Meet the SSP Team

As President of Shepherd Specialty Papers, Joel has spent over 30 years driving growth and shaping the company’s direction with a strong commitment to excellence, animal welfare, and the integrity of biomedical research. He credits the company’s success to his dedicated team, whom he proudly considers family.

René joined Shepherd in 2002 and now serves as Regional Sales Manager for the Southeastern U.S. and West Coast. Known for her outgoing nature, she’s passionate about helping customers achieve Excellence in the Cage through our proprietary products and is a familiar face at AALAS events.

Sarah joined the team in 2021 and has since taken the lead in managing our CRM platform, social media, website, and all advertising efforts. She also strengthened our branding and messaging—most notably securing the registered trademark for Excellence In The Cage Starts Here®.

Kerri joined SSP after completing her Biology degree at Merrimack College and later earned a Master of Science in Advanced Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College. Now serving as Director of Supply Chain and Customer Service, she combines her analytical skills and customer focus to drive growth and support our customers’ vital work.

Mark joined Shepherd two years ago as Plant Manager in Tennessee, bringing extensive experience in the manufacturing industry. He oversees operations, leads the workforce, and has driven key projects that increased production capacity and efficiency.

Based in our Tennessee office, Stacy manages daily production and inventory reporting while coordinating all trucking schedules for the manufacturing plant. She also oversees employee operations, process improvements, and machine scheduling to ensure top-quality products for the biomedical research industry.

Kent joined Shepherd 30 years ago as a machine operator and quickly moved into the office thanks to his exceptional technical skills. Today, he oversees production operations, IT systems, freight and shipping relationships, and even installs our bedding dispensing systems—truly a team member who can do it all.