Mirah Horowitz - Founder and CEO
Mirah Horowitz is the Founder and CEO of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. However, the real founding of Lucky Dog was undertaken by a team of volunteers who believed that animal rescue could be done in a way that not just found homes for animals in need but also in a way that matched families with what would work best for them. As CEO, Mirah oversees all aspects of Lucky Dog's operations in the DC metro area and South Carolina. Mirah is also currently the President of the Board of the Kauai SPCA.
From 2018-2020, while serving as Executive Director for Lucky Dog, Mirah also served as the Kauai Humane Society's Executive Director, where she brought the organization back from near bankruptcy and raised the Live Release Rate from under 50% to nearly 90%.
Before becoming involved in animal welfare, Mirah worked in all three branches of the federal government. She clerked in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Kim Wardlaw and on the United States Supreme Court for Justice Stephen Breyer. She served as Counsel to then-Senator John Kerry and Chief Counsel to Senator Menendez. She also served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy in the United States Department of Justice. After leaving the government, Mirah served as an Executive Search Consultant for Russell Reynolds Associates, assisting non-profits and universities to recruit senior leaders.
Mirah's journey into rescue began when she adopted her first dog: Sparky, a black lab, in 2005. While her first three dogs, Sparky, Pepper & Hobo have crossed the rainbow bridge, their legacy lives on with Ruthie and all the Lucky Dogs and Cats. Mirah adopted Ruthie in March 2020, and you can often find Ruthie accompanying Mirah at Lucky Dog's adoption events.
Julie Brooks - Director of Business Operations
Julie Brooks is the Director of Business at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. She has the fantastic job of taking our data, and our organization to the next level. She also gets to dive into all of Lucky Dog's data (yay numbers!) and loves answering questions about all things technical.
Prior to joining Lucky Dog, Julie was a Director of Software Engineering in the healthcare industry. Her last role was Chief of Staff to a major healthcare company's VP of Engineering. She oversaw communication and strategic planning for the 1,000 person engineering organization. Julie has led many teams, both large and small, over her 20+ year career. Prior to going into software development, Julie was a high school math teacher.
Julie and her husband have been volunteers with Lucky Dog for the last several years as fosters, handlers, pup party coordinators, and PU-BERs, chauffeuring dogs to and from activities and events. They live in Washington DC with Lilly the Cat and former Lucky Dog, George (pictured) who is still quite lucky and extremely spoiled.
Lindsey Cope -- Program Manager for Events & Cat Adoptions
Lindsey Cope is the Program Manager for Events & Cat Adoptions at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. In this role, Lindsey spearheads Lucky Dog's weekly adoption events, coordinates event attendance with fosters, manages weekly volunteer support, and oversees our amazing cat adoption team.
Lindsey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. While in school, she started a self-run rescue and rescued, vetted, and adopted out 120 cats and kittens. Constantly involved in animal rescue and sheltering, a career in animal welfare was always on the horizon for Lindsey.
Lindsey is delighted to be a part of the incredible Lucky Dog team. A native of Charlotte, NC, Lindsey enjoys long walks with her dog, watching a good TV show, and spending time with family. She, alongside her rescue pup Murphy and four rescue kitties Magnolia, Violet, Lemon & Meg, are grateful to spend each day saving lives.
Ali Porter -- Program Manager for Adoptions, Fosters, Transports & Volunteers
Ali Porter is the Program Manager for Adoptions, Fosters, Transports and Volunteers at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. She has the wonderful job of recruiting, engaging and supporting our amazing volunteers and adoption coordinators.
Prior to joining Lucky Dog, Ali was a Special Education Teacher for 20+ years. Throughout her career as a teacher, she had the honor of working with students with emotional and learning disabilities. She taught 7th-12th grade English and cherished the relationships she was able to form with her students and the many life lessons they taught her.
Ali was a volunteer with Lucky Dog for 9 years prior to joining our staff team. She loved being the Puppy AC Team Lead, the Puppy Foster Coordinator, an Event Coordinator and of course a FOSTER! She is proud to be a failed foster Mom to her Lab mix Paisley.
Renee Morales -- Foster Coordinator
Renee Morales is the Foster Coordinator at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. In this role, she has the privilege of making sure all fosters both feel - and are - supported by helping answer any questions they may have, and distributing necessary supplies to support the happiness, health, and safety of their foster animals. Renee's goal is to make sure each of our fosters has a positive fostering experience!
