Staff
LEADERSHIP
Karen Glass
Executive Director
SHELTER TEAM
Autumn Kligerman
Shelter Manager
SHELTER TEAM
Jen Frey
Cat Care & Foster Coordinator
SHELTER TEAM
Chelsea Mansur
Adoption Counselor
CATMOBILE TEAM
Tomi Ambrose
Veterinary Technician
CATMOBILE TEAM
Olivia Lewis
Veterinary Assistant
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Mindy Wogan
Development Manager
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Rose Trefry
Volunteer & Community Outreach Coordinator
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Kelly Unsworth
Administrative Coordinator
Board of Directors
Gail A. Lynch
President, Board of Directors
Gail Lynch brought to Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) more than 25 years of development and leadership experience with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international brokerage and consulting firm. As Area President she managed 20 staff members and grew the Boston office from under $250,000 to over $6M. Corporately she was recognized as a “Top Five Producer” three times. Under her leadership, the Boston branch developed a client stewardship program resulting in the longest client retention of any branch, earning Branch of the Year. She has brought many of her business connections to MRFRS
Gail Lynch joined the MRFRS Board of Directors in February, 2016 after previously volunteering for the organization. Volunteer activities included feral cat feeding; formalizing the Merchant Donation Can program while expanding the number of participating merchants, and other development activities. As Board President and Chair of the Development Committee, she led initiatives which increased event sponsorships by 2.5x; developed a leadership donor stewardship program, created an Honorary Board program increasing donations from many disenfranchised former board members, and reversed the downward trajectory of MRFRS fundraising.
In her spare time, Gail volunteers her development skills to other non-profits. She resides in Boxford, is married, has four children, four grandchildren and four cats, three of whom were adopted from MRFRS.
Stacy LeBaron
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Stacy LeBaron has been involved in animal welfare for over 20 years. She spent 16 years as president of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society and currently hosts the Community Cats Podcast (CCP), interviewing cat welfare experts and others involved in helping cats around the country and the world. Stacy returned to MRFRS’ Board of Directors in 2020.
Since starting CCP in 2016, Stacy has recorded over hundreds of episodes and published an equal number of blog posts. CCP has assisted community cat groups around the country through its fundraising mentorship and matching grants program. CCP also holds several dozen training opportunities and virtual events annually.
An expert in her field, Stacy provides consulting services to individuals and groups looking to improve effectiveness and efficiency. She also volunteers in an advisory capacity with the shelter medicine committee at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and serves on the board of several animal welfare groups. She currently serves as administrative trustee for the LeBaron Foundation. She has also spoken at HSUS’s Animal Care Expo and at the New England Federation of Humane Societies conference.
A graduate of Vassar College, Stacy lives in Vermont with her husband.
Crystal C. Carvotta-Brown
Clerk, Board of Directors
Crystal Carvotta-Brown is a graduate of Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a graduate of Cambridge College with a Masters of Management in Healthcare Administration, and a graduate of Suffolk University Law School with a Juris Doctorate and a concentration in Health and Biomedical Law “with distinction.” She is licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing as well as the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers. She holds certifications in Case Management, Rehabilitation Nursing, Healthcare Quality, and Medical Services Management. Ms. Carvotta-Brown is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the American Association of Nurse Attorneys, and the American Association of Notaries.
As an attorney and registered nurse with almost three decades of combined expertise in legal, nursing, regulatory compliance, credentialing, physician network development, risk management, case management, utilization management, independent review, quality management, accreditation, and healthcare leadership, Crystal manages a variety of legal, regulatory, and compliance issues in the healthcare compliance arena.
Crystal has been an active member of the MassCats email group, a Massachusetts network of cat rescuers, shelters, and volunteers for over ten years and is currently serving as the alternate Moderator for the group. Ms. Carvotta-Brown has volunteered as a cat adoption coordinator and managed the FARS program prior to it being integrated into MRFRS. She is a “graduate” of the Neighborhood Cats TNR Certification Workshop, and has been performing independent cat rescue for the past 15 years. Ms. Carvotta-Brown previously served on the MRFRS Board in 2010-11 and rejoined the Board in December, 2022.
