OUR TEAM
Some of Our Volunteer Kitty Super Heroes
There once was a little girl who loved animals, especially kitties. Unlike most children, she preferred vegetables and fussed and cried when she was forced to eat meat. She would rather play with kitties, puppies, and chickens than with dolls and Barbies. She took her kitties everywhere, trying her hardest to give them rides on her swing and in her doll stroller. Much to her dismay, they would jump out and try to run away, and she did not realize at the time that catching them would train her for rescuing on a much larger scale later in life. She often brought stray kitties home and snuck them under her blankets at nap time.
To this little girl, all animals were gentle, and she did not know the difference between wild and tame. She felt deeply that it was wrong to hurt and kill her friends, or to be forced to eat them. She vowed that when she grew up, she would help all the animals in the world be happy, safe, loved, fed, and made all better.
That little girl grew up to become “The Meow Matriarch.” A multipotentialite, she has built a life as an Animal Reiki Practitioner and Functional Medicine Nutritionist, callings she finds more rewarding than her corporate career, entrepreneurial ventures, published works, and medical accolades combined. She lives vegan, advocates for healthy plant-based nutrition, and does all she can to end the needless suffering of animals.
Dr. Jarecki-Black holds an M.D., a Ph.D., and a J.D., and is a research scientist and experienced Intellectual Property attorney with over twenty-five years of experience in both private and corporate practice. As Head of Intellectual Property for Merial Limited (now Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health) for eighteen years, she led an IP department responsible for developing and implementing a global patent strategy, as well as conducting patent prosecution and litigation in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Jarecki-Black received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology & Pathobiology from the Medical University of South Carolina, where she worked on developing human and animal vaccines against infectious diseases, including the recombinant Lyme (OspA) vaccine. The experience of bringing a commercial vaccine to market sparked her interest in patent law, and she went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law.
She is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office as well as the state courts of South Carolina and Georgia, and is admitted to several federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.
Dr. Jarecki-Black has authored twenty-four peer-reviewed publications and more than eighty abstracts and presentations. She is owned by several kitties and adored by many species.
Jerry brings fifty-one years of experience in the aerospace industry and forty-three years as a professional pilot. His twenty-one-year career in the United States Army began with flying the Huey and Black Hawk helicopters before transitioning to a wide range of fixed-wing aircraft. Over the course of his service, he flew senior military officers and foreign dignitaries around the world in both peacetime and hostile environments.
Career highlights include flying for President George W. Bush and his family, King of Country, George Strait, Assistant to K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr. (President and Owner of the NFL Tennessee Titans), and Director of Operations at Galaxy/Gulfstream Aerospace. Today, Jerry continues to serve his country by serving his community, volunteering at A Kitty’s PURRsuit of Happiness, and taking orders from the Meow Matriarch.
Shelley is a distinguished retired U.S. Army veteran with a remarkable 23-year military career, culminating in the rank of Sergeant First Class (E7) as a Platoon Sergeant in a Medical Company. Her service includes two deployments: Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, demonstrating her commitment to national security and global peacekeeping efforts.
As a young child, Shelley wanted to become a veterinarian. However, she initially enlisted as a Pharmacy Technician (91P), and her professional journey evolved to encompass multiple medical specialties. She has held certifications as a Pharmacy Technician and paramedic, and has a bachelor’s degree in Radiology, exemplifying her broad expertise in allied health fields.
Shelley continues to serve her fellow veterans as a DRT/CT (Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist/Computed Tomography) specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs, bringing her wealth of experience and technical skills to benefit those who have served our nation. Shelley is owned by 5 KPOH rescue kitties, who aren’t impressed by any of it.
Catherine “Cat” is a retired flight attendant from SouthWest Airlines turned NASM certified personal trainer. She has been competing for 27 years and at 71 years-young, is an IFBB Professional in the Women’s Physique Division, as well as being an expert judge at many fitness competitions.
When Catherine isn’t at the gym, she spends time with her Arabian horses, riding and showing in dressage. Memberships include AHA and USEF.
Catherine also has an extensive background in nutrition and sport therapy.
She also cares for elderly family members in hospice, loves being involved in animal charity work and rescuing, but spends the majority of her time trying to convince herself that she is not being bossed around by her senior kitties and recently adopted kittens!
OUR RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
A Kitty’s Purrsuit of Happiness is committed to racial equity both internally through our work environment, and externally within our community!
- We are committed to ensuring that every policy we enact reflects democratic principles of equity and justice.
- We understand that developing and implementing policies, procedures, and programs in a just and equitable manner considers critical issues of implicit bias and discrimination that requires concerted and purposeful action.
- We believe that bringing together board members, volunteers and other partners with differing backgrounds and life experiences will enhance our ability to deliver effective prevention education curricula and lessons for all.
- Policies, programs, and activities will be administered to identify and avoid discrimination and barriers to access, and to avoid disproportionately high and adverse effects on communities of color.
- Accountability to the agencies that implement KPOH programs is of central importance to us. We understand the significance of evaluating the impact of our programs and curricula over time and utilizing scientific evaluation processes to ensure not only efficacy, but also racial equity. Further, we are committed to the just and equitable allocation of resources.
- We will obtain information, when relevant, appropriate, and feasible, in order to utilize data to evaluate the impact of our equity goals including:
- Population served and/or affected by race, color, national origin, and income level,
- Communities of color, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, tribal communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities that have principal languages other than English.
- Building a race equity culture requires intention and effort. It is our hope and intent that this KPOH Racial Equity Statement inspires greater collaboration in program and curricula development, strengthens public will and input, and promotes a strong commitment to advancing racial equity.