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BOARD MEMBERS

Jennifer Kirkland
President

A Staunton resident, is Associate General Counsel for Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. Jennifer is also a professional musician, and has appeared locally and regionally in various musical settings. Jennifer has put her passion for animal welfare into service on the boards of Cat’s Cradle and The Mosby Foundation, focusing on grant writing, spay/neuter financial assistance programs, pet food pantry programs, pet retention initiatives, and other issues related to animal welfare. In 2013, she was honored to receive The Bravo Award from The Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, in recognition of her service to the field of animal welfare.

Renee Clark
Vice President

a Staunton resident, works as a biologist assessing environmental impacts and obtaining environmental clearances. She is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College with a degree in Biology and attended VNRLI at UVA for environmental mediation and negotiation. Renee has actively volunteered with Cat’s Cradle for numerous years and can be found on Saturdays at adoption events, providing vaccinations and medical care to fosters, or transferring animals out of local pounds and shelters to safety.

Terry Elia
Secretary

a Fishersville resident, is a graduate of Bridgewater College with a BS degree in Business Administration. In 2014 she was inducted in to the Bridgewater Athletic Hall of Fame. She retired from the Virginia Department of Corrections in 2011 and until recently was employed at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women as a Part Time Human Resources Assistant. Terry has been a volunteer with Cat’s Cradle for numerous years in addition to fostering, assists with adoption outings, transport and various other duties. Terry is a member of Waynesboro Chapter No. 105, Order of the Eastern Star serving as Secretary and is Grand Representative of New Hampshire in Virginia.

Sue Gast

Sue is originally from Upstate New York and has lived in various states in the Northeast where she and her husband raised their 2 daughters. She has a BS in Business Administration and was employed by Philhaven Behavioral Health Care in Central PA prior to relocating to Waynesboro 5 years ago. At that time, she began volunteering at Cat’s Cradle in various roles at our Downtown Center including phone counseling, adoptions, and administrative tasks. She also has trained volunteers at Pet Smart, assisted with fundraisers/events and currently volunteers in our Intake Center assisting with various administrative tasks and of course continues fostering!

Michael Hickman

is a writing instructor at James Madison University specializing in modernist literature. He is a “triple Duke,” having received a B.A. in English and Religion, as well as an M.A. in English, from JMU, and now teaching there! At JMU, Michael is also faculty advisor to the Hip-Hop Collective and a member of the first-year writing committee. He is one of the singers making up The Valley 7, a chamber choir in the Shenandoah Valley, a Beatlemaniac, and a lover of cats.

Geoff Snow

A Harrisonburg resident, owns and operates local businesses Valley Moving Solutions and Harrisonburg Mobile Notary. Additionally, he is currently pursuing certification in web and android development. Geoff is the human to a Cats Cradle alumni, Leo.

OUR STAFF

Christy Tabor

Licensed Veterinary Technician/Intake and Foster Coordinator
started her staff position in 2013. Christy received her Associate’s Degree from Blue Ridge Community College, is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a veterinary technician, and in January 2018 will receive her B.S. in Leadership and Organizational Management from Eastern Mennonite University. Christy volunteered for Cat’s Cradle for many years while working at Woodworth Animal Hospital and teaching Veterinary Assistance at Massanutten Technical Center. Since joining the Cat’s Cradle staff, she has been instrumental in expanding Cat’s Cradle’s foster home and transport network. Christy can often be found providing training to foster homes, facilitating medical treatment, or working with local intake shelters to transfer animals to safety. She is a lover of all animals, including cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits and goats. She enjoys yoga, running, and chocolate in her free time (even though she has no free time!)

Tracey Meadows

Tracey Meadows was born and raised in Virginia. Her first job with animals started with the Augusta Regional SPCA in 2008, then the Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center in 2011, and has extended her work with us here at Cat’s Cradle. Her knowledge of and compassion for animals continues to grow throughout the years. When Tracey isn’t working with animals, she spends her time with her son, her boyfriend and her 3 kitties. Her first foster fail was an injured kitten that Cat’s Cradle took into the foster program (in 2013)! Tracey is raising a young man that shares the same empathy for animals as herself and hopes to one day be able to fill her shoes. Interesting fact: Tracey developed allergies to animals in 2012 and although she continues to struggle with the allergy, it doesn’t stop her from owning pets or helping animals in need. Tracey hopes that her persistence in animal advocacy will help save more lives through training and education.

Justin Morris

Denise Hale

I am married with an adult married daughter. I work full time for the Department of Social Services as a Program Specialist, and I am the proud mommie of 6 rescue kitties. I enjoy gardening and reading in my spare time. I’m a people person with a cheerful personality.

Peggy Downing

Originally from East Texas and currently living in McGaheysville Peggy Graduated from Georgia Southern University. She is a retired Contract Specialist for the Government Printing Office. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Page Paws and Page SPCA. Peggy has been fostering and volunteering for Cats Cradle for over 10 years and is a bottle baby expert!

Jennifer Camille Ybarra

Jennifer Ybarra is one of the Cat’s Cradle Cleaners! Many of you may already know her as she has been a volunteer with Cat's Cradle for many years. While with us, she has been enjoying various forms of volunteer work, but she is best known for her photography of foster cats for the website. She is a costume designer with a long standing online business selling her wearable art, which is another lifelong passion of hers.

Ellen Carrillo

I’ve rescued cats my whole life and got involved with cat’s cradle in 2014 when I was 16. I’m starting BRCC’s Veterinary Technology program in the fall & plan to focus on rescue medicine. In my spare time I like to travel, read, shop, and of course spend time with my kitties!

Sherri Heishman

Publicity/Marketing
is the Director of Philanthropy for The Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton, Virginia. Sherri is also a professional photographer and owns Twist & Snap Photography. Sherri is a Dale Carnegie High Impact Speaker and Certified Sales Trainer. She uses her creativity to design much of Cat’s Cradle’s print media, including our newsletters, and some of our online promotional and marketing materials. Sherri photographed and designed the 2015 “Men Who Love Cats” calendar, and designed the space and layout for Cat’s Cradle’s Downtown Center in Harrisonburg. Sherri also volunteers as a foster home for Cat’s Cradle. Sherri graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Animal Science.

Jillian Myers

My name is Jillian Myers, and I have lived in Harrisonburg all of my life. I graduated from HHS and have worked in healthcare for 20 years. I have four wonderful children. Also in our family, we have a doggy (Isis), a Cat (Emmy), and a snake (Prissy). In my spare time, I love to paint, camp, and go to festivals. I'm excited to take this new journey in life to jump into a new career. I have always been an animal lover and it fills me with joy that I am now able to help kitties find a furever home. I look forward to meeting the staff, fosters, and volunteers.

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