Pet Haven Team

Staff

Kerry D'Amato
Executive Director
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.
More about Kerry...
Molly Larson
Operations Director
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.
More about Molly...
Ashley Marks
Social Media Manager
Ashley Marks is Pet Haven’s Social Media Manager. Her role focuses on buidling awareness of Pet Haven and its mission through creative and impactful content and images. Ashley joined the Pet Haven team in 2017 as a special events volunteer. She has also opened her home to foster dogs and helped with foster outreach. Ashley’s background includes event services, operations management, and organizational development. Ashley has had a life-long passion for animals- she likes to say it’s in her genes. Many of her family members are those crazy animal people.
Her other interests include going to concerts, fishing, and being creative. Ashley shares her home with her partner, Brian, their two Chihuahuas named Frank & Beans!
More about Ashley...
Brittany Morris
Volunteer and Events Manager
Brittany Morris was a long-time Pet Haven volunteer before joining as the Volunteer and Events Manager in 2023. Brittany comes to Pet Haven with nearly ten years of nonprofit experience in marketing, fundraising, and volunteer management. She fostered for a handful of organizations prior to coming to Pet Haven in 2021. Holding a variety of volunteer roles, Brittany quickly fell in love with Pet Haven's culture and community. Brittany's career started as a Marketing Manager, juggling fundraisers, website management, and marketing strategy. She believes that transparency is the key to successful communication and is what sets successful nonprofits apart. Prior to coming to Pet Haven, Brittany was a volunteer manager with one of the largest nonprofits in the state. Her experience with this team set her up for success in leading the phenomenal team of volunteers Pet Haven has, and growing the team in the future! Her passion for animals and mission-based work collided when she joined Pet Haven, and she has never felt more empowered and inspired to do this work.
Outside of work, Brittany spends her free time with her two dogs, Goose and Bruce and whichever foster has joined her family! She loves all things spooky and scary, and has recently started her amatuer ghost-hunting career!
Read more about Brittany...
Veronica Bartsch
Lead Surgical Veterinarian
Dr. Veronica Bartsch graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. She went on to practice companion animal medicine in the Twin Cities for the next 18 years, working in both private practices and animal shelters. In 2020, Dr. Bartsch earned her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota. She joined the Minnesota Board of Animal Health in 2022 as a senior veterinarian in the companion animal sector. Outside of her work at the board, Dr. Bartsch is Pet Haven’s primary surgeon completing both high volume spay/neuter as well as more nuanced soft tissue procedures including amputation, various eye surgeries, and mass removal.
Julie DeCaro
Vet Care Manager
Julie is a Minnesota transplant who got started in animal rescue after having a really positive experience adopting her first cat while living in Chicago in 2014. Since then she has immersed herself in the world of rescue, learning as much as possible to be able to improve the care of animals on their journey to finding forever homes.
Beginning in 2015 Julie started volunteering with Feline Rescue doing everything from scooping litter boxes, coordinating apparel, to fostering newborn kittens through senior diabetics. In 2018 she was hired as Feline Rescue's Volunteer Coordinator, but quickly transitioned through different roles dictated by the needs of the growing organization including social media management, event planning, and most recently leading their in-house veterinary services. Since joining Feline Rescue's vet team, Julie has become solely focused on shelter veterinary medicine which has allowed her to explore a passion she didn't previously know she had and even prompted her to work towards becoming a credentialed veterinary technician. Julie is Fear Free Certified and tries to always use a considerate approach when working with animals and people. Outside of rescue work, she enjoys reading, and hiking and has recently started learning the harp. She lives with two resident cats, a recent foster fail dog, and a rotation of foster animals in need.
Read more about Julie...
Katie Wernecke
Animal Care Assistant
Growing up Katie always enjoyed animals but found her passion for veterinary medicine in high school. Since then, Katie has worked in many aspects of the field including shelter, community, and emergency medicine. Outside of work, Katie enjoys hanging out with her family, both human and furry. She has four animals of her own: two dogs, Tanner and Charlie, and two cats, Barrett and Toby. Katie is currently in school at the University of Minnesota Veterinary program. When she has downtime, she enjoys reading as well as painting and gardening. Katie is very excited to join the Pet Haven family and we are thrilled she is part of our growing team!

