Emily Sprong, Executive Director
Emily got an early start in animal welfare: her first volunteer and employment experiences were with vets, kennels, and feral cat organizations. After studying wildlife biology in graduate school and working for wildlife-focused non-profits for many years, the opportunity to apply for the ED position at SAFe crossed her path at just the right time: “It feels like I’ve come full circle and I’m very happy to have returned to my roots.” Emily appreciates the respect and compassion the SAFe Rescue community demonstrates, and her favorite moments are when people and kitties find the perfect match: “I love when someone comes into the rescue and our adoption counselors find them just the right fit. Their ability to listen and connect with both people and cats and to help adopters through transition challenges, makes me very proud of the work we do. (I’m also a sucker for torties).” Not surprisingly, Emily’s fur-family includes a tortie named Tiger Lily, as well as a dog named Zarby. When she’s not at the rescue, you can find Emily spending time with her husband and two daughters, hiking, attending the theater, and driving back and forth between the girls’ practice and rehearsals, of course!
Nichole Abbey, Event and Donor Care Coordinator
As the rescue’s go-to staff member for all things event-related, Nichole unites her love of animals with her passion for creating great experiences for guests. “I’m excited to create and execute events to educate and inform the community of the great work we’re doing. Plus, I hope to bring in more donors and volunteers to help continue saving as many kitties as we can!” When she’s not busy event planning, Nichole enjoys reading, walking around the city to discover new places, and playing video games with her cat Blanche snuggled next to her.
Emily Boyer, Cat Care Lead
For Emily, helping animals runs in the family: “My mom and I befriended staff at a local animal rescue when I was a child, and with our shared love of animals, it was inevitable that we would get involved. I started volunteering at age 8!” Emily is dedicated to making a difference for animals and finds it especially rewarding to watch feral kitties blossom as they get to know humans. When she’s not taking care of the rescue felines, you can find her snuggling her own cats Goldie and Shere Kan, throwing the ball for her dog Tuco, reading, writing, taking long walks to enjoy the beauty of the Seattle area, and playing lots of video games.
Ellis Chic, Adoption Counselor
For Ellis, working with cats and helping make their lives better is living the dream! After graduating recently, he is excited to start his animal welfare career at Seattle Area Feline Rescue. Ellis especially enjoys getting to know the individual personalities of the various rescue felines: “It is amazing how different every cat is and how much there is to learn about them.” Ellis has a special connection to cats with big, noisy, personalities—it makes his heart melt when a cat meows for attention! When Ellis is not working hard for the kitties, he enjoys playing video games and experimenting with new recipes. Ellis shares his life with Nagini, a Ball Python who loves cuddles, and two rambunctious kittens named Leroy and Ace.
Tina Donaldson, Cat Care Lead
Tina lives by the saying “Animals are such agreeable friends: they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” In return for the unconditional love that animals offer, Tina works tirelessly to help them! Tina got started with animal rescue in response to Hurricane Katrina and has been helping ever since. As she explains, “The animals during that crisis were amazing. I also volunteered with the FELV and FIV positive cats at Best Friends Animal Society… And having had several other rescue cats made me realize that rescues are the BEST.” Tina’s own rescue cat Venus is certainly a very spoiled—and very lucky—kitty! When Tina isn’t busy giving a helping hand to animals, she enjoys travel adventures and hiking with her husband.
Kelsi Eldredge, Retail and Customer Service Lead
Kelsi has loved animals for as long as she can remember, but it was a recent tragedy that awakened her calling to animal welfare as a career: “When the Camp Fire wiped out my hometown of Paradise, California in 2018, I saw so many humans and their fuzzy family members displaced by the fire. I did everything I could do to help them, from fundraising and passing out gift cards, to crocheting dog sweaters and blankets, to sending animal supplies. Once I started, I had finally found my calling and knew I needed to continue.” Kelsi carries her passion to protect and advocate for animals into every aspect of her role, and she finds that watching shy and scared kitties learn to trust is especially rewarding. Due to allergies in her household, Kelsi can’t have kitties at home, so she cherishes the time she spends with them at work. Her best furry friend is a very cat-like senior Pomeranian named Bruno. (And she hopes to adopt a pair of rats soon!) When she’s not busy at the rescue, Kelsi enjoys hanging out with Bruno and tending to her collection of over 100 houseplants. She also enjoys drawing, painting, making crafts, and volunteering.
Maddie Fox, Foster Coordinator & Adoption Counselor
In her work at SAFe Rescue, Maddie combines two passions: community organizing and (of course) cats! Maddie explains: “The two things I love most in this world are cats and community organizing, so the Foster Coordinator position is the perfect combination. I’m excited to involve the community in the stewardship of animals, our cutest connection to the natural world.” Maddie’s goal is to help build soft infrastructure that will make society resilient to the impacts of climate change—and she wants to help cats find homes while she does. Maddie shares her life with two kitties, Sybill Trelawney and Garrick Ollivander. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys reading as well as finding and cooking unusual vegetables from the farmer’s market.
