Staff and Board
Staff
Administrative Staff

Whitney Zoghby
Executive Director
whitney@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 101

Kathy McVay
Business Manager
kathy@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 110
Kathy enjoys using her bookkeeping skills to support the animals she loves! You’ll often find Paws4ever shelter dogs lounging next to Kathy’s desk in the Admin office. She spends her free time with her grandchildren and her two cattle dogs, Bandit and Lucy. Her dogs keep her entertained with their fun games – as soon as she throws a ball for Bandit, Lucy takes it and drops it further away for Bandit to retrieve! Kathy is famous for her beautiful flower garden and her holiday cookie baking tradition.

Emily Albert
Development and Communications Manager
Emily loves receiving photos and stories of adopted animals in their new homes, and sharing those updates with the community of supporters who made their journeys possible! When she isn’t at work writing true stories about the animals at Paws4ever, she writes and reads a lot of fiction (mostly sci-fi, fantasy, and mysteries). She also enjoys cooking, playing board games, and spending time with her family. Emily’s home is run by her three affectionate and goofy cats – Samwise, Merlin, and Ollivander.

Savanna LaPrad
Development Associate
Savanna loves working with others who are passionate about animal welfare and seeing the positive impact Paws4ever has on both the animals and the community! Before joining Paws4ever’s development team, Savanna worked in veterinary support, adoptions, humane education, animal control, and pet-sitting. She is currently working towards a MA in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. When she isn’t at work, she likes to go for walks, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, play Minecraft, and spend time with her boyfriend and their five cats, Jack, Houdini, Myrtle, Zara, and Ziggy!

Sarah Ellen Kelly
Volunteer Manager
SarahEllen@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 105
Sarah Ellen’s favorite part of her job is getting to help animals as well as meeting and training fellow animal lovers. Before joining the Paws4ever team, Sarah Ellen worked for over a decade in project management for a small clinical trials company. She was also a Paws4ever volunteer! In her free time, she enjoys reading, taking bubble baths, pedal kayaking, and taking pottery classes, even if she’s still mastering the art. Sarah Ellen shares her home with two furry companions: Maggie, a vocal and affectionate 15-year-old cat, and Jasper, a 10-year-old neurotic Weimaraner.
Adoption Center – 919.241.8438 ext. 103

Sara Shellman
Adoption Center Manager
sara@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 115
Sara has more than 25 years of experience working with animals. She has worked with many types of animals in zoos, veterinary clinics, exotic care, and wildlife rehab since 1996, and has focused specifically on animal sheltering since 2008. The most rewarding parts of her job are supporting pet owners, supporting our animal care staff, and learning and applying the latest best practices in the field. She also has an obsession with kittens. When Sara isn’t at work, she enjoys long walks, hiking, attending motorcycle races, and hanging out with her pets. She has an 11 year old bully breed dog named Biggs (who wins the award for the coolest dog ever), and three cats, Girlfriend, Buddy, and Rosemary.

Kristen Wheeley
Adoption Coordinator

Vanessa Morrison
Animal Care Supervisor

Sammy Burns
Animal Care Tech

Jordan Ragan
Animal Care Tech

Olivia Thompson
Animal Care Tech
Dog Training Program – 919.241.8438 ext. 102

Brian Gibbs
Dog Training Instructor
Brian loves to be a part of that moment when dogs and their owners start to understand one another and communicate through fun, positive training. Brian started working with animals as a volunteer in 2018 after the loss of his own beloved dog, Sonny. When Brian isn’t training dogs or working in his other job at Duke University Medical Center in the Radiation Safety Office, he enjoys hiking at parks around the Triangle, collecting comic books, and doing puzzles.

Heather Daniel
Dog Training Instructor
Heather loves to see partnerships between dogs and people strengthen. She especially enjoys witnessing the joy and pride of that moment when a dog starts to understand what their human is asking them to do. When Heather isn’t at work, she enjoys doing crafts like macramé and plasma cutting, watching horror movies, hosting theme parties with her husband, and traveling. She stays connected to her Scottish roots and attends the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games every year. Heather has a dog named Hornsby, 2 hens, and a rooster!
Read more about Heather’s Dog Training experience.
ReSale Store – 919.245.0445

Terri Shue
ReSale Store Manager
terri@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 107
Terri has a background in animal care, and she started out at Paws4ever as an Animal Care Tech. She loves knowing that she works for an organization that has such a deep passion for animals’ well-being. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family and her dogs. She has two beagles, Jake and Piper. Jake loves coming with her to the ReSale Store, and he has his own set of fans. When customers come in, the first thing they say is “Hey Jake!”
Board of Directors
Katie Stember (President)
Associate Director, Life Science Economic Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Katie Stember Photography
Kendall H. Page (Vice President)
Rob Johnson (Treasurer)
Carla Julian (Secretary)
Jaye J. Kreller (Assistant Secretary & Member at Large)
Jill Grant
Sally Schatz
Director of Development, Duke Health (Retired)
Perry Dowd
Sue Sopa
Senior Executive Director for Engagement, Duke Health Alumni and Development
Valarie Zeithaml
Professor, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (Retired)
Eleanor Armstrong
Agency Director of Armstrong Homecare
Irene Faust
Retired Physician