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.

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.

TREASURER

Carrie has been a C.A.R.E. volunteer on the Wednesday night cat shift with her son, Jackson, since February 2024. Her family has loved and cared for four C.A.R.E. cats during the last ten years. Carrie has been involved in the not-for-profit world since 1998, having served as an auditor, accountant, and advisor for a wide variety of institutions across the country. She has served on several not-for-profit boards, and currently runs a small not-for-profit consulting practice advising organizations on accounting and operating best practices. Carrie looks forward to bringing her knowledge and experience to C.A.R.E, helping the organization to continue to thrive!

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

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

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

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.

BOARD MEMBER

Janki has been dedicated to the cause of animal welfare for almost 3 years as a volunteer at C.A.R.E. She started off on the Wednesday night cat shift and have since taken charge of key marketing initiatives. Some of those initiatives include creating a cohesive brand for C.A.R.E., crafting materials for events, managing social media, and crafting and executing our marketing strategy. When not advocating for animals, Janki is a marketer by trade. She has over 12 years of experience in marketing and brand management which includes but is not limited to: social media management, PR, brand strategy, storytelling and presentations, and creation and execution of comprehensive marketing plans. At home, she shares her life with her husband Amin and a small black cat named June who reigns as the solo fur queen of their household!

BOARD MEMBER

Carolyn Quinn joined the C.A.R.E. family in January 2023, volunteering in the dog kennel. She also joined the Marketing Committee and assists in training new C.A.R.E. volunteers. From 2003 to 2013, she volunteered at Chicago Animal Care and Control. Before her retirement in late 2022, she was an associate judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County and before that, a practicing attorney. Carolyn’s interest in animal welfare began with her volunteer work at CACC and is eager to devote more time to this cause in her retirement. In addition to volunteering at CARE, she is in her 3rd year of a Master's degree program at the University of Edinburgh in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law.

BOARD MEMBER

With a passion for animal welfare and a commitment to making a difference, Mark dedicates his time to volunteering at the shelter. Beyond his love for animals, deeply values the human connections fostered at C.A.R.E. Whether C.A.R.E. is celebrating successful adoptions, lending support during challenging times, or simply sharing stories and laughter, the bonds formed within our community highlight the power of compassion and togetherness. Mark is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a caring and dedicated team at C.A.R.E. He is eager to join the board of directors at C.A.R.E., because it presents a profoundly rewarding opportunity to directly impact the lives of animals in need.

BOARD MEMBER

Cindy has been a dog volunteer at C.A.R.E. since 2023 and loves working with the volunteers and being with the animals. Her family has an 11-year-old terrier/lab at home named Peaches who they got as a rescue when she was a puppy. Cindy has always had dogs in her life. In her day job, Cindy works with groups and teams on communication and teamwork to build better relationships. Cindy wants to continue to help the dogs and cats every day as C.A.R.E. continues to grow and moves forward.