Board of Directors

Dr. Katie Cartledge
President/Board Chair
Katie joined the Pet Haven Board of Directors in 2020. She is a veterinarian and graduate of the University of Minnesota and currently practices in the Twin Cities. Katie was very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Pet Haven team. For the past several years Katie has also volunteered with Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue to offer veterinary care during their wellness clinics. She is a co-Team Lead for the Street Dog Coalition which provides free medical care to pets of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
In her free time, Katie enjoys rowing with the Minneapolis Rowing Club, visiting local craft breweries, good food, traveling, and flower gardening. Katie and her wife, Colby, share their home with their two dogs Goose and Marta, and their four cats Ed, Louise, Chad, and Marlow.
More about Dr. Katie...
Dr. Julie Steller
Board Member
Dr. Steller (who just goes by Steller) joined the board in 2023. She is a veterinarian and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She has extensive experience in shelter and rescue medicine. She has worked for and volunteered with numerous shelter and rescues in the Twin Cities in her 20 years as a veterinarian. Steller has always held Pet Haven in high regard and is excited to contribute by being a board member. In her free time, Steller enjoys working on home improvement projects, cheering for the Vikings and Twins, traveling and camping. She has two cats of her own named Monarch and Maestro.
Janet Watson
Board Member - Secretary
We are so excited to have Janet Watson on our Board of Directors. She and her husband John are part of the Pet Haven Family having adopted their perfect pooch Shadow from us! Janet has a long history in philanthropy and support of the Animal Rescue and Welfare community. We are incredibly grateful for the knowledge and expertise she brings to our board.
Jack Novack
Board Member - Treasurer
Photo and bio on its way!
Krysten Paultz
Board Member
Krysten joined the Board of Directors in 2023 but has been an active volunteer with Pet Haven for many years. Her last position at Pet Haven was as supplies manager which was an incredibly rewarding experience. It has been amazing to see how Pet Haven has grown over the years and she is incredibly excited to be a part of this organization’s journey and mission. She hopes to continue to bring her industry experience to Pet Haven to help processes, projects and supply management to ensure our fosters and animals have an amazing and rewarding experience!

Division Managers

Rachel Misch
Cat Division Manager
Rachel is Pet Haven's Cat Division Manager. She started her foster journey with another organization in May 2021, then found Pet Haven in July 2021 and loved the organization! She became a foster mentor for cat fosters in November 2021. Her favorite groups to foster are kittens and pregnant moms, but she also enjoys working with under-socialized cats and the occasional problem-free adult cat when needing a break from all the craziness of kittens!
She has deeply enjoyed sharing her love of fostering with others as a foster mentor and looks forward to continuing to give support to others as the Cat Division Manager. Outside of Pet Haven, Rachel works at Securian Financial as a Software Engineer. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing on an intramural volleyball team, and recently very busy planning her April wedding!
More about Rachel...
Misha Smith
Cat Division Project Manager
We are excited to have Misha as the Cat Division Project Manager for Pet Haven. In her role as Project Manager, she supports our growing cat division by improving processes and supporting the team in projects that need attention. Misha brings her background in eLearning to the Pet Haven team, looking for new ways to innovate and create efficiencies to help Pet Haven reach more animals.
Misha grew up surrounded by animals and holds a deep respect for all creatures, big and small. Since joining Pet Haven in 2019 as a cat foster, Misha is proud to continue helping animals through rescue, fostering, and TNR. Professionally, Misha is the VP of Marketing at a local cybersecurity firm. She lives with her husband and their three rescue cats, which are all acutely aware that they outnumber the humans. Misha enjoys vegan cooking, gardening, and updating vintage furniture. You can find her proudly walking her cats via stroller, repositioning earthworms from sidewalks to safety, and turning her home into a feline playground.
More about Misha...

