Our Staff

Senior Leadership

Without dedicated staff our lifesaving work simply wouldn’t be possible. Meet our compassionate and talented leadership team who are hard at work each and every day making Animal Friends’ mission a reality.

Kathleen Beaver, President & CEO of Animal Friends

Kathleen Beaver

President & CEO
cindy cole

Cindy Cole

Chief Communications Officer
Ann (Ensminger) O’Brien, MS, CAWA

Ann (Ensminger) O’Brien, MS, CAWA

Chief Programs Officer
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Susan Salyards

Chief Administrative Officer
Katie Vecchi, KPA-CTP, CSAT, LFDM-S/T

Katie Vecchi, MSc, MA, KPA-CTP, CSAT, LFDM-S/T

Chief Shelter Operations Officer
lynette

Lynette Vybiral

Chief Development Officer

Directors & Managers

Maddie Aicher

Maddie Aicher

Placements Manager
Bob Amic

Bob Amic

Manager of People & Culture
Stacy Bartlebaugh-Gmys

Stacy Bartlebaugh-Gmys

Volunteer Program Manager
Tori Kolodziej

Tori Kolodziej, CVT

Director of Clinic Services
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Kelly King

Special Events Manager
Penny Paich-Caraway

Penny Paich-Caraway

Community Programs Manager
Linne Querubin

Linne Querubin

Intake & Pathways Manager
Tom Snee

Tom Snee

Maintenance Manager
TJ Swickrath

TJ Swickrath

Campus Project Manager
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Whitney Wagner

Behavior Care Manager
mike warren

Mike Warren

Corporate & Community Partnerships Manager
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Chelsea Wilcox

Veterinary Technician Manager
Theresa Wilson

Theresa Wilson

Accounting Manager
Admissions Admissionsinfo@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7078
Adoptions AdoptionInfo@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7002
Behavior Help Behavior@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7059
Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank PetRetention@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.536.3898
Donations Development@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7051
Foster FosterInfo@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7002
Human Resources HR@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7055
Humane Education HumaneEd@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7094
Humane Investigations 412.847.7066
Lost and Found Pets 412.847.7077
Pet Helpline PetRetention@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.536.3898
Shelter Medicine Medical@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7088
Therapets Therapets@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7030
Training Classes AFU@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7035
Vet Clinic ClinicServices@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7004
Veterans Services Veterans@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7030
Volunteering Volunteering@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org 412.847.7040

Testimonials

Cheryl J.

I've had Tuttie (Tooty) for a week today. She's settling in really nice. I'm starting to see some of her personality and it's adorable. She's a lover girl for sure.

She's smart as she has learned some commands and aims to please. I want to thank Animal Friends for giving me a chance to give Tuttie a second chance. You guys are amazing. She's bringing a lot of joy to our house and we love her very much. She found her forever home.

Katelyn E.

I absolutely LOVE this place and what they're doing for these animals as well as those of us who come there to take one of these sweet babies to their forever home.

Setting up a meet and greet was a breeze, the facility was beautiful and I will never ever get another pet from anywhere except for here!!

Alexandra S.

We’ve gotten two of the sweetest cats from this rescue, and they are very good about making sure the animals go to the best fit home.

Angela B.

We adopted a 2-year old cat 6 months ago. I cannot say enough nice things about Animal Friends.

In addition to clinical history and recommendations, they included a behavioral assessment which proved to be accurate and pages of instructions for acclimatizing the new cat. Our Beanz has been a joy to our lives. Their fee was so low, we sent them a contribution.

Denise L.

Wonderful place! I took my chihuahua to the small dog socials and it really helped his anxiety! The staff and volunteers are great!

James B.

Got this beautiful girl today from Animal Friends. Everything was perfect. She's got her forever home thanks to them. Time to spoil her.

Meg P.

I cannot speak more highly of this animal shelter. The volunteers and staff are amazing and show a true love for their work that they do. The kennels are in great condition and every time I stop by it is very clean. I donate regularly because I am impressed by the work the organization does on a daily basis.

Carol E.

Animal friends is a fantastic organization the staff and the doctors there are top-notch. They really care for your pet.. they try their hardest to keep prices down and make vet care affordable for everyone. I just love it there.

Stephanie H.

Animal Friends is an amazing place and much needed in this area. The low cost/no cost services they provide such as spay/neuter, rabies shots, initial immunizations, disease testing, flea treatment, etc. are essential for the public and their pets.

The staff is amazing, efficient and always willing to take the extra time to address a client's questions/concerns. The facilities are clean and very well kept up.
I travel an hour and a half each way to bring my pets here and will not take them anywhere else!

Kerry W.

Such a clean, organized and loving environment! Beautiful campus and very well run organization.