Dedicated Team
Meet Our Staff
Abby (She/Her)
Shelter Manager
Abby has been working in animal welfare since 2015 after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Parks and Protected Area Management. She started out working with wolves by monitoring wolf behavior and providing daily care.
Since then she has had the amazing opportunity to work with animals like lions, bears, jaguars, tigers and more! Though she has experience with a number of exotic animals, her favorite has always been working with dogs. She has worked in a variety of settings training and providing medical care for dogs of all ages and breeds, and ultimately loves seeing them thrive in their forever homes.
Abby has 4 pets of her own at home who are all rescues as well – one cat and 3 dogs. She is always taking in dogs with behavioral and medical special needs, and can usually be found taking home a CCR pup as a foster as well!
Abby (She/Her)
Shelter Manager
Abby has been working in animal welfare since 2015 after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Parks and Protected Area Management. She started out working with wolves by monitoring wolf behavior and providing daily care.
Since then she has had the amazing opportunity to work with animals like lions, bears, jaguars, tigers and more! Though she has experience with a number of exotic animals, her favorite has always been working with dogs. She has worked in a variety of settings training and providing medical care for dogs of all ages and breeds, and ultimately loves seeing them thrive in their forever homes.
Abby has 4 pets of her own at home who are all rescues as well – one cat and 3 dogs. She is always taking in dogs with behavioral and medical special needs, and can usually be found taking home a CCR pup as a foster as well!
Nicole (She/Her)
Assistant Shelter Manager
Having had many rescue dogs of her own, Nicole grew up with a love for animal welfare. After spending eight years devoted to volunteering with several rescues, pet pantries and clinics, she decided to follow her passion and commit to the rescue world full time!
She joined Chicago Canine Rescue officially in October 2022 after having been a volunteer for over a year and is working toward completing her degree in Animal Sciences!
She has two dogs of her own but you’ll often find a third (and sometimes fourth) pup in her house because she loves to foster! She’s very excited to make a difference for the dogs in our care alongside the CCR team!
Nicole (She/Her)
Assistant Shelter Manager
Having had many rescue dogs of her own, Nicole grew up with a love for animal welfare. After spending eight years devoted to volunteering with several rescues, pet pantries and clinics, she decided to follow her passion and commit to the rescue world full time!
She joined Chicago Canine Rescue officially in October 2022 after having been a volunteer for over a year and is working toward completing her degree in Animal Sciences!
She has two dogs of her own but you’ll often find a third (and sometimes fourth) pup in her house because she loves to foster! She’s very excited to make a difference for the dogs in our care alongside the CCR team!
Maia (She/Them)
Kennel Manager
Maia was a dog sitter and walker for three years before joining the CCR team in February of 2022! She started as a kennel tech, moved briefly to our adoptions team and quickly jumped to Kennel Manager! Her impressive work ethic and dedication to the dogs has impressed us since day one! She says that her favorite part of the job beside finding pups their perfect homes is spending time with and caring for our dogs!
Amber (She/They)
Adoption and Foster Manager
Since 2010, Amber has been immersed in the world of animal care, starting with pet sitting and doggydaycare in Columbus, Ohio! After earning a Communications degree from Ohio State University, they moved to Chicago, where they volunteered, fostered, advocated for lost pets, and worked at a local rescue.
Amber loves sharing their expertise to help others feel confident in training, managing behaviors, and establishing routines for their pets. They’re also passionate about equality and are a firm non-conformist, advocating for inclusivity and individuality. All people deserve the love of a pet!
At home, Amber keeps busy with their two dogs, a cat, and a rabbit. Their pets are named after characters from Bob’sBurgers- Tina, Gene, Louise + Mr. Fischoeder! Over the years, they’ve fostered hundreds of animals, and they specialize in helping ‘challenging’ dogs relax and adapt to home life. Outside of the dog world, Amber enjoys watching movies and exploring new vegetarian foods. Their ideal future? A farm with tons of critters and space to garden! Self sufficiency is dreamy.
Amber (She/They)
Adoption and Foster Manager
Since 2010, Amber has been immersed in the world of animal care, starting with pet sitting and doggy daycare in Columbus, Ohio! After earning a Communications degree from Ohio State University, they moved to Chicago, where they volunteered, fostered, advocated for lost pets, and worked at a local rescue.
Amber loves sharing their expertise to help others feel confident in training, managing behaviors, and establishing routines for their pets. They’re also passionate about equality and are a firm non-conformist, advocating for inclusivity and individuality. All people deserve the love of a pet!
At home, Amber keeps busy with their two dogs, a cat, and a rabbit. Their pets are named after characters from Bob’s Burgers- Tina, Gene, Louise + Mr. Fischoeder! Over the years, they’ve fostered hundreds of animals, and they specialize in helping ‘challenging’ dogs relax and adapt to home life. Outside of the dog world, Amber enjoys watching movies and exploring new vegetarian foods. Their ideal future? A farm with tons of critters and space to garden! Self sufficiency is dreamy.
Jordan (He/Him)
Senior Kennel Technician
Jordan moved to Chicago in 2019 after working in horticulture for several years. He never expected he would end up in animal care, but as a lifelong dog-lover it’s felt like a natural transition and he loves what he does. He says the most rewarding part of the job is getting to see each dog’s transformation during their time with us, as they slowly let their personalities shine through.
