About
Mindy Falzarano
Founder & Board President
Mindy launched Happy Animal Project, Inc. (HAPI) out of a deep love and respect for all animals. It has been a dream of hers for a very long time. She grew up with animals and always found them to be comforting and healing, especially during challenging times. She has rescued several animals over the years including cats, dogs, birds, sheep, and more.
She received her degree in General Business from Champlain College and studied Mass Communications and Filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston. She also worked for a large corporation in Boston before moving out to Steamboat Springs, CO. Her past work experience includes project management, executive assistant, and marketing in a variety of industries including tourism, education, and advertising.
In addition to being an animal advocate, Mindy also has a passion for filmmaking and learned how to tell compelling stories while studying mass communications and filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston. She enjoys telling inspiring stories through film and hopes to combine her passion for filmmaking and animals to help make the world a better place for pets, farm animals and wildlife. Happy Animal Project is a perfect way to blend her passion and experience to make a positive difference for animals.
Overall, our organization strives to provide assistance to animals in need, create and share educational content and resources, and educate people about a variety of issues affecting animals – the responsibility of pet-ownership, the importance of spay/neuter, creating change for farm animals and how they are treated and living with and protecting wildlife.
Laura Palzer
Board of Directors
Laura grew up in what was then the fairly small community of Woodinville, WA, near the foothills of the Cascades, where her passion for the outdoors and the mountainous Pacific Northwest began. She received her degree in Public Relations from Central Washington University where she worked on the student newspaper and volunteered at the Children's Activity Museum in her spare time.
After her third year at college, she joined the "Study Abroad" program, living in Rome and Florence for nine months where she studied Italian philosophy and honed her conversational Italian.
After graduation, she moved to Idaho where she worked on a ranch for a year; then off to Hawaii for five years as an event planner for a large island hotel. Longing to return back to the mainland and the mountains, she moved to Steamboat Springs, CO in 2013 where she worked for Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in the food and beverage office as the Food and Beverage Office Manager. After meeting her husband in the security line at the airport, she moved full circle back to Seattle where she currently is a proud mom of two beautiful dogs that are her entire world.
Her desire to eliminate needless suffering for all animals and help them to have a better way of life is something that is close to her heart and a project she is excited to start and provide guidance and leadership to.
Beverly Murray
Board of Directors
Beverly's story is one of resilience, compassion, and a deep-seated love for animals. Born in the quaint South Korean town of Waegwan, she faced unimaginable loss at a tender age, losing her father at two and her mother before she turned twelve. These early experiences shaped her profound empathy for all living beings.
Uprooted from her familiar surroundings, Beverly embarked on a journey to Indiana to live with her American grandparents. Navigating a new culture and language barriers, she found solace and companionship in animals. They became her confidantes, offering comfort and filling the void left by the absence of her parents.
Determined to build a new life, she pursued her education at Purdue University, immersing herself in the fields of Mathematics and Apparel Design and Technology. Her academic pursuits reflected her diverse interests and her desire to explore different avenues of knowledge.
After completing her studies, she felt drawn to the majestic landscapes of Colorado. She initially settled in Fort Collins but soon found herself captivated by the allure of Steamboat Springs. Intending to stay for just a ski season in 1996, she fell under the spell of the "Yampa curse" and made the town her permanent home.
Her journey in Steamboat Springs led her to the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. During this time, she met her husband, with whom she shared a fulfilling 25-years.
Her pride and joy is her son, a graduate of Colorado University, who has chosen to pursue his dreams in Steamboat Springs.
Throughout her life, she has nurtured a fervent dream: to end needless cruelty and foster compassion towards all living beings. Her experiences, from the early loss of her parents to her deep connection with animals, have instilled in her a profound sense of empathy and a desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her aspiration is to inspire others to recognize the interconnectedness of all life and to work together to alleviate suffering. She believes that through collective action, we can create a more compassionate and humane world for both animals and humans.
Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of empathy, and the unwavering belief that each individual can contribute to a more compassionate world. Beverly's story serves as an inspiration to all who strive to make a difference and to create a brighter future for all living beings.
