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 the Director of Programs, 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 Animal Sheltering Alliance, 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.