Featured Team Member:

Cadence, Vet Assistant

Joined IHA: April 2022

I am incredibly passionate about what we do at IHA because we’re not only making a difference in our community, but we are improving the quality of life for the animals we see. Before working for IHA, I was not familiar with TNR. After caring for the untouchable community cats that we see daily, I’ve realized how vital our services are for them. Without spay/neuter they would continue to reproduce and add to the population, raising more and more cats.

My favorite part of working for IHA is how much I am able to learn every day to better myself and being able to provide such important care for our patients!

My family volunteered for multiple rescue organizations when I was young, so I’ve always been drawn to helping those in need. I spent a majority of my teenage years learning about animal welfare. I began working for a dog groomer and assisted the trainers, learning more about handling and behavior.

I am pictured with Goober, formerly Logan, adopted by my close friend from SAINT Rescue in 2019.

---

Alyssa, Veterinary Assistant

Joined IHA: August 2021

What really made me passionate about working with animal was my older sister. She always loved saving animals and I would watch her take care of them and I followed her example. She wanted to be a veterinarian and I wanted to work alongside her. After she passed away, I wanted to follow that path and keep helping animals.  

I love working for IHA because it’s just more than helping animals, it’s also helping the community. I’ve been through two years of veterinary assisting and pet grooming course work at Kirkwood Community College and have also been grooming dogs for 13 years. I love being part of a team with big hearts that all want to make a difference. I enjoy the nurturing side of my job; being there when the animals wake up and making sure that they are comfortable and healthy. I am always striving to learn more so I can be a better team member and caretaker for the animals. I am pictured with my feline friend, Holly.

---

Ashley, Veterinary Assistant 

Joined IHA: May 2016

I have always had a love for animals, and I got that trait from my dad. I grew up on a beef farm, where I would help him with chores over the years. It was always a family affair, and we would all help with sorting cattle or feeding all the bottle calves (which was my favorite). He is a great caretaker of the land and his cattle, but what really resonated with me was his passion for his herd. He would spend countless hours with them making sure they were healthy, and would go to great lengths for their care if needed. My dad instilled many traits in me; including his work ethic, passion, dedication, and respect for his animals. He is one of the many reasons as to why I work with animals.

---

Carrie, Office Assistant/IT Support

 Joined IHA: October 2017

Growing up in the country I was surrounded by cattle and horses, and we had a dog and some barn cats. I always loved caring for them and learning as much as I could. I came to work at a pet store and had to answer or help assist in solving so many different situations that pet parents would find themselves in. We had two vet technicians and several associates that had been working with animals of all kinds for so long that they seemed to have an answer for everything. I loved listening to them and learning the tricks and hints they had found. I was also required to help in the grooming salon attached to the store, and it was there that I learned about calming stressed animals and being able to react without affecting the animals while keeping everyone safe. They started requesting my help more frequently because of my calm and positive demeanor. There was also units for adoptable cats and I would interact with the different volunteers from various shelters and would hear about how overrun they were and how so many still needed help.

---

When I was younger, where I lived, didn’t allow me to have pets of my own so I reached out to a local animal shelter. I started volunteering when I was nine years old and loved the feeling of helping people find their best furry friend. Once I started working at the shelter, I had the opportunity to interact and socialize the animals more. Shy animals would arrive at the shelter and I would help them build confidence. These changed animals were so happy when they were adopted into their forever homes. This was such a rewarding moment and that is why I fell in love with wanting to help animals.

I am pictured with Poptart. He is a lovable tortoise that my friend had got from a family member. He loves to roam around and meet new people.

---

Issy, Veterinary Assistant

Joined IHA: November 2021

I’ve always loved animals ever since I met my first rescue dog, Cali. She was an old golden retriever with the biggest heart. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with helping animals in need in any way I could. I’m so passionate about working with IHA because I’m aspiring to become a veterinarian myself one day and I couldn’t have found a better place to work that was filled with such kindhearted people all working for a mission I support wholeheartedly. My favorite part about my job is dog check-in because you never know what kind of puppy is waiting for you outside those doors.

---

Dr. Jennifer Doll, Staff Veterinarian

 Joined IHA: January 2013

Growing up I always had an affinity for animals.  I LOVED doing chores and getting messy, much better than housework, which my older sister was stuck doing. I was attached to the cats and dogs, and their babies. I can’t explain why I am drawn to animals. I can go all week working with them, but end up seeing a dog at someone’s house and insisting on saying hi or petting him. Animals are honest. I appreciate that. I love pretty much any animal.

My favorite part of my job is knowing the more wild, or barn cats, will be healthier at this same time next year. When I had the mobile unit I loved seeing the crazy, scrawny cats of the year before, now much mellower and thriving.

