Meet the board
Melissa Patricelli
Founder & Board President
The dream of Blue Barn was born in 2008, when Melissa experienced her first sanctuary when visiting cows a friend had rescued. Seeing these beautiful creatures in a safe and loving environment, she knew she had to pursue this dream.
With a Master's in Counseling and over two decades of experience working with youth, she aimed to blend educational and therapeutic elements into this sanctuary to nurture not only rescued animals, but also human souls.
In 2018, Melissa and her husband Ryan moved onto their Creswell property, establishing Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary by building fences and barn stalls, and roping all of their friends into endless projects (and for this, they are VERY grateful). The hard work paid off when the first residents—the beloved “piggiecrew”— moved in December 2019.
Melissa holds a certification in Humane Education and has developed a program to teach kids about kindness, compassion and empathy. She is very excited to see what the future of the Blue Barn holds!!!
Jessica McLaws
Board Treasurer
Jessica started volunteering with the Blue Barn in 2022. Since childhood, she has been passionate about animals—growing up with dogs, cats, hamsters, and rats—and adopted a vegan lifestyle in 2018.
Currently, she works as a Business Analyst at a local utility company, where she has worked for over 15 years. Outside of work, Jessica finds joy in hiking, paddleboarding, reading, and traveling with her husband and their three beloved dogs: Happy, Patch, and Roo.
In her free time, Jessica volunteers with various rescue organizations. She has contributed her time at Greenhill Humane Society's cattery and fosters dogs for both Wiggly Tails Dog Rescue and FurEver Young Senior Dog Rescue. She had dreamed of volunteering with farmed animals, and she loves being part of the Blue Barn family. She hopes to someday have an opportunity to foster a cow!
Nicole Jendro
Board member
Nicole's journey began in Germany, where she grew up with dogs and developed a passion for traveling. After navigating many detours, she arrived in Eugene in 2023 and joined the Blue Barn board in 2024.
Although she had been a vegetarian for most of her life, she transitioned to veganism during the pandemic after gaining insight into animal farming practices in the US and Europe.
During the workweek, Nicole serves as a Senior Product Manager; in her free time, she volunteers for two farm animal sanctuaries, pursues coding as a hobby, juggles, swing dances, and, of course, remains a passionate traveler.
Victoria (Tia) Wiley
Board member
Tia joined the Blue Barn board in 2024. She lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where she shares a home with her partner, their three pups, and two bunnies. As a long-time vegan, Tia is deeply committed to ending the suffering of all animals through rescue and fostering, education, and policy changes.
Tia graduated from Boston University School of Law in 2017 and is a practicing lawyer with experience running corporate boards and advising on environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) matters. She is currently pursuing her L.L.M. in animal law at the Vermont Law & Graduate School.
In her free time, Tia works to advance animal protection legislation in Massachusetts, fosters animals, and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. She also enjoys working in her backyard garden to ensure her family (especially the bunnies!) have a healthy supply of fresh veggies!
