My career in animal welfare began at the Belleville Area Humane Society in Illinois, where I served first as Program Director and later as Executive Director. It was there that I witnessed the deep heartbreak people experience when they are forced to part with their beloved animals—an experience that shaped the path of my work.

Motivated by a desire to keep families together, I joined the Chesapeake Humane Society as Community Engagement Manager, where I developed and led a crisis boarding program designed to provide temporary shelter for pets while their guardians navigated challenges such as hospitalization, housing instability, or domestic violence.

I have since launched a veterinary social work consulting practice to help organizations implement trauma-informed, human-animal-centered approaches in their programs and services. I also work with My Dog Is My Home as a Storytelling Facilitator and Technical Assistance Specialist, supporting efforts to uplift the voices of people with lived experience of homelessness with their animals. In addition, In addition I serve as co-chair of the Hampton Roads Outreach Coalition, a collaborative network of animal welfare organizations across the region.

I hold a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a postgraduate certificate in Veterinary Social Work from the University of Tennessee.