Pet Haven Team

Long-time animal welfare advocate Kerry D’Amato is honored to serve as Pet Haven’s executive director. She sees the challenges facing animal welfare, both at the Pet Haven and throughout our community, becoming increasingly complex. At the same time, she sees more opportunities than ever to save pets’ lives. Kerry’s devotion to animals began early in her life. In high school, she worked in animal care at the Denver Dumb Friends League, where she saw how challenging the shelter environment could be for companion animals. She quickly understood the impact foster-based rescues could have—giving second chances and saving animals’ lives. Kerry went on to campaign for improved animal welfare through legislative action and rescue work in New York, Ohio, and Minnesota.In addition to her work in animal welfare, Kerry has more than 20 years of experience in special events and marketing, fundraising and development for nonprofit and political organizations, and project management. Her passion for animal welfare, broad base of experience, and strong relationship-building skills are an ideal fit for Pet Haven. Driven to rescue, Kerry often spends her free time helping homeless and feral felines thru TNR, fostering and re-homing. She also pursues a yoga practice, enjoys good food and conversation with friends, spending time at “the lake,” and being at home with her family and their rescued feline companions.

Dr. Lisa graduated from UWEC in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in biology and had no idea what to do with it. She took a job as a kennel worker in a small animal shelter in Eau Claire, WI. This is where I ​she learned about the plight of unwanted, neglected, and abandoned animals. ​Dr. Lisa decided then and there to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,​ and Pet Haven is glad she did! ​Dr Lisa graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in St Paul, MN, in 2004. ​In her first few years as a veterinarian, ​she worked in private practice, in emergency, as a relief veterinarian, and also in an animal shelter in the Twin Cities. ​She developed a variety of skills during this time and found that she was particularly drawn to surgery. ​Dr. Lisa also served on the board of directors for Animal Folks, MN, a non-profit organization, from 2006 to 2016. The mission of Animal Folks is to educate veterinarians, law enforcement, and the legal community about animal cruelty laws. ​She is currently still an advisor for this group, helping to strengthen protection for our companion animals in the state. ​Dr Lisa has spent the majority of her career working in the non-profit sector, performing high-volume spay and neuter surgeries,​ and most recently was honored to be the very first in-house veterinarian for a local dog rescue in Somerset, WI. As the medical director for that organization, ​she developed their in-house veterinary center to handle the medical and surgical needs of all incoming animals. ​Dr Lisa is now very excited to bring the same dedication and drive to Pet Haven. Outside of work, Dr. Lisa enjoys time with ​her wife and ​their 4 dogs. ​They are starting a new adventure in overlanding and are looking forward to traveling and hiking the beautiful landscapes of the country. ​She also enjoys cooking, gardening, and photography.​ Pet Haven is thrilled to have Dr Lisa on our team, bringing vast experience and high-quality care to our rescued pets, changing lives for the better!

Molly Larson joined the Pet Haven team in 2023 as the Volunteer and Events Manager and has moved into the Operations Director Role. Molly’s background includes event planning, fundraising, marketing, volunteer management, and operations management. She began fostering in 2013 and instantly felt a pull to get more involved. In 2015 she hosted a 5k for Secondhand Hounds which became a successful yearly event. In 2019 she joined Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue as their Event, Fundraising, and Program Coordinator and fell in love with working fulltime at a foster based rescue. She looks forward to growing with Pet Haven and continuing to advocate for animals. Molly also teaches yoga at Bodhi Studios in Prescott, WI. She lives in River Falls with her 2 dogs Diego and Doris and spends her free time with them going on hikes, playing frisbee, and relaxing in the country.

Maggiy is thrilled to join the Pet Haven team after serving in the volunteer Volunteer Coordinator role 2016-2022. Maggiy has a background in nonprofit strategy, organizing, and development and has a deep passion for animal rescue and welfare. She is thrilled to bring her passion and experience to this role. In her free time, you can find her reading, cooking elaborate meals, hiking and running, and enjoying animal companionship. She lives in Saint Paul with her six cats Jagger, Pippin, Ivy, Iris, Hamlet, and Nellie; dog Jojo; and horse Lily (all rescues!).

