Staff and Board
Staff
Administrative Staff
Kathryn Ruggeri
Executive Director
kathryn@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 101
Kathryn has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit operations and management. She enjoys working with the entire Paws4ever team to build real relationships with our animals and community, and getting to see hard work pay off as Paws4ever’s impact grows. She also enjoys spreadsheets, numbers, and the details that make organizations run smoothly. Kathryn loves raising her two children, reading, and spending time near water. She has a 9-year-old Boxer named Gilford who loves coming to “work” at Paws4ever!
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.
Sondra Jones
Development Manager
sondra@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 104
Sondra has a background in Sociology and has chosen to focus her work in philanthropy because it combines her love of building connections with people and her desire to make a positive impact in the world. She finds her work at Paws4ever is rewarding because she gets to be a part of a passionate, dedicated community of donors, volunteers, and staff who are all working together toward a common vision. She enjoys spending time with her family, being outside, trying new recipes, and attending community events in the Triangle. She adopted her sweet and energetic dog Abby from Paws4ever!
Maddie Majerus
Volunteer Manager
Maddie has experience in social justice advocacy, and she loves to connect community members with ways to get involved. When she’s not busy engaging the community in creating positive change, Maddie likes to listen to true crime podcasts and drink iced mochas! She has two cats, Sheila Rae The Brave and Junie B. Jones, named after her sister’s favorite childhood book characters.
Emily Albert
Development and Communications Associate
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 sci-fi and fantasy. 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.
Adoption Center – 919.241.8438 ext. 103
Sara Shellman
Adoption Center Manager
sara@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 115
Sara has more than 20 years of experience working with animals professionally. She enjoys getting to be a part of a unique rescue that is genuine and compassionate about animal welfare and supporting pet owners. She enjoys guiding animal care staff in general animal husbandry and talking with adopters about pet nutrition. When asked what she enjoys in her free time, Sara says “hiking, hiking, and more hiking!” Sara has a dog named Biggs and four cats – Gary Dartanian, Shower, Rosemary, and Linnaeus!
Morgan King
Adoption Center Assistant Manager
Morgan loves getting to witness each animal’s journey from county shelter to forever home. When she’s not at work, Morgan enjoys watching YouTube videos. She has two cats, Oliver and Mantis, and a dog, Sadie. She will talk about her pets all day to anyone who will listen! Oliver rules her house, Mantis loves to purr in Morgan’s arms as soon as she gets home from work, and Sadie is, according to Morgan, the smartest dog alive. Mantis and Sadie were both adopted from Paws4ever!
Ashley Harvell
Animal Care Tech
Ashley finds her work at Paws4ever rewarding because the quality time spent getting to know an animal and providing training and enrichment all pays off when their big adoption day comes! Ashley is interested in wildlife rehab and enjoys crafting, hiking, and watching educational videos about animals in her free time. Her dog Tucker was adopted from Paws4ever! She also has a corn snake, a leopard gecko, a crested gecko, two guinea pigs, and eight fish tanks!
Kamryn Wall
Animal Care Tech
Kamryn enjoys getting to know each animal at Paws4ever because no two pets are the same! They all have unique personalities and needs. Kamryn enjoys spending time with her coworkers and taking dogs outside to play.
Ashlee Horning
Animal Care Tech
Ashlee likes meeting new animals and seeing their personalities blossom as they are nurtured and cared for. In her free time, Ashlee enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, writing, hiking, and traveling. She has a cat named Lily who thinks she’s a dog and even plays fetch!
April Ross
Animal Care Tech
April loves helping the animals at Paws4ever to feel safe, secure, and loved while they wait for their forever homes. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family and her own kitties. She has two seven-year-old cats, Atticus and Amadeus, that she raised from 5 weeks old.
Dog Training Program
Susan Spinks
Dog Training Program Manager
Susan is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT and she strongly believes that all clients and dogs should leave each class feeling great about their performance, potential, and future. She started training after adopting Chloe, a very “vibrant” dog, and hasn’t stopped since! She enjoys reading and watching TV and movies in her free time. Fun fact for movie buffs: Susan was an extra in the 80’s movie The Big Brawl!
Read more about Susan’s Dog Training experience.
Jennifer Thornburg
Dog Training Program Coordinator
jennifer.thornburg@paws4ever.org
Jennifer is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT, and a graduate of both CATCH Academy for Dog Trainers and the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional Program. She loves learning and teaching about dog and human behavior. Jennifer has an enthusiastic Border Collie named Rufus. She enjoys hiking, reading, cross stitching, playing hopscotch with her daughter, beekeeping, and training Rufus to pick up odd things around the house and bring them to her.
Read more about Jennifer’s Dog Training experience.
Melanie Berk
Home Care Coordinator, Senior Dog Training Instructor
melanie@paws4ever.org
919.241.8438 ext. 117
Melanie is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT and has an extensive background in animal care, shelter pet behavior, adoption counseling, and coordinating foster programs. She has a Pitbull mix named Seamus, a Beagle named Shiloh, and a horse named Nick! Melanie enjoys hiking and spending time with her family.
Read more about Melanie’s Dog Training experience.
Cecelia Erwin
Dog Training Instructor
Cecelia loves helping dog owners build relationships with their pets and setting them up for success beyond the classroom. She especially enjoys working with exuberant adolescent dogs. Cecelia has two dogs, Pig and Beetle, a cat named Sookie, a rabbit named Eunice, two ponies, Brutus and Fiona, and a ex-racing horse named Barnaby! When she isn’t training animals, Cecelia loves to read science fiction.
Read more about Cecelia’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
David Schmidt (President)
Kendall H. Page (Vice President)
Leigh Matthews (Treasurer)
Local Business Owner
Senior Financial Services Officer, State Employees Credit Union
Jill Grant (Secretary)
Perry Dowd
Rob Johnson
Carla Julian
Lene Kiester
Jaye J. Kreller
Sally Schatz
Jeff Hockett
Real Estate Sales Assistant to Chris Culbreth, Tony Hall & Associates
Kathryn Ruggeri, MSW, MBA (ex officio)
Executive Director, Paws4ever