Alina M. Luna, Ph.D., Dean, Circle of Learning & Leadership

Alina is an Emeritus Professor of English with twenty-five years of experience in higher education. The first-born American citizen in her Filipino family, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, and her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the State University of New York at Albany. Prior to her departure from Western Colorado University, she was the most senior tenured faculty member of color.

Alina values the importance of helping to maintain others’ integrity and pride; aspects that can be so thoughtlessly dismissed, taken away, or (worse yet), perceived to be non-existent among the marginalized by those in power. She has been dedicated to the well-being and success of her students and honored with seven awards in teaching and mentoring.  She has served as advisor to student groups; coordinator of scholarships and academic curricula; evaluator of faculty performance reviews; Chair of the Communication Arts, Languages and Literature Department; panelist in DEI discussions; and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee. She was also appointed to Colorado’s 2020-2021 Water Equity Task Force by Governor Jared Polis.

Alina’s teaching record includes the delivery of 40+ different courses within English studies ranging from Greek Drama to Postcolonial Literatures, as well as the creation of the Humanities and Diversity Minor which promoted the study of literature and related disciplines in the liberal arts through perspectives and representations primarily informed by diversity, identity, and lived realities.  She has little patience for performative activism especially in the area of racial equity as it can allow institutions to think that those who are BIPOC fail to see how disingenuous their “actions” are.  The leadership of such organizations are deluded since BIPOC are intimately experienced with the machinations of power, in addition to the means and extent to which they have been denied power and paths to efficacy.

A baker and photographer, Alina has been an animal lover since childhood and had regularly volunteered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She lives with her husband and their wiggly pup, Ivy, in Colorado.  Alina is deeply honored to be joining the proudly-led BIPOC team that is C.A.R.E. and looks forward to assisting in its comprehensive approach to companion and animal well-being.

Sloane Hawes, Chief of Research & Development

Sloane Hawes, MSW (she/her) is a scholar-activist who is deeply committed to addressing inequities in human and animal well-being by elevating the wisdom and resilience of marginalized communities. She brings nearly a decade of social work and research experience to her role as the Chief of Research and Development at CARE.

Sloane earned her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Sustainable Development and Global Practice from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work and received a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and Psychology from the University of San Diego. She also holds certificates in Community Consensus Organizing, Animal-Assisted Social Work, and Animal Shelter Management. 

Throughout her career, Sloane has prioritized opportunities to advance social justice, health equity, and belonging in non-profit, human services, and higher education spaces. This has included volunteering with the All Nations Institute for Community Achievement in San Diego, CA, working as a first-year student housing Resident Assistant, co-leading the Social Justice Living Learning Community at USD, serving as the Vice Chair of Programming for the Panhellenic Council of USD, founding the Restorative Justice interest group at USD, and serving on the Board of Directors for Bergen Spay & Neuter Alliance in CO. Sloane is currently serving on the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Social Work leadership committee, the American Society for Prevention to Animals (ASPCA)’s Access to Veterinary Care Community of Practice’s Advisory Committee, and is the Vice Chair of the Milliken Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners.  

Prior to joining CARE, Sloane was the Assistant Director of Research at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, located within the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, where she led a research agenda using community-based participatory research methods to examine the intersections of animal welfare, social justice, and ecological justice issues. Sloane also has work experience in direct care and advocacy roles that include community organizing, case management for unhoused people, and supporting families in crisis at an open-admission animal shelter. 

Sloane’s research interests include mutual aid, coalition-building, One Health (Indigenous Knowledge), cultural humility, trauma-informed care, decolonization, and restorative justice. She has contributed to numerous publications. Her most recent publications have appeared in high-impact peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine, and the Animal Law Review. She is a sought-after public speaker and has presented at multiple national, state, and local social work, public health, and animal welfare conferences on her research. 

In her free time, Sloane enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and interior design. She lives in Colorado with her spouse, their two children, and their English Mastiff, Penny.

Dr. Megan Covington, Senior Director, Research and Development

Dr. Megan Covington (She/her) has over a decade of equity-focused education research experience positioned primarily in the higher education sector. Prior to joining CARE, Megan’s research interests focused on amplifying the voices of Black and other marginalized communities with specific emphasis on Black women faculty and graduate students and HBCU advocacy.