Emily is a Certified Veterinary Technician with more than 10 years of experience in rescue and working in general veterinary private practice. Emily has also been fostering and volunteering for many years with rescues, she found her true passion for saving feline lives through her first bottle kitten care in 2019. Emily will bring expertise and compassionate care to all our rescued pets and support our fosters with her experience. Rescue is at the core of her heart, Emily loves combining her veterinary knowledge with her passion for rescue to make a difference in the lives of Minnesota Rescue Pets.

Madeline joined Pet Haven in 2024 as a dog foster and began volunteering as a Dog Foster Mentor and Owner Surrender Case Manager not long after. She was honored to further serve the animal community by becoming the Intake Manager in late 2025. In addition to her work at Pet Haven, Madeline is a piano instructor and the vice president at a local music school. Madeline lives in Saint Paul with her cats, Aurora and Anastasia, and her dogs, Napoleon and Pet Haven alum Andre.

Simon joined Pet Haven in 2024 as a cat foster and cat care volunteer! He became a foster mentor in the fall of 2025 and accepted a job as the volunteer support manager, in winter 2025. Prior to Pet Haven Simon worked in the Engineering field but was drawn to work that gave back. He is excited to be joining the Pet Haven team and continue to help save animals! Outside of his work at Pet Haven, Simon enjoys baking, basketball, cold plunging and exploring the twin cities! Simon lives with his ever-changing group of foster cats in Minneapolis. A true "Cat Daddy!" We are excited to have Simon on the team!

Kourtney joined the Pet Haven team in September 2025 in the role of Medical Care Coordinator. Prior to Pet Haven, she had worked with animals for almost two decades, starting with an internship at a wildlife rehabilitation hospital. After this, she spent several years in the veterinary care field as a receptionist and vet assistant, and was also an Animal Caretaker at a rescue in Wyoming that focused on rehabilitation & rehoming for beagles who had been used as testing subjects in research labs. Kourtney is also a certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA,) and overall "behavior nerd," and has provided training & behavior services for different dog daycares in Wisconsin & Minnesota, and she has fostered dozens of dogs (and a couple of rabbits!) throughout the years for different rescues. She particularly loves working with shy, timid animals, and enjoys seeing them gain confidence and build trust with others. In her free time, Kourtney enjoys yoga & meditation, hiking & exploring the outdoors with her dogs, reading, singing in a local choir, listening to true crime podcasts, and anything related to animal behavior & Halloween! She shares her home with her partner, Bob, and their two dogs - Allie, a smart & sassy beagle mix, and Wiggy, a goofy & lovable pitbull mix.

Melissa Behrens is our new Event Manager at Pet Haven. She has been a foster and volunteer with various animal rescues over the past 4 years. She loves caring for puppies and helping find their perfect forever families. In 2025, Melissa fostered 30 puppies, mostly from reservations. Melissa lives in Champlin with her husband and three kids. Her 6 year old terrier/pitbull mix, Poppy has gone from scared, quarantine dog to happy, confident foster mom dog mom. When Melissa isn’t busy kissing all the puppies, she loves to bake, read and volunteer at other non-profit organizations.

Bethany joined the Pet Haven team at the start of 2026 as the new Training and Behavior Coordinator. She is a graduate from the University of North Dakota and earned her BS in psychology, and has since earned the titles of CATCH Certified Dog Trainer (CCDT) from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, Family Dog Mediator (FDM), American Kennel Club (AKC) Approved Evaluator, and is a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP). Her career started at a veterinary clinic with a doggy daycare in her home state of Illinois in 2020, where a challenging and lovable German Shepherd helped her realize that she wanted to dedicate herself to helping dogs become the best version of themselves they can be! She has been a Minnesota resident since 2021, and worked at another doggy daycare here, developing its training program from the ground up prior to joining the Pet Haven Team. She is also a trainer at Canine Inspired Change, a therapy dog organization in St Paul, as well as a volunteer trainer for Pets for Vets. Bethany lives with an Australian Shepherd x Coonhound mix named Pete, and enjoys volunteering with him as a therapy dog. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, pet photography, playing DND, and spending time with Pete whenever she can!