Engagement Team

Kourtney Kulseth
Events Team, Supply Team
Kourtney started volunteering with Pet Haven in summer 2022 and is a rock star who takes on any project that’s available. She is a foster friend and a new foster parent herself. She is also a regular supplies helper every Thursday, helps at events, and helps the vet team on pet surgery days. Kourtney started volunteering because she has always had a deep love and passion for animals. She sees them as pure and loving creatures and believes we can learn a lot from them!
At home she has two dogs of her own, with a couple fosters coming and going, who she loves to hike and adventure with. Her dogs love tricks, obedience, and barn hunt and she puts so much time and energy into giving them the best home possible. She is a self-proclaimed crazy dog mom and feels she is so lucky to be part of the Pet Haven team!
More about Kourtney...
Lisa Peterson
Partner Photographer
Lisa supports Pet Haven in a few different ways. She donates her time and financial resources to Pet Haven through her work at her pet photography studio Pawsh Photography. You might see her lying on the floor making silly noises while photographing all the adorable foster dogs and cats. She also works with the cat foster team writing bios for adoptable cats.
Daelin Daubenberger
Events Coordinator
Daelin joined Pet Haven in 2021 and helps the organization by pairing her passions for event planning and advocating for animal rescues. Daelin grew up in Chaska and has lived in the Twin Cities for the majority of her life. By day, she is an Associate Media Director at a local Minneapolis agency called Novus Next. By nights/weekends, she is the Event Coordinator for Pet Haven and a guitar instructor.
In her free time, she loves to travel (she has been to over 25 countries), play hockey, kickbox, rollerblade, spend time with family at the lake, check out local breweries, and most importantly - spend time with her own rescue dog, Julie!
More about Daelin...
Sue Simons
Microchip Coordinator
Sue joined the Pet Haven team in 1983 and has taken on many roles, including her current position which is registering microchips for adopted dogs and cats. Sue has made incredible contributions to Pet Haven, including fostering 300+ dogs and puppies. Of the 11 dogs she has adopted from Pet Haven, 10 were previously her fosters. Click on 'More about' to hear about her fostering successes.
One of her dogs, an Italian greyhound named Tawny, had a long list of special needs when she came in and had clearly been used for breeding. She was skittish and fearful of people, but Sue provided a home full of other dogs that made Tawny feel more at home. Outside of Pet Haven, Sue is a retired junior high teacher who still occasionally subs!
More about Sue...
Robyn Craig
Events Team, Dog Foster
Robyn joined the Pet Haven team in October 2022 and her primary roles are to foster dogs, help out at events, and help out at the office space. She enjoys seeing all the friendly faces when she goes into the facility and finds it very welcoming. She and her family have fostered over 100 dogs, including litters of puppies and shy dogs. She says that no matter which dog it is, there’s nothing better than them realizing you are a great next home.
In her free time, she enjoys playing hockey, reading, and cuddling with her pups!
More about Robyn...
Lauren Dosland
General Phone Line
Lauren joined the Pet Haven team in April 2022 and her primary role is a voicemail volunteer. She responds to several voicemails every single day and says she gets all types of inquiries. This can be challenging but she says it also keeps her role super interesting. She started volunteering with Pet Haven because she believes it is truly a leader in its innovative ways of approaching animal rescue and vet care.
Lauren admires how Pet Haven goes beyond what other experienced rescues do in the Twin Cities. She has two rescue animals of her own – one dog (Gimli) and one cat (Pippin) – and she hopes to start fostering with Pet Haven soon!
More about Lauren...
Sue Kuncio
Supply Team
Sue joined the Pet Haven team in December 2022 and her primary roles are to help with supplies and cleaning around the facility, and to lend a helping hand wherever it’s needed! She started volunteering at Pet Haven to learn more about the Twin Cities’ animal foster and shelter community. She says she has learned a great deal about the challenges they face, especially the gift their work provides to so many people and pets.
At home she has a 16-year-old picky eater of a cat and says the Pet Haven team helped her find a wet cat food he will actually eat! Professionally, she is also the office manager for Goff Public – a public relations and public affairs firm in St. Paul.
More about Sue...
Trish Timmons
Transport Coordinator
Trish joined the Pet Haven team in May 2023 and her primary roles are helping with transportation, working the front desk, and supporting our events. She started volunteering with Pet Haven because she has always loved animals and at one point in her life, she was even on the path to becoming a vet. While she didn’t end up as a vet, she is still passionate about animals and wanted to be involved with an organization where she could make a difference.
Trish is the youngest of six and she loves to travel. She has lived in the Midwest, the South, and on the East Coast, and she has also travelled to all 50 states and 16 countries!
More about Trish...

