew works with a team of coordinators who help grassroots activists level-up their protests, marches, and rallies by offering advice, materials, and assistance promoting their events. In his free time, Matthew enjoys vegan pizza (with pineapple), craft beer, trivia, and playing Magic: The Gathering. |
Ali Matthews
Board Secretary
she/her | Ali is an author focusing on animal, environmental, and disability rights in children's books. She's been involved with The Protego Foundation since 2020 and is excited to see the organization grow and thrive. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner and many cats. |
Toni Marsteller
Board Treasurer
she/her | Toni’s love of Harry Potter began in the 3rd grade after creating a fabulous shadowbox in a Converse shoebox of the basilisk showdown at the end of Chamber of Secrets. Over 20 years later, this book report led to countless memories of midnight book and movie releases, costume parties, lasting friendships, and constant analyzation of every person’s Hogwarts house. Toni’s nonprofit board experience extends over a decade and she has made her career in higher education development. After being a friend and supporter of Protego over the years, she is excited to bring her nonprofit and development experience to the team to help the organization grow in its mission. |
Parth Parekh
Board Member 
he/him | Parth was introduced to Harry Potter by binge-watching the first 4 movies in India. Once he found out that they were based on books, he decided to become a reader. Harry Potter was Parth's gateway for diving into the Western fantasy world. Later, he moved to Canada, where he currently resides. Being vegetarian from birth, finding suitable options in a foreign country proved to be a challenge. Researching options led him to discovering the many issues with animal agriculture. He decided to go vegan in 2021 with the help of a found community from podcasts like The Chickpeeps and ProtegoCast and he has never been happier! |
NICOLE HERING
Board Member 
she/her | Nicole has been a vegan since 2020, a Gryffindor for a quarter of a century, and an animal lover for life. She now lives in the mountains of Colorado with her companion dog, Loki. Fun fact: Nicole actually has a lightning-shaped scar on her forehead! |
Miguel Stonecipher
Board Member
he/him | Miguel is a Houston, Texas transplant, and an El Paso, Texas native. He started his Harry Potter journey in fourth grade when he attended his school's Harry Potter book club. He and his theatre friends would camp out before every movie premiere in high school. He became vegan for health reasons in 2019, but after watching many documentaries and listening to podcasts (including ProtegoCast), he has become an animal rights advocate. On his downtime, Miguel loves to cook, perform in musicals and operas, and watch RuPaul's Drag Race. He lives with his husband and best friend (rescue dog) Jack. |
