Our Leadership Team

PawsCo is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to animals. Our team is proud to serve the dogs and cats who need us the most. Get to know us below!

Volunteer Leadership Team

Katelyn Massey, Senior Director of Operations

Katelyn wholeheartedly believes in PawsCo’s mission and has held various Leadership Team positions over the past 10 years. In her day job she is a Digital Marketer, and as a Senior Director for PawsCo, she focuses on process improvements, website updates, strategic partnerships, and more. She has a soft spot for senior animals and bully breeds, but loves pups of all shapes and sizes! She spends her free time dog-walking and pet-sitting, reading, listening to podcasts, and hanging with her pup, Nollie!

Anais Salcido, Senior Director of Animal Relations

Anais is a true animal lover with a passion for improving the welfare of animals. Her dedication to animal rescue and welfare is evident through her work and personal life and she understands first-hand the important role animals play in our lives, and this drives her to make a difference. She finds it rewarding to see animals come around and heal from past traumas.In 2020, Anais began volunteering with PawsCo and has since dedicated her time and efforts to helping animals in need. Her goal is to continue her work in animal rescue and make a positive impact on the lives of animals.
Pets: Dogs – Ollie, Spencer. Cats –  Sadie, Sophie

Haifa Sweeny, Foster Director

Haifa joined the Pawsco team in January 2022 in memory of her beautiful chihuahua-mix, Olive, who was rescued as a puppy by a foster. Haifa wants to give other animals the same opportunity to thrive and feel safe while they find their forever families. Aside from her volunteer work with Pawsco, Haifa enjoys cooking elaborate meals with her husband, traveling, spending time with friends, and working at her day-job in marketing.
Pet: Olive

Linda Chase, Foster Associate Director

Linda Chase is a first grade teacher as well a children’s yoga instructor. She always has loved animals and is passionate about animal welfare and humane education. She believes that an important part of her job is educating children about animals and how they can be a voice for them. She began volunteering with PawsCo in March of 2018, doing Intake shifts. She hopes to expand the amazing things PawsCo is doing to include youth. Animal welfare and sheltering have changed so much in so many good ways and she believes that bringing children up to be more positively and compassionately involved in society is what will completely transform the lives and well-being of animals. 

Brooke Bronson, Foster Associate Director

Brooke has loved animals her whole life, growing up in Minnesota with several dogs. She has volunteered with PawsCo helping in several capacities from Events to Foster Team and has fostered over 20 dogs. She enjoys onboarding and mentoring new fosters to keep them engaged and active in order to save more animals. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, reading, and traveling.

Dicia Kemp, Intake Director

A Colorado native, Dicia lives in Denver with her dogs Cresta and Ziggy, as well as a Cat named Lil, all rescues. She has been passionate about giving voice to vulnerable populations both through work and volunteering. Dicia has been involved with PawsCo since 2013 and is still amazed daily by the incredible people this rescue draws in.She enjoys the outdoors and spending time with loved ones.

Kella Manfredi, Shelter Relations Director

Kella was a part of the inaugural PawsCo team in 2013 and is proud to still be with PawsCo over a decade later. She has worked with various teams in her tenure, and currently serves as the Director of Shelter Relations. Kella loves collaborating with our shelter partners to save hundreds of pups annually. She values the dedication and passion of PawsCo volunteers and feels honored to be part of the solution. Kella is a dedicated foster, providing a soft place to land for over 150 dogs and counting. Kella truly believes in the underdog as a pitbull advocate, chihuahua lover, dog midwife and giant breed specialist. Her mission is to rehabilitate and nurture those who need us most, especially those coming from neglect or abuse.

Pets: Tinysaurus Rex, Sloth & Partner, Georgie

Aileen Beckler, Shelter Relations Associate Director

Aileen is an animal lover through and through and has always had a passion for animal welfare. She was first introduced to PawsCo when she adopted her cat from the organization and began volunteering in the spring of 2022 to honor the memory of her beloved dog, Mars. Aileen enjoys volunteering on the Shelter Relations team and seeing firsthand the positive impact that is made through matching animals with fosters and freeing up much needed shelter space. Beyond her day job and volunteering with PawsCo, Aileen enjoys spending time outside, fiber arts and curling up with a good book.
Pet: Bert (PawsCo Alum)

 Lisa Frazer, Vet Care Director

Lisa became involved with PawsCo after her sister adopted a dog from the organization. She has always been passionate about animal welfare and is dedicated to making sure the animals receive the medical care they need and deserve. By day, Lisa is a family law attorney. She has fostered over fifty animals and looks forward to fostering more.
Dogs: Newman, Mike and PawsCo Alum King Rufus
Cats: Boris and Frankie

Megan Davan, Vet Care Associate Director

Megan is a Colorado native who has always been an animal lover, wanting to help animals since childhood. She started fostering for PawsCo in 2013 and soon realized she had a passion for animal rescue. She has held various roles within PawsCo, and now loves being part of the vet team.

Megan has two rescue pups of her own, Norri and Kahlua, and believes that every animal deserves a forever home, which is what motivates her to volunteer with PawsCo.

Emily Kelly-Fischer, Training Director

Emily joined the PawsCo team in summer 2021, inspired by her rescue pups. Emily is a dog behavior nerd who loves helping pet guardians learn the best ways to communicate with their animals in a positive way and to set them up for successful, joyful lives in their adoptive homes.

When not volunteering with PawsCo, Emily works in nonprofit administration and enjoys gardening with her pup Cincy, who’s very good at digging holes in the yard.