Jessica Green, DVM, Veterinarian
For Jessica, working in animal rescue is a return to her roots: her dedication to helping animals is the reason she first entered the medical field. Jessica especially enjoys getting to know different felines and their personalities: “I enjoy meeting each new kitty, learning about them, and trying to make them feel their best!” When she’s not tending to the needs of animals, you can find Jessica cooking, running, hiking, and spending time with her two children. Jessica’s furry family members include three kitties (Diesel, Isabella, and Isis) and an honorary feline: chihuahua Betsy, who is convinced she’s a kitty, too.
Shelley Lawson, Development and Communications Director
Shelley, who works to build community awareness and support for SAFe Rescue’s programs, treasures the opportunity to connect with cats and the people who love them: “Even on the hardest, busiest days, I know I have a chance to make a difference for animals, and that makes it all worthwhile.” Shelley and her husband share their house with a crew of senior cats (including former SAFe kitty Jacob), a hyperactive dog, and a rotating cast of foster cats… Meanwhile, a flock of chickens and a school of pond fish call their yard home. When she’s not busy advocating for the kitties, Shelley’s passion is international volunteering. She has helped build homes for families in need on three different continents so far and is hoping to take her work boots to a fourth continent soon.
Amy Mills, Operations Manager
Amy’s SAFe Rescue roots run deep: she originally adopted in 1999, began to foster in 2009, became more involved over the years, then started as a full time in employee in 2015. Amy, who manages the rescue’s operations, finds it especially rewarding to help people learn about cats and to help cats find the purrfect home. She has a soft spot for big, scruffy, tom cats who blossom into fantastic pets, and her group of kitties at home includes Trinket, a SAFe Rescue foster triumph.
Kim Morgan, Veterinary Care Manager
Kim’s love of animals shines through in everything she does! From her career, to her hobbies, to her home, Kim’s devotion to protecting defenseless creatures is easy to see. At SAFe Rescue, Kim stays busy tending to the medical needs of the 1,700+ cats who find safety during the course of each year. Even so, Kim still finds time to run the non-profit Isla Holbox Spay Neuter Project, which provides free spay/neuter clinics in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. When she’s not at work or traveling to help animals abroad, you can find Kim at home with her rescue crew, which includes five horses and a pride of rescued felines. Although outnumbered, basset hound Rupert and “bagel” George (a basset/beagle mix) fit right into the beautiful family!
Jordyn Nolz, Cat Care Lead: Isolation Room
Jordyn spends her time at the rescue caring for the cats and kittens in the Isolation Room. These felines are receiving treatment for a skin infection called ringworm. Jordyn gives the “Kitty Cadets” here in the Iso room (lovingly dubbed “Ringworm Academy”) the very best care. It’s always a good day when one of the kitties “graduates” and gets the green light for adoption. Jordyn’s family includes, Jet, a SAFe Rescue alumnus.
Erika Olson, Veterinary Assistant
Tending to the medical needs of kitties is both a career and a passion for Erika! When she’s not here at SAFe Rescue helping homeless kitties, you might find her working at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital or studying for her Veterinary Technician license. Erika takes her compassion for cats home with her: “I really like the special needs kitties! I have two blind cats of my own, and it is amazing what they are able to do.” While Erika’s drive to help animals keeps her busy, she also treasures the quiet moments with her feline friends Manny, Brutus, and Ducky—who are all foster triumphs—and Jazzy.
Lindsey Price, Volunteer Manager
Lindsey’s connection to the rescue began even before she took on the role of Volunteer Manager: her feline friend Telecaster is a SAFe alum! Her drive to help animals has deep roots: “When my family adopted our first pet when I was a child, I saw all of these dogs and cats without a family, without a home. I knew even as a child that it is my calling to help them in any way I can. I love working with animals because they are our companions, our friends and family members and they deserve our compassion and help. I think there is a lot we, as a society, can do to improve the lives of our own animals and for animals in general.” When Lindsey is not hard at work on behalf of the rescue kitties and humans, you can find her gardening and spending time with her family. Lindsey also shares her home with a golden retriever named Gibson, who—like Telecaster—is named after a guitar.
Maria Soriano, LVT, Veterinary Technician
For Maria, rescue work comes from the heart: “It’s about helping those less fortunate have better outcomes, and that is the best kind of reward.” Maria is back helping the rescue’s medical program, making sure the kitties receive the care they need to get healthy and find homes. As much as she loves cats, Maria has a soft spot for other species as well, this includes dogs. Her furry family includes Ziggy (a small dog who was found on a highway in California) and two formerly feral kitties that Maria socialized and introduced to the comforts of indoor life, Swysh and Cryx. When not helping animals of whatever species, Maria enjoys spending time with her human family.
Sarah Theriault, Adoption Center Manager
When Sarah was only 7 years old, she read a book called Koko’s Kitten—and the rest is history! Her love of animals and her drive to help them has stayed with her throughout her life. Sarah finds Adoption Counseling especially rewarding on two different levels: first of all, there’s “the instant satisfaction of meeting people with big hearts who are opening their homes to adoption.” On a broader level, there’s also “the long-term satisfaction of being a part of a team that is actively working on decreasing the homeless cat population and improving feline welfare.” When she’s not busy helping adopters find the perfect kitty, Sarah enjoys adventures with her dog Clay, watching movies, and trying new recipes. (She’s especially talented at baking sweet treats!)