Meet the Team
Our team is made up of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. One thing we all have in common is our dedication to creating a more humane world.
Our leadership team
Jeff Hassel
Laresa Griffin
Adam Cotton
Sarah Hammann
Dr. Chelsea Fogal
Jen Walter
Quit your day job and join the team.
We have an amazing team of over 75+ animal lovers!
Director of Behavior and Training
HR Generalist
Adoptions Manager
Foster Care Manager
Grants Manager
Senior Manager of Communications & Marketing
Relocation Manager
Senior Operations Manager
Senior Manager of Stewardship
Volunteer Manager
Senior Manager of Business Partnerships
Events Coordinator
Director of Behavior and Training
Pia Silvani
Pia is one of the original innovators in the field of reward-based training, a member of the American Humane’s and Delta Society’s Task Forces for Humane Dog Training, and a charter member of the Association for Professional Dog trainers. With over 30 years of experience, Pia is an internationally respected trainer of trainers in addition to working with people and their dogs. She has a unique ability to communicate with dogs and their human companions. Pia is a gifted teacher and trainer, showing compassion for those at both ends of the leash.
Fun fact: Pia is featured in the documentary “Last Chance Dogs.”
HR Generalist
Brianne DuBois
Brianne is a North Carolina native who relocated to Asheville Asheville over ten years ago. She has been adopting from AHS for years and was ecstatic at the opportunity to join the team in 2020. Her favorite part about working at Asheville Humane is that she is surrounded by people who share the same passion for helping animals while making a difference in our community. Brianne is proud to work in Human Resources because she is able to provide support incredible employees that have dedicated their lives to saving animals!
Fun fact: “I lived in Germany for 3 years, but don’t ask me to speak German!”
Adoptions Manager
Tina Miller
Tina has worked in the animal husbandry field for 10+ years. She has a B.S. in Zoology from Mars Hill University. In addition to animal welfare, she has experience working at a therapeutic horseback riding center and a sanctuary for retired biomedical research chimpanzees. Tina and her husband are proud parents to four rescues (two goofy pups and two amazing kitties).
Fun fact: Tina is fluent in chimpanzee speak and can laugh, food bark, and make grooming raspberries as well as a chimpanzee!
Foster Care Manager
Evie Schenkel
Evie grew up in WNC and had always wanted to work for Asheville Humane. After graduating college, she was hired as the Customer Service Coordinator in 2014. A few years later, Evie became the Foster Care Manager and has been in this role ever since. While it’s not always rainbows and butterflies (trust us, there’s plenty of poop involved!), the good vastly outweighs the bad, and she can’t imagine doing anything outside of animal welfare. Evie shares her life with her fiance, dog, two horses, several fish, a leopard gecko, and a frog (both of whom are AHS alums!). When she’s not giving kittens butt baths, bottle feeding, or snuggling with puppies, she likes to spend her time hiking, gardening and letting her inner nerd out by playing some D&D with friends.
Fun fact: “My favorite show quote: “I know what I’m about, son.” – Ron Swanson”
Grants Manager
Kim Roberts
Kim has over 35 years of experience in the non-profit world, helping two- and four-legged beings heal and thrive. She has held numerous roles but currently manages all the grants for Asheville Humane Society to help provide much-needed funding!
Fun fact: “I’m an introvert, but I’m ALWAYS willing to discuss cats and British mysteries.”
Senior Manager of Communications & Marketing
Mabel Lujan
Relocation Manager
Kat Barbour
Like most people in this field, Kat’s life revolves around animals. She joined the Asheville Humane Society team as a foster, dedicating her time to caring for animals who needed some extra attention. Eventually, she decided to make it official! She loves being part of a dedicated team working to improve our four-legged friends’ lives.
Fun fact: “Some friends like to say that my dog is a Pitbull mixed with a goldfish because of how far apart his eyes are, but his adorable face won him the title of “Captain Dingus” at a local dog show.”
Senior Operations Manager
Heather Kelly
Fun fact: “My favorite band is the Dave Matthews Band, and I have seen them 12 times.. and counting.”
Senior Manager of Stewardship
Jim Fulton
Jim has been with Asheville Humane Society for over 20 years, serving almost every job. He has held 21 different titles in that time and was awarded a Long Leaf Pine Member for his work with Asheville Humane Society. Jim is looking forward to the next 20 years making a difference with Asheville Humane Society!
Fun fact: I only watch the Hallmark channel because it’s a show that guarantees everyone a happy ending – including the animals!
Volunteer Manager
Samara Halleck
Samara found her passion for nonprofit work while teaching in a local after school program and getting the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of her students. Originally intending to be a teacher, Samara received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2015, but quickly realized that her heart was in managing programs that focused on helping the community, children, and families. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration (with a concentration in Nonprofit Management) in 2022 and is now thrilled to be working alongside the dedicated staff at Asheville Humane Society as the Volunteer Manager. Samara does not currently have any pets – instead she enjoys fostering, spending time with the pets of family and friends, and will probably end up with a cat after working here long enough.
Fun Fact: Samara likes spending her free time with friends, playing nerdy games, and pursuing artistic endeavors such as drawing, writing, painting, and sewing.
Senior Manager of Business Partnerships
Jessica Moore
Jessica moved to Asheville in June of 2023 and quickly fell in love with the mountains, rivers, and dog-friendly breweries. Before joining the team at Asheville Humane, she volunteered at various animal rescues, worked in events and veterinary administration, and completed her BA and MA in English Literature. She is passionate about animal welfare and enjoys learning about animal rights, behavioral ecology, and the many ways animals and humans live alongside each other. Jessica is excited to work for an organization that does meaningful work in the community and with a team that cares so much about their mission. She shares her life with her partner and three dogs, Haz, Pip, and The Tiny Destroyer of Dishes and Eater of Toilet Paper, Burlap.
Fun Fact: My other passion is creative writing! I love speculative fiction, have published multiple short stories, and am working on a novel that combines dying-earth fantasy with folk mythology and the Gothic.
Events Coordinator
Ariana McGuire
Greetings team! My name is Ariana and I am relatively new to living in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I was born in Coral Springs, FL and lived in Dallas briefly from 2020-2021. My background is in non-profit education. After about 4-5 years gaining invaluable experience educating and engaging the public at the different non-profit organizations I worked for — including a sea turtle rehabilitation facility, birds of prey organization, and forestry education — I found a love and passion for the event planning, fundraising, and development side of things. I am incredibly excited to be a part of the Asheville Humane Society team and to apply my skills and passions to such an important mission.
Fun Fact: I used to be a waterfall rappelling guide in Pisgah National Forest and still do it recreationally occasionally!