Medical Team

Julie DeCaro
Vet Care Manager
Julie is a Minnesota transplant who got started in animal rescue after having a really positive experience adopting her first cat while living in Chicago in 2014. Since then she has immersed herself in the world of rescue, learning as much as possible to be able to improve the care of animals on their journey to finding forever homes.
Beginning in 2015 Julie started volunteering with Feline Rescue doing everything from scooping litter boxes, coordinating apparel, to fostering newborn kittens through senior diabetics. In 2018 she was hired as Feline Rescue's Volunteer Coordinator, but quickly transitioned through different roles dictated by the needs of the growing organization including social media management, event planning, and most recently leading their in-house veterinary services. Since joining Feline Rescue's vet team, Julie has become solely focused on shelter veterinary medicine which has allowed her to explore a passion she didn't previously know she had and even prompted her to work towards becoming a credentialed veterinary technician. Julie is Fear Free Certified and tries to always use a considerate approach when working with animals and people. Outside of rescue work, she enjoys reading, and hiking and has recently started learning the harp. She lives with two resident cats, a recent foster fail dog, and a rotation of foster animals in need.
Read more about Julie...
Stephanie Di Lorenzo Sawyer
Queen & Kitten Care Manager
Stephanie recently joined our team as the Queen & Kitten Care Manager. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician at one of our partnering clinics and also serves as a cat and kitten foster for Pet Haven. She has over 17 years of experience in rescue, including bottle raising orphaned kittens and puppies. Since childhood Steph has had a strong compassion for animals and their welfare, which led her to the path of working in the Veterinary field.
We feel very lucky to have her on our team! Steph and her husband have 6 cats of their own. Some activities she enjoys outside of rescue include camping, hiking, supporting local farmer's markets, reading, trying new coffee shops and going to concerts.
Read more about Stephanie......
Katie Wernecke
Animal Care Assistant
Katie joined the Pet Haven Animal Care Team in 2022 and has been a wonderful addition to our team. Katie provides support to our Animal Care Manager and coordinates internal vaccination clinics and wellness care. She is currently a veterinary technition attending the University of Minnesota to beome a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. We hope her expreicne at Pet Haven is so positive she stays with us after graducation!
Randi Shimota
Vet Care Records Coordinator
Randi joined the Pet Haven team in February 2022 and her primary role is a vet care records coordinator. She has always loved all animals and over the years she has owned many hamsters, gerbils, dogs, a cat, and a bearded dragon. She got involved with her role as a vet care records coordinator because she wanted to find a way to help this awesome organization in a capacity that allowed her to work from home.
She says she has found the perfect position! She is great at it too, as she is organized and detail oriented when entering vet records and keeping upcoming standard care up to date. In her life away from Pet Haven, she has taken her dog Bones (12-year-old Morkie) on many adventures. During the winters of 2019 and 2020 she built out a campervan and she and Bones traveled around the southern United States. She also rides a Harley Davidson Iron 1200 motorcycle and played roller derby for 6 years (her skater name was Randi Stroyer)!
More about Randi...

Adoption Team

Leslie Bardon
Records Coordinator
Leslie began volunteering with Pet Haven in 2007. She was tossing around the idea of a second dog to add to her home for their dog Butch (a Rat Terrier). She figured "why not foster... we wouldn't have the expense of another dog - PERFECT!" Leslie was hooked! Eventually, Miss Bella entered her home and she didn't want to leave after 2 1/2 years with us, although they tried their hardest! Bella chose her home permanently in June of 2012.
Leslie has done many jobs with Pet Haven and is currently the Records Coordinator. Someday she will be back to fostering because she misses it so!!!
More about Leslie...
Nassim Rossi
Cat Adoption Coordinator
Inspired by the joy unleashed when her family welcomed a cat into their home in 2019, Nassim and her youngest daughter Darya joined Pet Haven in February 2021 as a cat foster team and Nassim soon transitioned to the role of Cat Foster Mentor. Every day she is awed and moved by the compassion and dedication of the people she meets through Pet Haven.
She loves making a difference in the lives of vulnerable animals and helping people find their perfect cat match. Nassim enjoys spending time with her family, including her foster cats and resident cat Lea, and bringing happiness and positivity into the lives of humans through her wellness business worD.Aroma. In her free time Nassim enjoys crafting, playing piano and devouring audiobooks ... ok, fine, and also watching lots of cat videos.
More about Nassim...