There are many things which prepared me for my role at IHA. I already did regular private practice Veterinary medicine for 8 years outside Seattle, WA. I also have done years of work at shelters where euthanasia of healthy animals happened almost daily during the heavy puppy and kitten season. I was part of it at one shelter, euthanizing a mom cat, then her kittens, broke my heart. That is when I decided I would do what I could to make euthanasia of healthy animals unnecessary.

Learn more about Dr. Doll here.

---

Kathleen, Development Director

 Joined IHA: September 2011

There are so many reasons why I LOVE working at IHA! Our work here is making a positive impact for animal welfare in the community and it is extremely rewarding to be able to actually have solutions to offer animals and their people. Every day I work for the thing that I am most passionate about! My days are rich and full.

---

Lindsay, Veterinary Assistant

Joined IHA: July 2019

Growing up, I had wild dreams of what I wanted to be when I was older. In all my dream jobs, from dolphin swimmer, zookeeper, veterinarian, to a “penguin expert,” there was one thing that remained constant: the role of animals. I knew from a young age working with animals was the ultimate goal. Working with animals in a community I love is why I’m proud to call IHA my new home.
There are so many moments in my job that inspire me. Every person who brings in an animal shares an understanding with our staff as we work to better our community and our pets’ way of life. The pets themselves always brighten my day, from their creative names to their cuddly personalities. It is with the cooperation of everyone: the client, the animal, and my amazing team members that make this such a positive atmosphere.

Lori, Office Manager

 Joined IHA: October 2014

I like all aspects of my job with IHA, from entering animals, to invoicing the animals, to the phone appointments.

I enjoy working with people to help them get their pets spayed, neutered and vaccinated and to see the smile on their face knowing that their pet will be healthy. I love working with animals and with clients to give them an understanding of vaccinations and the importance of spaying and neutering their animals to keep them healthy.

---

Sam, Program Coordinator

 Joined IHA: May 2015

I love all animals, feathered, scaled, and furry, and was taught to respect all life at a very young age. Growing up, my family pets were my companions and my best friends. I knew early on that I wanted to spend my life helping the creatures I loved. Like many other children, I was going to grow up to be a veterinarian. That direction changed gradually through my education and experience, which lead me to Iowa Humane Alliance (IHA).

I am pictured with Molly, my 9 ½ year old Newfoundland. I adopted Molly from Cedar Valley Humane Society. I had never adopted a senior dog before, but I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. I knew we needed each other and so nearly a week later, I brought her home. She was instantly part of our family. She has been simply a joy, and has even helped our cats become less afraid of large dogs! I am so grateful that we found each other.

---

Shelby, Veterinary Technician 

Joined IHA: July 2015

While I have always had a love for animals, I also love people who love their animals. Being able to support the human-animal bond with Iowa Humane Alliance’s services and our team’s compassion and hard work is truly a privilege. I love being able to work hard within a team that makes such a big impact for animals in our community as well as the communities that we are able to reach out to. 

My husband, daughter, and I are lucky enough to have a full house with our three dogs, one cat, and foster animals. My dog Gemma and I are pictured together after doing our favorite thing together- running!

---

Stacy, Executive Director

Joined IHA: January 2013

During my career in animal welfare, I had worked at two municipal shelters and saw the full spectrum of animal care. I held the role of veterinarian technician, volunteer coordinator, humane investigations officer, adoption counselor, natural disaster rescuer, and cared for thousands of cats and dogs.

I was working in Upstate New York when Mary phoned and asked me to come work at Iowa Humane Alliance. Mary said that the clinic was scheduled to open in 8 weeks and that 5,000 surgeries would be performed in the first year. I thought, WOW, how amazing. I did a little research on high quality, high volume, low cost spay/neuter clinics and everything suddenly became so clear. Somewhere around 12,000 surgeries performed, I became the Director of Clinic Operations. Currently, I am the Executive Director of IHA, overseeing all—and we’re just over 78,000 operations.

---

Val, Administrative Assistant

 Joined IHA: March 2018

My passion for animals started at a very young age. I’ve always grown up around dogs and felt a strong connection to them. I knew wherever my career took me it would involve animals in some way or another. When I came across the opportunity to work for Iowa Humane Alliance, I didn’t think twice. I knew this would be an amazing opportunity. I believe so strongly in the IHA mission statement and to share a common dedication with everyone who works here is so rewarding. I love that every day is different. Our clients are amazing and to meet so many wonderful pet parents who are very appreciative of what we do is one of my favorite parts of the job. I knew a career with IHA would be a perfect fit for me. I have a background in office management and event planning along with multiple years of dog care and volunteer work with our local animal rescue organizations. I’ve worked with all types of animals and currently have 2 cats (Meows and Steve), and 8 year old pit bull (Bella, pictured with me) and 2 ball pythons (Marvin and Lilly).

Want to join our team?