Board of Directors
Advisory Council
Katie Kearney (President)
Director, Solar Development, SolAmerica Energy
Josh Pitre (Vice President)
President, JP Signature Homes
Allison Ritter (Treasurer)
CEO, Ritter Consulting LLC
Kristen Nyhan (Secretary)
Social Media Manager, Delta Air Lines
Carol Neal-Rossi
President, Issues Consulting
Brittany Adams Pope
Faculty, University of Georgia
Robin Peters
Senior Account Director, AVP Client Partnership, Ansira
Hailly Butler
Clinical Research Nurse Supervisor, Emory University
Sansida Stovall
Sr. UX Designer, Cox Automotive
David Bressman, DVM
Associate Veterinarian, Crabapple Animal Hospital
Joey Brooks
Animal Cruelty Investigator, Gwinnett County
Christy Showalter
Director of Training, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Emily Christie
Founder, Ahimsa House
Christine Cox, Esq.
Attorney
Paul Ebbs
Field Supervisor, Fulton County Animal Services
Maya Gupta, Ph.D.
Senior Director of Applied Research, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Annamarie Keck
Community Member
Hon. Shawn Ellen LaGrua
Superior Court Judge, Fulton County
Melinda Merck, DVM
Owner, Forensics Consulting, LLC
Merrie Rennard, LMSW
Ph.D. Fellow, Veterinary Social Work, University of Tennessee
Kelly Trogdon, DVM
Owner, Faithful Friend Mobile Veterinary Clinic
Stephen Walker
Owner, S. R. Walker Designs
Survivor Testimonies
Click here to learn more about the work of Ahimsa House
Michelle’s Story
I have been asked to share the story of my mom. However, I don’t know how to tell her story without also telling my own story. My parents were divorced when I was eight years old. My brother, our Chihuahua, Buttons, and I went back and forth between my parents houses for several years. My mom had a 10th grade education and found it hard to support herself and two children while working at fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. She eventually ended up marrying the person that would become our worst nightmare. We moved into a small trailer in Omega, GA with him and […]
Frances’ Story
It was just another normal night for “Frances;” she had finished reading her book and taken a shower before lying down in her bed to sleep. Her boyfriend was out with his friends drinking and she didn’t expect him to return home until early the next morning. Frances knew that he had always had a bad attitude and temper, and he had shoved her in the past. She is legally blind from glaucoma, but when she saw a light on near the front of the house, she knew something was wrong. When she got up to check, her boyfriend grabbed her by the neck and […]
Diego’s Story
In the fall of 2013 we received a call from a woman who was escaping her abuser. She had an 18 week old puppy, Diego, that she did not want to leave behind both out of love for him and fear of what her abuser would do to him. After receiving her call we immediately placed him into a boarding facility that we had worked with previously. After 3 days he became completely unresponsive and was rushed to the emergency vet. His owner was told that the outlook was not good for him. She was heartbroken. […]
Toby’s Story
He viciously beat Mary and her three cats—again. Mary packed a bag, got into her car alone, and drove to a shelter for battered women. One big problem: pets weren’t allowed. After she left, her batterer picked up Toby, the tabby, and threw him from the balcony to the ground three stories below. That’s where he was when a neighbor found him. As gently as possible, she cradled his small body, taking him to her apartment and then gathered the other cats.
Meanwhile, Mary, who couldn’t bear to […]