Ed Jamison, Chair of the CAC Advisory Board 

Ed Jamison serves as CEO of Operation Kindness, a lifesaving non-profit animal welfare organization based in Texas. Under his leadership since March 2021, Ed guides the organization to administer innovative programs impacting dogs and cats across the region, including community initiatives, shelter partnerships, interstate transport, forensics for animal cruelty and more. Ed also leads the lifesaving work at the Operation Kindness shelter, which includes a medical wing, neonatal kitten nursery and pet food pantry, located in Carrollton, TX.

Previously, Ed served as the Director of Dallas Animal Services (DAS). When he joined DAS in 2017, the animal situation in Dallas was the center of public scrutiny. Ed was tasked with increasing public safety by getting loose animals off the streets, while also increasing positive outcomes. The “Dallas 90” campaign was designed to help create a community where all people and animals are safe, treated with respect, and have access to the resources needed to thrive. With a dog and cat intake of over 39,000 in 2019, Dallas had the 3rd highest intake in the nation. 

With an extensive background working in the animal welfare field beginning in the early 2000s, Ed worked in Cleveland, Ohio, before moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. In the position of Chief Animal Control Officer for the City of Cleveland, Jamison pushed to redefine functionality and public perception of animal control. The award-winning, trademarked CITY DOGs Cleveland Adoption and Volunteer programs continue to be flourishing programs copied throughout the country. 

Ed is currently the President of Texas Unites for Animals, Vice President of the National Animal Care & Control Association, and Board Member for the Association of Animal Welfare Advancement and Shelter Animals Count. His main role as the Chair of the CAC Advisory Board will be to support the CAC department at CARE by providing insights from the Human and Animal well-being field to create and sustain the effectiveness of the CAC program across the country. He will be responsible for building the rest of the CAC Advisory Board and ensure a focus on community driven and led workforce is considered throughout the council’s discussions to ensure sustainability.

Michelle George, Senior Director of Community Animal Care(CAC)

Michelle has over 10 years of working experience in an open-intake county animal shelter with services contracted for shelter operations as well as field enforcement operations. While working in most departments within the shelter, the majority of her work experience was gained within Field Services. In the pursuit of the next opportunity or new challenge, she has been able to learn many facets (kennel, adoptions, client care, dispatch, field support, rescue through transport, and more) within animal welfare, never shying from the chance to be a source of information to anyone she meets. Awareness and empowerment are key.  

When away from work, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, pets, and friends, traveling, and shopping.   

Mikki Arnold, Operational Specialist (CAC)

Mikki was born and raised in Villa Rica, Georgia. She’s the proud mom of twin 16-year old boys. She attended Massey College and spent her career working at municipal animal services organizations, but she’s super happy to start at CARE where, as she described…

I won’t have to keep telling people why they can’t keep their pets.
At CARE I get to help figure out how they CAN keep them.

Sharon Nordrum, InReach Coordinator, Community Animal CARE [CAC]

Hello, my name is Sharon Nordrum. I live in Laporte, MN with my adult son Andreas and several dogs and 2 cats. My whole life has revolved around the care and wellbeing of animals. My mom was the first animal rescuer in my hometown.

At any one time we would have 3 or 4 dogs in our home looking for their forever homes. I really started helping with this endeavor when I was 12 years old and have never looked back. My first job was a kennel worker at one of our veterinarian clinics. At 15 I was working at both clinics with the money going towards the care of all the foster dogs and cats that came through our door.

When we moved to our current location, we thought that we would be stepping away from rescue work as there are local shelters around us. Oh, how wrong we were! We had only been in our new home for 2 weeks before the first rescue came through the door. He ended up being a foster failure and my son’s best friend. Loner was with us for almost 7 years. We believed he was around 13 years old when he passed away. Loner was just the first of many that have graced our home.

In 2011 I bought my first purebred dog BaWaaJige (2011-2022) and the two of us entered into the world of dog shows/sports. I compete in dock jumping, agility, rally, scent work, hunting and fast cat. I am an AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen), trick dog, farm dog, fetch dog evaluator. I am also a UKC evaluator for SPOT (Socialized Pet Obedience Test). I am working on becoming a Fit Dog evaluator and a Scent Work judge for UKC. Dogs are not my whole life. I am also an artist. My artistic style is a combination of Woodland Indian/Saami floral and fauna.

I have been commissioned to paint several murals in our local schools. My art has been used in books and for company signs. I also sit on 3 local organization boards. MAHUBE -OTWA, Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Coalition to Re-Authorize MN Lottery Funds. My life is busy, but full. I can’t wait to dive into working for/with CARE.

Hakeem Ruiz, Senior Director of CARE Centers Philly/Camden

Hakeem Ruiz is a 29 year old born and raised in Philadelphia. While attending Lincoln High School, Hakeem and other friends started a group called The Block. Years later that friend group went on to become a very successful non-profit called ” The Block Gives Back”. Hakeem became the Vice President and was given the task of hosting block parties, street cleaning events, and networking with the adults and youth of the community. In 2019 the group was recognized by KYW radio as a winner of the Black History Month “GameChangers” award, for the continued efforts in minority communities. 

Aside from community volunteering Hakeem formerly worked in the social work field as a Case Manager before joining the CARE team. Spending parts of 3 years working with at risk youth from ages 13-17 to earn expungement of permanent charges. Hakeem will now be the CARE Center Director of Camden/Philly. He looks forward to being able to continue to create and build connections for more organizations along with CARE and being able to assist an unaddressed need in a forgotten area. Having raised a 13 year old stray dog, Gucci, Hakeem has seen the low points of the animal care system locally and is determined to change it for the better of the community. 

Awanookwe (Uh-one-oo-kway) Kingbird-Bratvold, CARE Center Senior Director, Northern Tier & Professor of Indigenous Sustainability Studies

Awanookwe (Uh-one-oo-kway) (Veronica Kingbird-Bratvold) is Ojibwe from the Red Lake Nation. Since 2017 Awanookwe has worked within her community fostering a healthy platform to showcase the peoples ongoing love for their awesiinyag (animals). 

This work is done through mobilization of animal volunteer work and acknowledgement of her people’s animal work, and also highlighting Anishinaabe values and cultural teachings in regards to all awesiinyag (animals). She hopes this work will change the broader narrative of her community’s relationship with their animals as well as create resurgence of Anishinaabeg cultural teachings and traditional ecological knowledge of relationship with animals within her community. 

Awanookwe is a tribal college graduate, has a B.A. in American Indian Studies, and is a first generation Master’s graduate with a degree in Education. She is currently the Assistant Professor of Indigenous Environmental Studies at Bemidji State University and Founder of Awesiinyag (Animals) Are Loved. Her education, and cultural reclamation and apprenticeship has put her on a path of service around the region for Anishinaabeg cultural resurgence and reclamation.