C.A.R.E. Board of Directors

PRESIDENT

Holly has been volunteering with C.A.R.E. since 2021. She is a Kennel Captain and is on the Fundraising and Events Committee. She has three dogs, including one C.A.R.E. dog that happened to be the first dog she walked as a volunteer. Holly has over 25 years of experience in fundraising and management, primarily with nonprofit organizations. Under her fundraising leadership for recent work with an international association management firm in Chicago, she helped nonprofit clients strengthen their major gifts program and expand corporate support for their annual conference and programs. Highlights of additional work include: As Development Director for the Southeast Region of Canine Companions for Independence, a national organization that provides highly-trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities, created and executed fundraising strategies that increased fundraising revenue annually by 6%-8%; transformed a Carnegie Library building into an active community cultural center; and served as an arts consultant to performing arts centers in Australia, including the internationally known Sydney Opera House.

VICE PRESIDENT

Gail started volunteering at C.A.R.E. more than 25 years ago—working in the kennel and walking dogs and then became a C.A.R.E. adoption counselor. She has taken great joy in finding loving forever homes for homeless dogs and puppies and bringing happiness to adopters. She previously served on the C.A.R.E. board with responsibility for community outreach, dog adoptions, and capital fundraising. Her full-time job is at a large nonprofit association, where she is in charge of governance and the board of trustees. Gail hopes to be able to use her skills and knowledge to contribute to the further growth and development of C.A.R.E.

TREASURER

Mark has been a volunteer since 2012. He and his wife Barb have been involved in most facets of C.A.R.E. His professional background is in Financial Management (reporting, analysis, forecasting, budgeting, performance metrics, etc). Mark would like to move C.A.R.E. forward through the COVID crisis.

SECRETARY

Diane is a retired chemist and proud guardian of two C.A.R.E cats. She has been a cat volunteer with C.A.R.E. since 2002 and an adoption counselor for 18 years. She has also served as a co-feline medical director, shift leader, and secretary on the board. She is currently on the Fundraising Event Committee. Diane loves to do research and attend seminars to keep up with the best practices in shelter animal care. She applied for, and C.A.R.E. was accepted in the Jackson Galaxy Cat Pawsitive program, using clicker training as enrichment and a way to socialize cats. Diane wants to help C.A.R.E. continue to move forward, keep up with the most current innovations in animal care and be a positive force in the community.

BOARD MEMBER

Karin has been a C.A.R.E. volunteer since 2010. She started as a cat crew member and also did the adoptable photos for a few years before becoming a cat shift leader and Volunteer Coordinator for the cat volunteers. In 2019, a year after the Skokie facility opened, she became Volunteer Coordinator for all areas of C.A.R.E., including cat and dog shifts, reception team, the pet food pantry, plus placing volunteers in key roles such as shift leaders, adoption counselors, etc. Karin served on the Board previously for a few years and now after having more time to learn the broader Volunteer Coordinator role, she rejoins the Board.

BOARD MEMBER

Ruth has been a volunteer for over 16 years. Upon retiring from teaching in 2004, Ruth began volunteering with C.A.R.E. in Evanston and working in the pet care service industry since that has always been her major love and joy, working with animals. She has always had a pitbull and is a huge advocate for the breed. Ruth hopes to help shape direction for rescuing animals.

BOARD MEMBER

Christie has been with C.A.R.E. since 2020. She is a Director of Cultural Events and Continuing Ed at Northeastern Illinois University, where she has worked for over 20 years. She has 3 cats, including one feral from an indoor hoarding situation who has learned to love indoor life. She has volunteered or fostered since about 2004, with Anti Cruelty, TreeHouse, and One Tail at a Time over the years. Christie believes in the work C.A.R.E. does and sees the impact the organization has through rescue community support and education. She is a professional clarinetist and likes being outdoors as much as possible and enjoys biking, sailing, and gardening.

BOARD MEMBER

Mario has been with C.A.R.E. since 2017 and is on the Sunday morning cat shift. He adopted his cat Oscar from C.A.R.E. Mario recently completed his MBA. His engineering education and years of experience in consulting has led him to become a straightforward, yet open thinker. Mario is in the first generation of his family to receive higher education and has traveled to nearly 30 countries across 4 continents.

BOARD MEMBER

Francie has been a C.A.R.E. volunteer since 2019. Her professional background is as a registered nurse. She has been a resident of Skokie since 2001, and during this time I have observed the intricacies of neighborhood and family life that are so entrenched in the community. Because C.A.R.E. has offered Francie’s family the joy of three dogs (over a course of 24 years), she would like to be more entrenched in the establishment of the C.A.R.E. community. She wants to be actively involved in the impact this organization has on the community.

BOARD MEMBER

Kristina has been a C.A.R.E. volunteer since 2022. She is a Cat Adoption Counselor and currently serves on the Cat Care Committee, Care Coordination Committee and Marketing Committee. A native of Boston, she moved to Chicago in 2022 where she now lives with her husband and 3 cats. When Kristina isn’t volunteering at C.A.R.E., she works as a Technical Product Manager for McGraw Hill where she is focused on building E-learning products for higher education. Kristina is committed to the continual improvement of the quality of life of all animals and hopes to have a meaningful and lasting positive impact for as many companion animals as possible.

BOARD MEMBER

Lexy joined C.A.R.E. as a volunteer receptionist last year. She participated on the Pet Food Pantry team as well as the Fundraising Events Committee. She is now Chair of the Community Outreach committee. Lexy is dog mom to her Chewy, a rescue hound/pit mix. In addition to C.A.R.E., Lexy volunteers with Building Peaceful Bridges, an organization that supports newcomers in our community. She enjoys yoga, walking outside, travel and time with loved ones.

BOARD MEMBER

Matt volunteers on the Tuesday morning dog team: walking dogs, cleaning kennels, and basically anything they ask him to do. He has a 7-year-old goldendoodle at home, who thinks that every time he leaves the house for C.A.R.E. it's to hold auditions for a companion for her. Matt started volunteering at C.A.R.E. in August 2022 and has been enjoying the animals and the people who make the place work -- helping them find good homes and taking care of them until they do. If there's a better feeling than that, Matt hasn't found it.