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Joyce Cameron: President & CEO

A New York City native, Joyce came to Vermont to attend college and stayed. With a degree in business administration, she has over 20 years of experience working in private, public and non-profit sectors and has an affinity for mission driven organizations. Joyce is a graduate of the Snelling Center for Government’s Leadership Institute, a court appointed guardian ad litem, and a member of both a state commission and board. Growing up in a household with four dogs, Joyce developed a love for animals at any early age and looks forward to helping further the mission of this wonderful organization dedicated to improving the lives of animals and humans alike. In her (not much) spare time she hikes, cycles, skis, paints, gardens and enjoys cooking for friends.  She lives in Charlotte with her dog Amos and cat Percy (an HSCC alum).

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Pam Brown, DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVPP:  Veterinarian and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Pam Brown is a native of New Hampshire. She graduated from UNH with a BS in Animal Science and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine after spending her clinical year at Oklahoma State University. Throughout her career, Dr. Brown has worked in both General Practice and Emergency Medicine, as well as Specialty Medicine, for which she holds certifications in Pain Management, Canine Rehabilitation, and Acupuncture. Dr. Brown is one of a handful of veterinarians in in the state of Vermont who are trained in animal cruelty investigations, and she routinely assists law enforcement in this capacity. In 2022, she was appointed by Governor Phil Scott to the Animal Cruelty Investigations Advisory Board, which she is currently sits on. 

Dr. Brown has been working with HSCC since 2016, and she is thrilled to be a part of the HSCC team!

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Rich Smith: Shelter Operations Director

Rich comes to HSCC with 33 years of experience working in non-profit operations. He has worked in residential, clinic, school, and healthcare settings and is a Licensed Behavior Analyst. Rich’s love of animals began as a young child living on a dairy farm. While at UVM, he lived and worked on the Spear Street Farm before returning to once again work on the family farm. While serving as the Director of a residential program in Montpelier, Rich helped to raise horses, chickens, ducks and the occasional guinea pig, while always having dogs and cats roaming the grounds as well. In addition to this experience, he has had the privilege of being a father to his three children, all of whom have a strong love and appreciation for animals, and who value the human-animal bond and all that it has brought and continues to bring to their lives.

Rich and his wife Shelly are excited to be back in Vermont and begin this chapter as a part of HSCC. They enjoy everything outdoor and hope to have chickens and a large garden someday soon. Rich looks forward to spending each day with the dedicated and talented staff as well as the amazing animals who inspire us all to do what we do.

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Emily Hecker: Director of Development

An animal rights advocate since childhood, Emily is thrilled for the opportunity to use her professional skills to further the mission of the Humane Society. Originally from Oklahoma, Emily came to Vermont with her family in 2017 and decided to make it home. With a degree in Communication, she started her career as a producer for a French news channel and more recently was the Director of Development and Communications for a public school district.

Emily is an active member of her community in Milton, having served on the school board and engaging with local issues. Growing up with a house full of pets (which was affectionately called a petting zoo at its peak), Emily deeply values the humbling, unconditional love that results from relationships with animals. She enjoys hiking with her dog Uri, reading with her cat Minnow, and traveling with her family.  

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Heather Klaff: Lead Veterinary Technician 

Heather started talking about working with animals when she was three years old, and never wavered. She got an early start in the veterinary field in high school as a veterinary assistant and kennel attendant before coming to the University of Vermont for college. She graduated in 2009 with a degree in Animal Sciences and a minor in English, and immediately began working full time with animals in the Burlington area after graduation. She worked as a veterinary technician in a few different private practices in the area before making a move to shelter medicine as the medical manager at HSCC in 2014. Once at HSCC, she quickly and thoroughly fell in love with shelter medicine and joined the leadership team as the Medical Clinic Director at HSCC in 2020. She has had the opportunity to grow the medical program at HSCC and, over the last couple of years, she spearheaded starting and growing the Community Pet Clinic. Providing veterinary care to animals in the shelter, and particularly animals of low income and underserved pet owners, is her dream job and she feels incredibly lucky to get to do it every day. When not hanging around the shelter, she lives with her partner and poorly behaved tribe of cats in South Burlington. She loves to cycle recreationally, ballroom dance, and cook and bake for anyone and everyone whenever she can.

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Christen Trayah: Animal Care Manager

Originally from a small town in central Massachusetts, Christen came to Vermont with nearly a decade of experience in the field of veterinary medicine. She is a passionate animal welfare advocate who is committed to enriching the lives of animals, her team members, and her community, and she's overjoyed to be embarking on her journey at HSCC. Christen currently lives in Swanton with her wife and their menagerie of rescued pets.

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Bethany: Volunteer Coordinator 

Originally from a small town in Massachusetts, Bethany arrived in Burlington to attend the wildlife biology program at UVM in 2019. After what can only be referred to as a “unique” college experience due to the pandemic, she’s found it hard to think about leaving Vermont just yet (if ever).