In her spare time, Crystal enjoys spending time on the beach, reading, and needlepoint. Crystal and her husband are owned by four amazing cats.
Nancy Alexander
Member, Board of Directors
Nancy Alexander joined the MRFRS Board in April 2023, after being a volunteer with the organization since the Fall of 2019. During her time at MRFRS she has volunteered on the Development, Finance and HR committees. She has also helped with fundraising events such as Strut for Strays, the Fur Ball, and the annual cat calendar.
Before retiring in 2021, Nancy worked at the UMassFive College Federal Credit Union for thirty-two years. During her time there she managed the lending department, credit card and fraud departments, Collections, and the ACH and debit card departments. She spent more than twenty-five years in Management positions.
She worked at the Greenfield Area Animal Shelter from 1993 to 1999 and volunteered at the Dakin Animal shelter from 2003 to 2006. During her time at these shelters, she processed adoption applications, helped with the animal care, and fostered hundreds of cats and kittens.
She was also the Treasurer for The Friends of the Jones Library, which was a sub-committee of their Board. While on this committee, she worked on one of their largest fundraisers, which was an indoor golf tournament held at the library. This fundraiser was very successful and helped to fund children’s museum passes, story time with local artists, as well as many after school programs.
She enjoys vacationing in Maine, gardening, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in Greenfield Ma. with her two cats.
Kamie Ngam-Connor
Member, Board of Directors
Kamie joined the MRFRS Board in March 2024, after joining the organization as a TNR (trap-neuter-return) clinic volunteer in January 2016. During her time at MRFRS she has volunteered on the Development and HR committees while continuing the hands-on role as a Vet Tech at Sunday TNR clinics.
Since 2012, she has been an active volunteer at the MSPCA Adoption Center Boston in a variety of roles including animal care; clinic volunteer; training new volunteers; and community outreach. She also volunteered with Boston Homeless Cat initiatives, and Boston Forgotten Felines. Kamie helped with IT support (including social media), a feral/community cat feeder, a trapper, a record keeper of feral colonies, and a clinic volunteer. She also volunteered as a mentor for various youth/STEM initiatives. She received numerous gold, silver and bronze President’s Volunteer Service Awards since 2012 for her volunteering services on education / outreach programs and veterinary tech effort.
For over three decades, Kamie has worked in Information Technology starting in the UK where she grew up and moved to the US in 2004. Her roles range from software architect, technical sales, program manager, to business development executive. Her current work focuses on helping customers with their cloud computing and AI. In addition to her technical work with global companies, she also volunteers to mentor new employees and early career technical leaders. Kamie received her Mathematics and Astronomy degree from University College London, UK.
Kamie lives with her husband Jeff in Somerville MA and are doting parents to two former stray cats - Bebe and Machi. Kamie enjoys gardening on their roof deck, practicing aerial acrobatics on sling or fabric rope, rock climbing indoor/outdoor, child-sitting for friends or cheering Jeff on as he runs in many races.
Martha Bagni Shulman
Tara Becker
Joe Bell
Betty Bronk*
Pat Connelly*
M. Resta Detwiler
Regina Downey, DVM
Janet Egan
Dorothy Fairweather
Lisa Finkel
Bruce Fuller*
Sharon Gilman
John Grillo, DVM
Patte Grimes
Jeff Hall
Pam Hickey*
Jennifer Hickman
Jim Lagoulis
Spiros Lagoulis*
Stacy LeBaron
Adrienne Linnell
Shirley Magnanti
Scott Mattheson
Abhijeet (AJ) Nadkarni
Sheila Mullins
Daphine Neville
Kristen Petrie
Linda Piehl
Ed Ramsdell
Lynda Schnare
*Posthumous
Dorothy Fairweather
Nancy MacNeill
Shirley Magnanti
Sheila Mullins