About Us

The Pieper Olson Foundation

Where Legacy and Compassion Meet

Founded in 1937 by Dr. Pieper as Pieper Veterinary, the practice has deep roots in compassionate, as well as community-centered animal care. In 1982, Dr. Robert W. Olson and Dr. Virginia Nunez Olson purchased the practice and established Pieper-Olson Veterinary Hospital, expanding its reach and setting the stage for decades of growth. When siblings Dr. Ben Olson and Tessa Olson joined the organization in 2017, Pieper Veterinary continued to carry the family legacy forward, guided by a commitment to innovation, excellence, and leadership in veterinary medicine.

With more than 85 years of service, Pieper Veterinary has seen firsthand how financial hardship can prevent families from accessing urgent medical care for their pets—often at the most critical moments. Recognizing this need, the Pieper Olson Foundation was created in 2021 to bridge the gap between compassionate financial assistance and essential veterinary treatment. In partnership with the dedicated doctors and staff at Pieper Veterinary, the Foundation provides financial support to families in crisis, helping more pets receive life-saving care and return home to the people who love them.
Today, the Foundation stands as a natural extension of the Olson family’s long-held belief: that every pet deserves a chance at healing, and every family deserves support when it matters most.

Mission

The Pieper Olson Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to families so their beloved pets can receive essential and urgent veterinary care. With over 80 years of experience in the community, Pieper Veterinary has witnessed the devastating impact that financial hardship can have on pet health. The Pieper Olson Foundation is committed to bridging this gap by supporting families in need, providing compassionate financial support when it matters most.

Vision

The Pieper Olson Foundation will achieve its Mission through;

Compassionate Access: Ensuring pets in crisis have access to essential and urgent care, regardless of their families’ financial circumstances.

Local Commitment: Focusing on providing direct support within the local community, enabling families access to life-saving care for their pets through Pieper Veterinary.

Education & Awareness: Promoting awareness about the challenges families face when caring for their pets during emergencies and educating the community on available resources.

Sustainable Support: Building a Foundation that can grow and adapt to meet the evolving needs of the community, and ensuring the availability of financial assistance for pet emergencies.

Lifelong Bond: Fostering the unbreakable bond between families and their pets by eliminating financial barriers to life-saving veterinary care.

Over 80 years of trusted veterinary care in our community.

100% committed to keeping families and pets together.

Board of Directors

Tessa Olson

Tessa Olson is the President of the Pieper Olson Foundation Board of Directors. She also serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Pieper Veterinary. While she originally graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston University, she later received her MBA from Babson College and moved back to her home state of Connecticut to join the family business. She enjoys the close-knit family style of teamwork that comes with working in a small, community-minded business like Pieper Veterinary, and believes that the love and companionship our pets provide us with truly makes a positive impact and helps make our world a better place. Tessa has two cats, Mouse Prince and Fox Baby, and when not working, she enjoys cycling, movies, and hiking.

Dorothy Berloni

Dorothy Berloni enjoyed an extensive career in theatre before assuming the administrative leadership of William Berloni Theatrical Animals, the company her husband founded nearly 50 years ago to provide professionally trained animals for the entertainment industry. The company’s mission centers on the ethical treatment of animals and raising awareness about the plight of homeless pets.
Dorothy shares her home with an extraordinary family of rescued animals — 22 dogs, 3 cats, 3 donkeys, a macaw, and a pig — all of whom embody the company’s deep commitment to compassion and second chances.

Joshua Smith, Esq.

Joshua is an associate with Pullman & Comley LLC and works in the firm’s Business Organizations and Finance group out of the Bridgeport, Connecticut office. His practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, corporate governance, and contract negotiation. Joshua has been practicing law for 7 years with experience in litigation, appeals, employment defense, land use, environmental law, and public agency representation and governance.

Joshua, originally from Southern California, has lived in Connecticut for over 3 years, residing in Guilford, Connecticut with his wife (Emily), their 9-week-old daughter (Layla), their dog (Mando) and cat (Moana). Joshua loves the outdoors and enjoys taking Mando (and now Layla) on hikes through the woods, birdwatching, and playing golf (albeit very poorly). Prior to moving to Connecticut, Joshua was a Board Member for the Rotary Club of Oxnard and organized beach cleanups with the Surfrider Foundation. While in law school, Joshua served as Co-Chair of Public Interest Law Foundation where he led fundraising efforts for scholarships awarded to the school’s law students engaged in public interest work.