Before joining the HSCC team, Bethany gained most of her professional experience in wildlife research and teaching assistantships with UVM. These opportunities led her to her first position coordinating volunteers during the summer of 2022 for Friends of the Winooski River, a small non-profit organization based out of Montpelier. What she looks forward to most as HSCC’s Volunteer Coordinator is getting to meet and interact directly with the organization’s amazing volunteers and staff, as well as being lucky enough to be around animals each day! Bethany and her partner, Patrick, also have two lovely rabbits at home named Baxter and Bloom.

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Cara: Humane Education Program Coordinator

Cara grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to Vermont in 2012 to attend college. After college, she decided to stay in Vermont permanently, and has lived in Burlington ever since! She has been working as a literacy and history teacher for the last eight years and has loved working with students of various ages. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, paddleboarding, reading, and spending time with her family dogs (Kona, Luna, and Roxy). She has a deep love for animals and is thrilled to be joining the HSCC team as the Humane Education Program Coordinator!

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Dana: Programs Coordinator

Dana was born and raised in Vermont and recently returned to her home state with her three cats to be closer to family. She has worked in various roles within veterinary and animal welfare-focused non-profits for over a decade, including a shelter where she specialized in cats and kittens and a non-profit dedicated to advocating for pet-friendly accommodations in homeless sheltering services. Dana received her Master's degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College, as her lifelong passion and love for animals led her to explore a career change that allowed her to focus on improving the lives of animals and the people who care for them.

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Jenna: Communications Coordinator

Jenna has been a part of the northeastern animal welfare community for over 7 years. After earning a Master’s degree from the University of Washington, specializing in ethics and philosophy of science, she returned to NYC and started volunteering for local cat rescue groups. In 2016 she became the Vice President of Whiskers-A-GoGo, a Brooklyn-based cat rescue group. There, she rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of cats and kittens, organized fundraisers, and assisted in local TNR efforts. In 2019, Jenna joined the Animal Care Centers of NYC as the Adoptions Supervisor, working towards ending animal homelessness through open adoptions.

After moving to Vermont with her husband and floofy cat sons Jack and Georgie, Jenna joined the HSCC team, where she continues to pursue her passion of helping animals and the people who love them. In her free time, Jenna enjoys baking and reading a healthy balance of fiction and non-fiction. 

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London: Client Care Coordinator (Clinic)

Originally from Michigan, London graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor's in Psychology with a minor in Nutrition. While in Michigan, she worked for the University of Michigan in Dietetics. Since she was a child, London has always been an animal lover and advocate. From dogs and cats to geckos and bearded dragons, her household always had a four-legged friend running about. After moving to Burlington with her partner, John, and two kitties, Booger and Bean, London was thrilled to jump in to the animal welfare world and start working for HSCC's Community Pet Clinic. In her free time, London enjoys hiking, reading, baking, and tending to her vast collection of tropical plants. 

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Ava: Animal & Customer Care Associate

Ava is a New York native who moved to Vermont in 2023 to pursue a degree in Film and Television with a concentration in Documentary and Report Storytelling. She and her family rescued their dog, Shea, in 2006 from a puppy mill in Georgia and recently welcomed their cat Bernie (HSCC alum) into their life. Ava is deeply passionate about capturing stories that reflect the beauty of connections – be it between people or the animals that share our journey. She enjoys writing poetry, roaming through the woods, and making music with her friends. 

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Emily: ANIMAL CARE ASSOCIATE, Feline & Canine Coordinator

Emily is a Connecticut native who moved to Vermont in 2017 to pursue her degree in Anthropology and Sociology at Saint Michael’s College. She is an avid gardener, plant mom, painter, and above all else, an animal lover! Growing up with rescue cats, her love and compassion for animals blossomed at a young age. She now lives in Winooski with her roommates, their 2 rescue kitties (one of which is HSCC alum Maverick!), and an extensive collection of houseplants.

Emily worked on farms in Connecticut caring for plants and animals big and small before joining the HSCC team. She is thrilled to be part of a community that provides a loving and safe space for animals. Her vocation is undoubtedly protecting, loving, and being a voice for animals in need.

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Gabby: Animal Care Associate

Gabby grew up in Cleveland, Ohio with a variety of pets including cats, dogs, and rabbits. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2020 with a degree in Film and Theatre. Although she doesn't have a pet of her own in Burlington (yet!), Gabby's family adopted their pitbull, Millie, from a Cleveland shelter in 2020. In her spare time, Gabby enjoys bowling, rollerblading, going to the movies, and competing at trivia night. She is thrilled to be joining the team at HSCC and is so grateful to be able to care for and spend time with animals every day.

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Kelley: Animal & Customer Care Associate

Kelley grew up in Illinois and moved to Vermont in 2019. She graduated from UVM in 2023 with a degree in animal science. She is deeply passionate about animal care, behavior, and fear free handling. She adopted her cat Scrimbo from HSCC in 2022 and her bunny Buddy in 2024. Kelley grew up with dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, which started her love for animals at a young age. Prior to HSCC, she interned at the Animal Hospital of Bonita and volunteered at the ECHO center. Outside of work, Kelley enjoys spending time with friends, being outdoors, reading, drawing, and going to concerts. She is thrilled to be a part of the HSCC team and is looking forward to building relationships between animals and our community. 