Prior to joining Lucky Dog, Renee studied at Humboldt State University where she obtained her Bachelors of Science in Zoology. After graduation, Renee worked at a local veterinary clinic, where she cared for dogs and cats with many different temperaments and needs.
Renee's passion for animal welfare extends to all species (Renee currently shares her home with my guinea pig, Nibbles, and 2 rats, (Matilda and Mishka)). Renee believes every animal deserves a chance at a loving home. In Renee's free time, she enjoy exploring the countryside and city and crocheting gifts for her family, friends, and pets.
Melissa Webster -- Development Officer for Events
Melissa Webster is the Development Officer for Events at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. Melissa resides in Great Falls, Virginia with her husband, son and their two rescue dogs.
She comes to LDAR with 15 years of nonprofit development experience, including the roles of Manager at Common Good City Farm, Education Director for National Farmers Union, where she ran national events, and most recently as the regional grant writer for BUILD Metro DC.
She holds an M.A. in Health Studies from Georgian Court University and a B.A. in English and Education.
Diana Costa -- Program Manager for Veterinary Care
Diana Costa is the Program Manager for Veterinary Care at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. Diana loves and cares for the Lucky Dog Animals by overseeing and coordinating their veterinary care though answering and following up with concerns and medical needs!
Prior to joining Lucky Dog, Diana was a full time Veterinary Technician for 16 years as well as managing and supervising the ICU and treatment area at her previous vet clinic. Diana graduated from Bel-Rea Institute of Veterinary Technology after completing her Bachelor's Degree at Illinois State University.
Diana relocated to the greater DC area from New Orleans with her rescue pets, Penny the Puggle and Francis this Maine Coon. In her free time, Diana enjoys spending time outside exploring, reading, and gardening.
Emily Jagdmann -- Marketing and Communications Manager
Emily Jagdmann is a Marketing and Communications Manager at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. In her duties as Marketing and Communication Manager, Emily is responsible for overseeing Lucky Dog's Social Media, Digital Media, and Marketing Programs.
Prior to joining the Lucky Dog team, Emily worked as a Digital Acquisition Specialist at The Humane Society of the United States. Emily has her Bachelors of Science from The McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, specializing in Marketing and Management. Emily has a Masters of Science in Graphic Informational Technology from Arizona State University.
Emily has a lifelong passion for animals, and after volunteering with Lucky Dog as a handler and seeing what a difference love and a little human interaction can have on the life of a rescue dog or cat, never looked back. Emily now has a Lucky Dog of her very own, Gunnar, and can't imagine life outside of the Lucky Dog family.
Peyton Campuzano -- Social Media and Web Specialist
Peyton Campuzano is a Social Media and Web Specialist at Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. He is responsible for creating and managing content for Lucky Dog's social media platforms as well as its website.
Before joining Lucky Dog, Peyton worked as a marketing assistant where he was responsible for managing and producing engaging video content. He has his Bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware in Organizational and Community Leadership.
Peyton has always loved animals dearly. Throughout his life he had pets and currently has a Pitbull named Murphy. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym, playing golf, and spending time with friends and family.
Stephanie Moore - Lucky Dog Team South Carolina
Stephanie Moore started her journey with Lucky Dog in 2010 when she volunteered to drive a transport from her local shelter. She quickly fell in love with the organization and their mission to save dogs from her hometown of Florence, SC.
For as long as she can remember, her family has rescued dogs and cats from the streets of Florence County, and having a way to save more and make a change in the community has become a passion that she embraces.
After her first transport she started photographing shelter dogs, arranging vetting and organizing transports. Under her guidance Lucky Dog Team SC has grown to more than 35 local volunteers.
Stephanie has a Bachelors in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina and an Associates Degree of Nursing from Florence Darlington Tech. Three days of her week are spent as an RN supervisor in the Emergency Room at a local level II Trauma Center.
Her "children" consist of Benjamin and Hailey, rescued Rottweilers, Bodacious, Ethel and "Mama."
The Lucky Dog Team is much more than our staff. It is YOU - the volunteers that make it possible for Lucky Dog to save lives each and every day. Whether you prefer to volunteer at events or behind the scenes, Lucky Dog couldn't do it without you and is incredibly grateful for all of your hard work.