Michele Spence

Michele Spence, CPA is a Managing Director at CBIZ Inc. in the Tax & Business Services group in the New Haven, Connecticut office. She brings more than 37 years of experience in public accounting, serving companies in a diverse range of industries as well as high net worth individuals. She is responsible for income tax compliance, tax planning, and consulting for private companies and individuals. She lives in Wallingford and is married to her husband Bill. They have two grown children, Olivia and David.

Lou Torelli

Lou Torelli brings over 40 years of engineering and construction-management leadership to his role as Branch Manager of the Wallingford, CT office of ALRA Engineers. Over the course of his career, he has overseen the study, design, construction administration and inspection of state and federally funded infrastructure projects—covering highways, bridges, airports, primary/secondary roadways and municipal sewer-separation programs across Connecticut.

Prior to joining ALRA he served as Area Programs Manager at an international consulting firm, where he developed organizational structures and coordinated multi-discipline engineering teams from concept through construction.

Dr. Sarah Winzelberg

Dr. Sarah Winzelberg is a Board-Certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist who has worked at Pieper Veterinary since 2017. Originally from Pittsburgh and Manhattan, Dr. Winzelberg received her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency at the Animal Medical Center in New York, NY, where she took special interest in the study of infectious diseases.

Robin Zubretsky

Robin Zubretsky began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and went on to hold a variety of positions in the financial sector, including roles at Goldman Sachs in their Finance Division and as Chief Financial Officer of Asset Management for a major reinsurer.
She is now the owner and operator of two women’s boutique stores located in Essex and Mystic, Connecticut. In addition to her business ventures, Robin serves on the Planning and Zoning Committee in Fenwick, CT. She has also served as Treasurer of the Essex Yacht Club, a Board Member of the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, and as a member of both the organization’s Investment and Audit Committees.

Professional Advisory Board

Dr. Rob Olson

Dr. Olson likes to say that veterinary medicine is the only job he ever had. He worked as a veterinary assistant for Dr. Neil Pieper while in high school, attended Purdue University and then graduated from the Purdue School of Veterinary School in 1981. He continued to work at Pieper Veterinary Hospital and was joined by his wife Dr. Virginia Nunez, also a veterinary graduate from Purdue. From the beginning of their careers, they embraced and continue to embrace many of Dr Pieper’s core philosophies. These included being available to all patients and clients whenever needed, and providing at least basic comfort care regardless of their financial position. Dr Pieper also put a high value on continuing education so that his patients could benefit from the latest treatments available. When the Olsons purchased the practice in 1986, they continued to embrace these philosophies throughout the growth of the practice.

Dr. Virginia Nunez Olson

Dr. Nunez, born and raised in Connecticut, always had a strong interest in the natural world, all animals including pets and wildlife, biology and science. As an undergraduate at the University of Connecticut majoring in Animal Science, she was exposed to farm animals, husbandry, and medicine which reinforced her goal to become a veterinarian. She attended Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine where she met her husband and veterinary partner Dr. Robert Olson. After graduation in 1981, they both practiced in Connecticut and became owners of Pieper Olson Veterinary Hospital in 1986. As a primary care mixed practice, their goal was to provide compassionate and client service-oriented care to the community as well as provide opportunities for their employees to learn and grow in the field.

John Baker

Originally from Western North Carolina, John is a graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles and has spent 20 years in the entertainment industry as a writer and technology advisor. John currently lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children, along with two cats they all adore, Mouse Prince and Fox Baby.

Dr. Ben Olson, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Dr. Ben Olson is a neurologist and neurosurgeon who joined Pieper Veterinary in 2017. He received his DVM from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a member of the ACVIM and AVMA, and completed both a rotating internship and a residency in Neurology/Neurosurgery from The Animal Medical Center in New York, NY. Dr. Olson has special interests in spinal surgery, traumatic brain injury, inflammatory brain disease, and caudal occipital malformation syndrome.

Staff

Kathleen Hennessy, MPPM - Executive Director

Kathleen Hennessy is an accomplished nonprofit and business leader with extensive experience in executive management, organizational strategy, and stakeholder engagement. She has served in senior leadership roles including Executive Director of the Monroe Arts Center, where she successfully guided the organization through transformation and growth, and Co-Founder and Director of Education at the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association, where she spearheaded innovative programs, grant-funded initiatives, and educational documentaries. With a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pittsburgh and a strong background in communications, fundraising, and relationship development, Kathleen brings a unique blend of strategic vision, creativity, and empathy to her work. She is also a published author and experienced communicator dedicated to advancing missions that foster community, inclusion, and impact.