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Lynzie: Customer Care Associate

Lynzie grew up in Southern Vermont where she fell in love with the stray animals in her small town. Now she has a big Bernadoodle at home named Mo. With a love for animal education and behavior, Lynzie is taking time off from school at UVM to gain some hands-on experience at HSCC. In her free time, Lynzie loves to be outside in nature doing all sorts of things: hammocking, hiking, snowboarding - no matter the weather, you'll find her outside. But most of all, she's excited to spend every day with animal friends!

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Makayla: Animal Care Assistant & Small Animal Coordinator

Makayla grew up in Burlington and has a longstanding interest in animal welfare, having attended HSCC’s Camp Paw Paw as a kid, and more recently volunteering at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She has many rescue animals including Ouija, a cat she fell in love with while volunteering for BFAS whom she flew home with her all the way to Vermont. She currently attends UVM, where her interests lie in veterinary science and neuroscience.

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Ro: Animal & Customer Care Associate 

Ro grew up in Upstate New York (Albany) and moved to Vermont to attend UVM, graduating in 2023 with a degree in Art History and minors in Latin and Animal Science. Since they could remember, Ro has been obsessed with anything and everything animal, and is specifically interested in science-based training and learning theory, and consent-informed handling. Ro is so excited to broaden their skills and horizons by being a part of the HSCC team and the broader Vermont animal welfare community! Outside of work, they enjoy music, skating, painting, and reading, especially about art history and cultural anthropology. They share their home with their dog Saoirse, two HSCC cat alums Aonghus and Elton (pictured!), their gerbil Eoin, and their girlfriend’s dog Darcy and old-man cat Whiskers.

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Lucy: Fundraising Associate

Lucy grew up in Grand Isle, VT, and attended UVM for her undergraduate degree in English. After moving to New York City to get her MFA in Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College, she moved back to Vermont to be closer to family and come back to the beautiful state she calls home. She has worked for plenty of different Vermont businesses including local restaurants and vegetable farms, as well as for the New Yorker. She was also active in volunteering with the prison writing program at Sarah Lawrence College, where she led writing workshops with inmates at the Westchester County Department of Corrections.

Lucy is delighted to be working in animal welfare at HSCC. In her free time, she hangs out at her apartment in Burlington with her husband their cat Thorn, who is an HSCC alum! She loves baking, writing, reading, going to the movies, and spending time in her community garden plot. She loves discussing poetry, filmmaking, and pop music with anyone who will listen.

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Stacey: Accounting Associate

Stacey has lived in Vermont her whole life. Born and raised in South Burlington, she currently resides in Ferrisburgh, where she's been since 1997. Stacey has always had a deep love for animals and she is passionate about HSCC's mission, so she was absolutely thrilled to join the HSCC team. She's had many pets in the past including dogs, cats (her oldest lived to be 38 years old!), and even goldfish. In her spare time, Stacey's hobbies include traveling, cruises, and of course what girl doesn’t like to shop. Prior to joining the HSCC team, Stacey worked in the construction field for over 20 years. 

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JoAnn Nichols: Humane Investigator & educator, TNR specialist

JoAnn Nichols started in the animal welfare and animal rights movement in the late 1970s. Over the decades she has worked undercover for an animal rights organization photographing cruelty in the factory farm systems, to cleaning oiled wildlife from oil spills. Working in Animal Sheltering for over twenty years, currently she is the Humane Investigator and TNR Specialist at the Humane Society of Chittenden County, she enjoys the challenges the work brings and partaking in making a difference for just one animal in need. Along with her employment at HSCC, she also works at BEVS (Burlington Emergency and Veterinary Specialists), is the part-time Animal Control Officer for South Burlington and operates her own wildlife business providing humane solutions for homeowners when wildlife moves into their home. Shown with JoAnn is her side-kick, Lucinda. Lucinda was relinquished as part of a cruelty investigation and was nursed back to life by JoAnn. They are now a forever family.

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Mike: Building Maintenance & Repairman 

After retiring from a long career as general manager of Windshield World, Mike was looking to volunteer some time to a local organization.

Without a dog for the first time in many years, and unable to make a year-round commitment to a new pooch, HSCC was his number one choice. After a few months of shelter help and dog walking, a part-time position for Building Maintenance and Repair became available. Having observed an incredibly competent, dedicated and hard-working staff in action, Mike was thrilled when asked to be more integral to the betterment of the animals in our care.

Mike lives in Williston with his wife Kate and cat Libby.

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KELLY SCHULZE: MOUNTAIN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

Kelly Schulze is an award-winning Master Photographer and Certified Professional Photographer who specializes in studio and environmental animal portraiture. With her love and understanding of animal behavior, years of technical training, and a fast shutter finger she is able to consistently wow her clients with stunning, heartwarming portraits and an unforgettable experience.

Kelly is based out of Monkton, Vermont and travels throughout the northeast for on-location portrait sessions. She is also available for animal-related product photography and commercial licensing. Kelly and her husband, Ian, are allowed to graciously share their home with five dogs (Logan, Jackson, Molly, JB, and Baloo), five cats (Luci, Bink, Dorie, Judy, and Masson), Scarlett the horse, and a flock of laying hens.