Intake Team

Stephanie Schmidt
Intake Manager and Rural Shelter Intake Coordinator
Stephanie has always had a love and passion for animals. She has been bringing home stray and lost animals for most of her life. She joined Pet Haven in February 2022 after 4 years of fostering with other rescues. Her family has fostered over 70 cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies of all ages!
She has been doing intake coordination for rural shelter partners located in Minnesota for a few years and really enjoys being an integral part of getting animals out of shelters and into foster homes. Stephanie wanted to add more support to Pet Haven and in November of 2022 she stepped into the Intake Manager role. She supports our intake team and is the liaison to Leadership. Her support and dedication for saving more lives is inspiring. Outside of her volunteer work, she is a pediatric and fetal cardiac sonographer. In her personal life, Stephanie has a very tolerant husband who puts up with all of her animal shenanigans, 2 young children, and a house full of resident rescue cats and dogs.
More about Stephanie...
Kayla Knoll
Municipal Shelter Intake Coordinator
Kayla joined Pet Haven in February 2018 as a dog foster volunteer. In 2019, she took over the position of Shelter Intake Coordinator. Originally she worked in contact with Safe Hands Rescue with dogs being transported from Kentucky, and now she is working with Mutt Mutt Engine in collaboration with South Carolina shelters and Rockwall Pets with Texas shelters.
In her personal life, Kayla is a neurological intensive care nurse. She enjoys writing poetry and recently accepted a writing apprenticeship via the Loft Literary Center with a locally based published poet. Kayla has a resident cat as her companion but continues to foster both cats and dogs with Pet Haven and looks forward to continuing her partnership as an engaged volunteer.
More about Kayla...
Ali Hansen
Cat Owner Surrender Intake Coordinator
Ali Hansen joined the team at Pet Haven in 2019 as a dog foster and is now the Cat Owner Surrender Coordinator. A greatly needed role during these uncertain times. Ali moved from Iowa to Minnesota in 2018 after graduating college from Iowa State University.
She has been an animal lover her whole life and loves that she can finally use that passion to help animals in need. She even convinced her family to adopt their first pet, Katy the beagle, when she was in middle school. Professionally she is a Graphic Designer, but outside of work she loves to be outdoors, travels the world, and spends as much time with her animals as possible. She lives with her partner, Chris, their cat, Charlie, and their Pet Haven foster fail, Gunther.
More about Ali...
Patrice Ehlert
Intake Records Coordinator, Events Team, Cat Foster, Transport Driver
Patrice enjoys a few roles at Pet Haven, including cat foster, intake records coordinator, driver, and events volunteer. She finds that consistently trying to make small positive differences in both animals’ and peoples’ lives can have wonderfully far-reaching and long-lasting effects.
She has had many remarkable experiences, from bottle feeding a very premature kitten to driving country roads with 10+ cats mewing along to the radio in the back of her car. She always looks forward to learning more about all aspects of animal rescue so that she can be a genuinely helpful resource for people and pets in her community—particularly hospice care and spay/neuter programs. Patrice lives with her husband Ian and two cats (Cali and Loki).
More about Patrice...
Snow Li
Intake Coordinator
Snow joined the Pet Haven team in 2022 in hopes of giving back to the community while being a full-time college student. Her love for animals and Pet Haven’s mission inspired her to become an intake coordinator. Snow works as a veterinary technician outside of volunteering. She loves to hike, ski, and spend time with friends.
Michael Rosenblatt
Intake Records Coordinator
Michael Rosenblatt is a retired Audiologist, currently working in Guest Services for the Minnesota Twins during baseball season. He volunteers for Pet Haven because of his love for animals, especially dogs. He and his wife, Cheryl currently own 3 dogs, Reuben age 2, Incus age 4, and Lily age 10.
Jessie Eubanks
Dog Owner Surrender Intake Coordinator
Jessie has been volunteering with Pet Haven as one of our Dog Owner Surrender Coordinators for the last couple of years. She works in catering sales, but one of her great passions is pet rescue! She and her husband live with their pittie, Bear, that they rescued five years ago.