Natalie Marvin, Training Associate Director

Natalie found her passion for dogs in 2016 when she started walking and boarding dogs in her Brooklyn apartment. Since then she has foster-failed her dog, Beanie, and has been working with dogs professionally for 8 years. Natalie is currently studying for her dog training certification. While in Brooklyn, she volunteered with a local foster rescue for 7 years to help transport and handle dogs. It was such a fulfilling feeling seeing these dogs off to their new lives. She moved to Colorado in 2023 and wanted to get involved with a local rescue. PawsCo looked like the perfect place to volunteer!

Mallory Scott, Volunteer Director

Mallory started with PawsCo in 2020 with a desire to get more involved in the Denver community and specifically to work with an animal welfare organization that helps dogs like her rescue, Duke. She jumped in feet-first into the Volunteer Director position with a drive to help grow the Volunteer Team and ensure that all volunteers feel connected and valued at PawsCo. When Mallory isn’t volunteering with PawsCo, she works for a benefits administration technology company in the Denver Tech Center. Mallory is a proud Colorado native and grad of CU Boulder!

Pets: Duke (a rescue pup who thinks he truly is royalty)

Esther Books, Relinquishment Director

Esther has been following the PawsCo mission through her friend and PawsCo Director Lisa Frazer for many years. When she lost both her rescue dogs in 2022, she decided to finally join as a foster. Her first foster dog, Lizzie, delivered 8 puppies in her home and from there her ‘foster count’ quickly staggered to 24 dogs in 1 year. Luckily, her loyal ‘top dog’ Molly is tolerant and the most easy-going foster sibling any pup could ask for. When her day-job as an Enterprise Customer Success Manager required her to travel, she became our Relinquishment Director to help the cause while on the road. The decision to relinquish a pet is never an easy one, so Esther is looking to provide support to those having to consider it. Her goal is to coordinate resources in collaboration with the Leadership Team to help rehome pets and avoid surrendering to a shelter.

Mary Ervin, Relinquishments Associate Director

Mary joined PawsCo in memory of her former PawsCo rescue, Dooder, after moving back to the Denver area in the fall of 2023. She’s had rescue pets her entire life and started fostering with PawsCo to help dogs on their journey to find their forever homes. She has a soft spot for the shutdown dogs trying to adjust and trust again! She enjoyed fostering so much that she wanted to become more involved in helping other dogs to avoid difficult situations and the shelter environment. Outside of PawsCo, Mary works as a speech language pathologist in skilled nursing communities, and enjoys spending time with friends, reading, travel, and scuba diving.

Khali Okazaki, Technology Director

Khali has been with PawsCo since July 2023. She started out as a foster and eventually joined the bio, pics, and web posting teams. Khali loves supporting dogs in need and getting to see their personalities come out once they realize they are safe in a foster home. In her spare time, you can usually find her running, reading, or walking around the neighborhood with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Pets: Roman the happiest Doodle and Cora the Sheltie/Dachshund bundle of love!

Catherine Layden, Biographies Director

Catherine has always adopted rescue pets and can’t imagine life without animal companionship. (Rest in purrs, beloved Caruso, Big Bear and Maddie!) Her husband found their PawsCo cat Juniper the very same day as their overcrowded shelter cat Fluffy arrived from out of state in a rescue pilot’s private jet! Since few pets get that lucky, Catherine began transporting shelter pets on freedom rides and joined PawsCo. She enjoys working across many teams, writing pet biographies, engaging volunteers and helping with adoptions. She is the owner/founder of a nutrition practice focused on digestive wellness.

Katie Dahm, Partnerships Director

Katie started volunteering in animal welfare after she lost her 14-year-old rescue pup, Gomez. She joined PawsCo in 2016 and has since served as a foster and in various director and senior director roles. She has a soft spot for fostering bully breeds and special needs cases. She currently enjoys connecting community partners with PawsCo to help support our fosters. During the day, Katie is a clinical psychologist in a trauma clinic.

Janet Lahr, Adoptions Associate Director

Janet moved to Colorado in late 2023 and, driven by a passion for animals, quickly sought ways to get involved in the local community. In February 2024, she began volunteering with PawsCo starting as an Adoption Coordinator. Her dedication and love for animals led to the position as  Associate Director of Adoptions for Dogs, where she now plays a key role in helping find forever homes for dogs in need. With two resident dogs of her own and experience fostering additional pets, Janet has a deep commitment to animal welfare and a hands-on approach to rescue work. Outside of her volunteer life, you can find her spending weekends at Cherry Creek Dog Park with her husband, further embracing the joy of family and animals.

Amra Causevic, Adoptions Associate Director

Amra grew up surrounded by animals and has always had a deep passion for them. But it wasn’t until she adopted her dog, Rio, in 2016 that she found her true calling in animal rescue. Since then, she’s been an active volunteer—fostering both dogs and, more recently, cats.

Amra loves visiting the shelter, spending time with the dogs, and taking them on walks and outdoor adventures. A big fan of hiking and the outdoors, she believes everything is better with a four-legged friend by her side. As PawsCo’s Adoption Coordinator, she’s excited to help others find the same joy and companionship she found with Rio.

Kacey Lampron, Marketing Director

Kacey joined PawsCo in May 2025 and quickly found her people in the rescue community. A lifelong animal lover and devoted cat parent, she fell in love with fostering kittens. As Marketing Director, she shares PawsCo’s mission—helping animals thrive—through social media, photography, and merchandise.

When she’s not spreading the rescue love, Kacey enjoys writing, reading, and jeeping in the mountains with her wife.