April 8: Lorri Houston
 
Lorri Houston; Founder of Animal Acres

Where she's from: Wisconsin
Education: Master of Public Administration and Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison
How old she was when she began rescuing animals: Five years old!

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Lorri Houston is considered the "pioneer" of the farm animal sanctuary movement. In 1986, she opened the country's first shelter for farm animals as co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, at a time when rescuing and protecting farmed animals was unheard of. Over the years, Lorri has directly saved thousands of animals from inhumane living conditions and has brought national attention to the plight of animals. Her efforts have been featured prominently in the news media (The New York Times, CBS This Morning, Wall Street Journal), documentaries and books.

In 2005, Lorri founded the nonprofit organization Animal Acres, the Los Angeles Farm Animal Sanctuary and Compassionate Living Center. In just five years, Animal Acres grew into one of southern California's premier animal protection organizations, rescuing hundreds of animals and educating millions of people about her important work.

Lorri is a native of Wisconsin, and received Master of Public Administration and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A lifelong animal advocate, Lorri began rescuing animals at the age of five, and became a vegetarian at age 16. While attending UW-Madison, she organized the campus's first major demonstration for animal rights in 1983, which drew over 3,000 participants.