She is an incredible ten-year-old pup but doesn't get along with other dogs and was about to be returned to the shelter and put down because of that. They couldn't let that happen so they drove the whole next day to pick her up from Pennsylvania and she's been the most amazing dog since. Jessie always had a love for pets but this solidified that for her and inspired her to work with organizations that helped other pets in this same situation and connect them with their forever homes.
More about Jessie....
Valerie Christoferson
Return Intake Coordinator
Val is an avid animal lover! She became a cat foster in May of 2020 while a full time college student. She now works in medical research and currently has no pets of her own (though has gotten very close to foster failing a few times). Val loves to read and hike in her free time and spends as much time as she can with her family.
Laura Vanic
Shelter Intake Coordinator, Application Reviewer, Dog Respite Foster
Laura joined Pet Haven in 2020 as a cat foster, and has grown in the organization into several other roles. She is now an intake coordinator for a rural MN shelter, application reviewer for the cat owner surrender program, and a dog respite foster. Laura grew up with a family dog and has loved her time venturing into the "cat world" during COVID (and beyond) which works well with her busy schedule!
She says, "Pet Haven has been an absolute joy to work with the last few years. I've learned so much about rescue and met so many INCREDIBLE people who are selflessly giving their time and energy. The work that we do hasn't stopped amazing me yet. This is a very special group of people and pets!" Outside of Pet Haven, Laura likes to read and wake surf, and is busy with a job in the investing world.
More about Laura...
Makayla Higgs
Intake Records
Makayla started volunteering with Pet Haven in January 2023 and does fantastic work as an intake records admin and a cat care volunteer. She found Pet Haven when she was looking for an organization to volunteer with and knew she loved being around cats. She loves ending the day and spending the weekend helping around the facility and hanging out with some adorable kitties! In her free time, she loves being outside and spending time near the lakes.
She also enjoys watching adventure movies and is a member of the youth and young adult choir called Known MPLS.
More about Makayla...
Laura Briggs
Intake Coordinator and Home-to-Home Coordinator
Laura joined the Pet Haven organization in 2010 as a dog foster. As both a dog and cat lover, she's served as a Dog Foster Mentor, Cat Foster Mentor, Cat Foster, and as Secretary of the Board. Currently, Laura is the Home-to-Home Coordinator and an Intake Coordinator for owner surrender dogs. Laura's passion for animal rescue has brought so many opportunities her way, such as helping with spay/neuter clinics at various reservations in Minnesota.
She has also done cross-country trips to save animals from euthanasia and bottle-fed abandoned newborn puppies. Outside of Pet Haven, Laura works as a Program Manager at a tech startup and recently started a coffee roasting business with her partner, Brian.
More about Laura...
Marilyn Clark Silva
Intake Coordinator, Social Media
Marilyn has been part of Pet Haven since 2013 when she adopted her first dog from the organization. She was so impressed with Pet Haven that she started volunteering as an outreach coordinator at events and says the experience has given her some of her fondest memories. In 2015 she was a shelter assessor for Pet Haven and, over the course of 2 years, she saved 120 dogs.
Now she volunteers as a remote intake coordinator for owner surrenders and helps with social media. She lives in Arizona but says that being able to make a difference with Pet Haven, even from a distance, is so rewarding. She’s had her dog for over ten years now, who brings her joy every day.
More about Marilyn...
Kate Aanestad
Kate, her husband Tim, and their son Jay joined Pet Haven during the summer of 2022. They originally signed up to be dog fosters, but within a few months, Kate wanted to do more. In early 2023 she became an Intake Coordinator for a local shelter and since then she has taken on that role for a few others. She also serves as her own Records Coordinator. Kate has volunteered with several other non-animal based organizations, but is loving her time at Pet Haven.
Professionally, Kate is a Senior Analyst at a Telecommunications company, and works with her husband on their family business. In her spare time, Kate enjoys going on adventures with her family. They love sailing on the Saint Croix, Ice Fishing on Mille Lacs, and escaping to a cabin in the woods to relax.
Read more about Kate...