He has a lovely pooch at home named Millie and when he’s not caring for our pups, he enjoys listening to music and learning about nature.
Cece (She/Her)
Senior Kennel Technician
Cece started working at CCR in January 2019. When she started she thought it would be a fun job to work with dogs! However, over the years she has been able to learn so much about what it takes to care for them and being able to see all the pups find their forever home is just one of the perks of working in a dog shelter! I’ve also enjoyed taking photos and videos of the pups for their adoption bio and CCR Instagram. She has 2 little pups at home, Bella (morkie) and Luna (terrier mix)! Luna was actually a foster fail from CCR and she is thriving!
Cece (She/Her)
Senior Kennel Technician
Cece started working at CCR in January 2019. When she started she thought it would be a fun job to work with dogs! However, over the years she has been able to learn so much about what it takes to care for them and being able to see all the pups find their forever home is just one of the perks of working in a dog shelter! I’ve also enjoyed taking photos and videos of the pups for their adoption bio and CCR Instagram. She has 2 little pups at home, Bella (morkie) and Luna (terrier mix)! Luna was actually a foster fail from CCR and she is thriving!
Laura (She/Her)
Senior Kennel Technician
Laura has been with CCR since April of 2022 but has been a long time supporter and has been volunteering since she was in highschool! She has experience at daycare and boarding facilities as well as having had three dogs of her own! (Including one from CCR)! She says that working in the shelter isn’t easy but seeing the dogs come out of their shell and ultimately get adopted makes the harder days worth it!
Outside of animal care, Laura’s hobbies include painting, gardening, and playing video games!
Melissa (She/Her)
Kennel Technician
Melissa joined CCR as a kennel tech in the winter of 2024 after working with another rescue for over a year. She has always been an animal lover and is looking forward to continuing her journey in life saving with our organization!
Mariel (She/Her)
Kennel Technician
Mariel has been passionate about animal welfare and has recently joined the team at CCR. She has volunteered at shelters over the years and has also worked with wildlife rehabilitation. She loves being able to provide for dogs as they are able to find their forever homes. She has a border collie named Luna and two cats (Oji and Tiger Lily). She enjoys spending her free time with friends, finding new music, and collecting memorabilia.
Mariel (She/Her)
Kennel Technician
Mariel has been passionate about animal welfare and has recently joined the team at CCR. She has volunteered at shelters over the years and has also worked with wildlife rehabilitation. She loves being able to provide for dogs as they are able to find their forever homes. She has a border collie named Luna and two cats (Oji and Tiger Lily). She enjoys spending her free time with friends, finding new music, and collecting memorabilia.
Sara (She/Her)
Kennel Technician
Hi, my name is Sara! I am currently enrolled with Unity Environmental University, to obtain my bachelors in animal health and science. Animals of all types have always been an interest from a very young age, and had a dog for eleven years who I lost three years ago.. I didn’t really know where to start. Yet I gained my experience from pet sitting and has extended to birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The joy that comes with patiently walking dogs from all types of behaviors and in packs (siblings from the same home) the last 5 years, as well as fostering cats the last 16 years.Although I only have cats and a red eared slider turtle, the energy of a dog is missing from my home! I can’t wait to see how fostering works out for me, because my heart is ready for more pup love!
Sara
Kennel Technician
Hi, my name is Sara! I am currently enrolled with Unity Environmental University, to obtain my bachelors in animal health and science. Animals of all types have always been an interest from a very young age, and had a dog for eleven years who I lost three years ago.. I didn’t really know where to start. Yet I gained my experience from pet sitting and has extended to birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The joy that comes with patiently walking dogs from all types of behaviors and in packs (siblings from the same home) the last 5 years, as well as fostering cats the last 16 years.Although I only have cats and a red eared slider turtle, the energy of a dog is missing from my home! I can’t wait to see how fostering works out for me, because my heart is ready for more pup love!
Natalie (She/Her)
Natalie has recently joined the team at CCR and is excited to make a difference as she’s always had a strong love and obsession for dogs! Over the years she has been a dog walker, animal shelter volunteer and worked as a doggy daycare attendant. Natalie loves learning about all of the dog’s funny personalities and quirks while helping them shine and feel as safe and as loved as possible until they find their forever homes! At home, she has a senior pitbull named Zeus and a black lab named Atticus. Natalie enjoys spending her free time with her family and friends, trying new restaurants and breweries, traveling, hiking with her dogs, and going to comedy shows.
Donnalee (She/Her)
Donnalee has recently joined CCR but has already said this is her favorite job she's had! She is currently pursuing a bachelors in biology with an ecology emphasis and minoring in environmental science at Loyola University Chicago! She hopes to use the hands on experience gained from CCR and knowledge from school to make a positive impact on the world wether it be working at a museum, as a life scientist, or even a zoologist. Donnalee adopted her pup, Mabel, from CCR in 2021 and is looking to get a cat sometime in the near future! Donnalee also enjoys reading romantsy and science fiction books and exploring Chicago neighborhoods!