Cat Foster Team

Nassim Rossi
Cat Foster Mentor
Inspired by the joy unleashed when her family welcomed a cat into their home in 2019, Nassim and her youngest daughter Darya joined Pet Haven in February 2021 as a cat foster team and Nassim soon transitioned to the role of Cat Foster Mentor. She is daily awed and moved by the compassion and dedication of the people she meets through Pet Haven.
She loves making a difference in the lives of vulnerable animals and helping people find their perfect cat match. Nassim enjoys spending time with her family, including her foster cats and resident cat Lea, and bringing happiness and positivity into the lives of humans too through her wellness business worD.Aroma. In her free time Nassim enjoys crafting, playing piano and devouring audiobooks ... ok, fine, and also watching lots of cat videos.
More about Nassim...
Rachel Korkowski
Cat Foster Mentor
After transitioning to working from home full time, Rachel began fostering cats and kittens in May, 2020 and joined Pet Haven a year later. She's opened her home to all different kinds of cats: adult cats, under socialized cats, pregnant moms, and kittens. Although she loves them all, moms and kittens have a special place in her heart.
During the day, Rachel works as an Engineering Senior Analyst at Securian Financial and entertains her coworkers during meetings by giving "kitten updates" and sharing the cuteness. Her favorite part of fostering is watching the cats and kittens learn the joy and relaxation of life in rescue, knowing they're never going to have to go back to the struggles they've dealt with in the past. She's excited to be a foster mentor and get to share her passion for fostering with others.
More about Rachel...
Roxanne Merriman
Cat Foster Mentor
Roxanne joined Pet Haven in early 2021 after 5 years of experience in the rescue community fostering kittens and cats of all ages and ailments nearing 200 foster kitties! She grew up in a family of cat lovers, thinking she’d be a veterinarian when she got older but, turns out fostering was the perfect fit! Roxanne has 2 cats of her own, Moe and Izzy, who do a wonderful job teaching kittens how to well… cat!
She started a social media page to track and share the bajillions of photos and videos being taken of all the adorable happenings, and has come to enjoy every piece of fostering from the fun, creative photos, bio writing, being the bridge between now and forever, and finding the purrfect homes! Becoming a Cat Foster Mentor is a wonderful compliment to her enjoyment of training and leadership opportunities, so getting to share her experience and guiding other fosters to success is one more reason to love all that Pet Haven does for the community and the pets who need us!
More about Roxanne...
Neha Bressers
Cat Foster Mentor
Neha joined Pet Haven in December 2020 as a Cat foster and later added the role of cat adoption coordinator. Neha's resident cat - Ben was rescued just a year prior and is the most skittish cat (EVER). Ben needed to learn proper social skills and exposing him to other felines was one way to do so. Not having any pets growing, it was a very welcome challenge - to learn and understand cats and kittens with different personalities.
She has fostered cats of all ages and traits and holds a special place for senior cats. Neha transitioned to become Foster Mentor soon after to help other fosters have equally great experience fostering a furry friend with Pet Haven. Neha and Scott enjoy the outdoors - backpacking, hiking, traveling, puzzling in cold winter evenings, drinking delicious beers and generally everything Minnesota offers.
More about Neha...
Jess Guernsey
Cat Foster Mentor
Jess joined Pet Haven in February 2022 after 4 years of fostering with other rescues. They have now fostered 49 cats and kittens! They couldn't have done it without the help of their 3 resident cats. Finnegan is a grumpy gray giant who all their foster kittens love to snuggle. Dandelion is mostly white with an orange mullet. He's sweet and silly. Zealand is black with bright green eyes. This goofball has so much energy he can keep up with the 5-week-old kittens!
When Jess is not fostering, they are typically hiking somewhere on the other side of the world. They enjoy traveling almost as much as fostering. Almost. Jess is looking forward to many more years of fostering and mentoring with this awe inspiring, brilliant Pet Haven team.
More about Jess...
Jamie Darst
Cat Foster Onboarding Coordinator
Jamie joined Pet Haven in June of 2021 fostering cats. She fostered five cats between June and September and eventually she took in one of her family's animals permanently. This brought her to her max of three cats so she had to pause on fostering. She decided she still wanted to volunteer her time and become a foster coordinator. Jamie grew up in Lake Elmo Minnesota, and has now jumped across the bridge and become a Wisconsin resident.
She had many animals growing up including dogs and cats. Her passion for animals really took flight when she adopted her first pet of her own in 2018, 8-year-old Braveheart. Braveheart came from the forget me not list at the Animal Humane Society and that adoption is what brought her to Pet Haven.
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Krista Onadipe
Cat Foster Mentor
Krista joined the Pet Haven team the summer of 2022 and her primary roles are being a foster parent and a foster mentor for cats. In the last year, she and her husband have fostered 16 kittens with Pet Haven and she enjoys being able to guide other fosters with the experience she has gained. She got involved with Pet Haven because she loved that the adoption process encourages bonded pairs to be adopted together and that it has a mentorship program.
She and her husband have three cats of their own (Jasper, Buttons, and Della) and in her free time she likes to spend time outside hiking, biking, gardening, and doing yoga (sometimes even with her cats). She is very passionate about cats and loves to share that with likeminded people!
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Amy Clark
PetFinder Profiles
Amy joined the Pet Haven team in June 2023 and her primary role is to write bios for the cats and let people know how amazing they are. She is a great person for the job because she knows that every cat has something wonderful to offer, and she’s able to tell their story in a way that sparks interest among potential families. She and her boyfriend have five rescue cats at home, and she once rescued a tiny kitten in Athens, Greece in the era before smart phones and the internet – how crazy!
Professionally she is a writer and editor, but she is also a mom of three. In her free time she likes to do long trail runs and considers peanut butter to be the perfect food.
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Dog Foster Team

Darlene Johnson
Dog Foster Mentor
Darlene has always had a soft spot for animals and spent most of her childhood in Malaysia rescuing animals in ditches, drains, and culverts (while trying not to get swept out into the river). She joined Pet Haven in 2015 as a dog foster and quickly stepped into the role of being a Foster Mentor - where she could grow her love of working with fellow fosters and the dogs they have come to share their homes and hearts with. Professionally, Darlene is a Network Engineer and all-around nerd.
This geek at heart is passionate about social welfare and finds herself helping out at various social programs in Minnesota and overseas, in her home country of Malaysia. When she does have spare time, she is always on the lookout for the next travel opportunity, searching for new culinary adventures, flying the skies in a single engine plane and working her way onto the next Lego kit. Darlene shares her home with her senior cat, Kiwi, and 2 goofy dogs, Mochi and Archer, and the occasional foster dog.
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Beth Alexander
Dog Foster Mentor
Beth Alexander began volunteering with Pet Haven in 2013 as a puppy foster. After adopting 2 of her foster dogs, she could no longer foster so she became a foster mentor to support fosters in their journey. Beth has loved dogs her entire life and is very passionate about saving as many as possible!
Beth says, "I love helping our new fosters start out and supporting the ones who have been with us a while. One of my most memorable stories is being involved in helping another foster with her semi-feral pup. We worked very hard to get him to trust and love. The day he started coming out of his shell is a day I'll never forget. Two years after being adopted, his dad still brings him to our events to visit and he still remembers and loves me." Another passion of Beth's is volunteering with Red Lake Rosie's Rescue in northern Minnesota at their spay/neuter/wellness clinics: "These clinics have a big impact on the community and I'm proud to be able to help." In her spare time, Beth enjoys spending time with her two rescue pups, a Shepherd mix, and a Staffie mix. She also enjoys spending time at her cabin with her husband and two adult children.
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Rita Widmer
Dog Foster Mentor
Rita has been volunteering with rescues since 2016, and joined Pet Haven in 2018. She started out as the dog spay/neuter coordinator, and has helped welcome new fosters into rescue as a new foster home visit volunteer. She is also a dog foster.
She is looking forward to helping fosters find the right dog for their home and be there for all the ups and downs of fostering, like having to say good-bye. In her four years in rescue, she has taken on hospice, medical cases, bite issues, skin issues, and much more. When Rita isn't helping rescue dogs and cats, she works full time as a Special Education paraprofessional and job coach to high schoolers- plus, she is working on getting her Bachelor's in Social Work.
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Sara Diedrich
Dog Foster Mentor, OS Application Reviewer
Sara has been with Pet Haven for several years, as she got her first dog Ani from Pet Haven in 2002. Her current focus is helping dog owner surrenders find new homes and is proud to be part of the community outreach to which Pet Haven is committed. Through her years of experience, she has found that she really likes shy dogs and has had a few success stories where scared and timid puppers transform into better adjusted and adoptable dogs.
She continues to be an avid Siberian Husky fan and has 5 of her own who have become excellent helpers in getting other shy dogs out of their shells, and even keeping younger puppies in line by modelling calm behavior. Sara continues to be enthralled by dogs and has been shown a lot of guidance in her own life by her dog Ani. In her free time, Sara teaches piano and voice lessons from her home and says that her students love meeting the foster dogs she brings in.
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Aimee and Geoff Mihock-Pender
Dog Foster Mentors
Aimee and Geoff joined the Pet Haven team in 2020 and their primary roles include fostering and being foster mentors. They got involved with the organization because Aimee’s dad volunteered for Pet Haven when she was little, so she grew up tagging along to adoption events and helping out. She says that fostering is so rewarding and that it felt good to come back. They have fostered 7 dogs and “foster failed” 2 of them – meaning they ended up keeping them.
One of their foster fails Phoebe, came from an animal hoarding situation so she started out super skittish and wouldn’t come out from underneath their futon. Nearly three years later she has blossomed out of her shell and is a sassy, confident lady. In their time away from Pet Haven, Geoff is a paid-on-call firefighter and Aimee is a huge crafter. They are also working on getting their other foster fail Odin, trained as a therapy dog. At home they have what they call a “zoo crew” which consists of 4 dogs (3 are Pet Haven alums), 2 cats, 1 leopard gecko, and 4 fish tanks.
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Brittany Tedford
Dog Foster Mentor
Brittany joined the organization in 2021 as the Dog Foster Coordinator and fell in love with Pet Haven. What started as a few hours a week volunteering has changed her life. She quickly fell in love with the community and never looked back, joining the team as a foster as well. Now, Brittany serves as a foster, mentor, and the Volunteer and Events Manager!
Brittany and her wife are moms to two of the best rescues around. Goose and Bruce are the best big brothers to their foster siblings and are a perfect example of how there is always room for another dog!
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Molly Larson
Respite Dog Foster Mentor
Molly joined the Pet Haven team in 2023 as the Volunteer and Events Manager, and now serves as the Operations Director. A long history in rescue, she has worked with many of our rescue partners in the Twin Cities! 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.
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Kourtney Kulseth
Welcome Visit Volunteer
Kourtney started volunteering with Pet Haven in summer 2022 and is a rock star who takes on any project that’s available. She is a foster friend and a new foster parent herself. She is also a regular supplies helper every Thursday, helps at events, and helps the vet team on pet surgery days. Kourtney started volunteering because she has always had a deep love and passion for animals. She sees them as pure and loving creatures and believes we can learn a lot from them!
At home she has two dogs of her own, with a couple fosters coming and going, who she loves to hike and adventure with. Her dogs love tricks, obedience, and barn hunt and she puts so much time and energy into giving them the best home possible. She is a self-proclaimed crazy dog mom and feels she is so lucky to be part of the Pet Haven team!
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