In 2021, Megan earned her PhD in Higher Education from Indiana University. Shortly after, she brought an American Staffordshire Terrier (or pit bull type dog) named Justice into her life as a graduation gift to herself. To Megan’s surprise, Justice became much more than a “furry best friend” or “fur baby”, she completely transformed Megan’s personal and professional life, passion, and purpose. Suddenly Megan discovered her passion for drawing from her extensive research on dog psychology, dog behavior, and raising bully breeds in preparation for Justice’s arrival to support family, friends, and community in having more harmonious relationships with their dogs.

Without yet recognizing the relevance behind Justice’s name and how Megan and Justice would seek justice for themselves and their community, Megan suddenly became attuned to the discrimination, societal issues, and ways policies are manipulated to limit access to Black people and people from other marginalized communities and their dogs. The discrimination is intensified for people with multiple marginalized identities and when their dog(s) are pit bulls, bully breeds, or any other dog breed traditionally labeled as “aggressive” by the media, regardless of the dog’s individual characteristics, training, or temperament. Through personal experience Megan learned the many barriers and injustices that presented themselves to bully breed owners, especially as a fat-bodied, Black, masculine-presenting queer woman living in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Megan’s personal experiences influenced her decision to seek opportunities to use her research skills to advocate for herself and others who may not be able to do so for themselves. Dr. Megan founded Atlanta Pit Bull Training, a dog behavior consulting company focused on education for pit bull and bully breed owners. Through her work at Atlanta Pit Bull Training, Megan gained on-the-ground knowledge about the need to advocate for social justice and equity in animal welfare, with special attention to the ways that policies impact BIPOC people.

When Megan isn’t talking, consulting, or educating about dogs or bully breeds, she enjoys playing the drums, writing, reading, watching documentaries, trying new restaurants, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying art and live performances.

Celeste Morales, Senior Director of Research and Development

Celeste Morales (she/her/ella) is a sociologist and scholar-activist committed to pursuing social justice-oriented research related to the intersections of animals, people, and communities. In particular, she is invested in utilizing community-engaged research approaches that elevate community voices and lived experiences. Celeste has been working in the human and animal well-being research space for the past three years.

Celeste completed her BA in Sociology in 2017 from the University of British Columbia, and her MA in Sociology from the University of Victoria in 2020. She soon after joined the Vancouver Humane Society as Lead Researcher, managing a qualitative research project that explored the barriers to accessing animal services experienced by marginalized groups, and the importance of trauma-informed and culturally safe practices in the animal services sector. Following this, she took on the role of Program Manager where she developed an online program and virtual training workshops to help animal service workers learn how to implement these practices in their organizations. In 2022, Celeste joined the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) at the University of Denver as a Research Associate. There, she managed a research evaluation project in partnership with PetSmart Charities. This project focused on addressing equitable access to veterinary care considerations by utilizing community-engaged research approaches, in collaboration with 10 community-based animal well-being organizations working with marginalized and underserved communities. She is thrilled and honored to have joined the C.A.R.E team in October 2023 as their Senior Director of Research and Development.

Celeste is published in the Animals and Frontiers in Veterinary Science peer-reviewed journals, and has presented at multiple webinars and conferences including the Humane Canada Summit for Animals, the International Society for Anthrozoology Conference, and the ASPCA Access to Veterinary Care Conference.

Celeste believes deeply in the importance of the human-animal bond, which drives her passion of working to keep companions and animals together through access to equitable animal and human services and support.

Celeste is a proud Latina, and dog mom to Harvey and Harlow. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga and spending time outdoors with her dogs. She currently lives and works in Vancouver, Canada which is situated on the stolen, unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) & sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.

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.

James Evans, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

James is a multi-awarding winning creative strategist and leader with 25+ years of experience developing relationships between organizations and their constituents. His expertise has been utilized across a diverse group of brands, both non for profit, and for profit. Specific brand experience includes: Timberland, Disney, The Mills Corporation, NAACP, Baltimore Health Department, Maryland Health Department, Kennedy Krieger Institute, CVS Caremark’s Project Health, Safe Streets Baltimore and many other brands.

James and his team have initiated several programs, including the groundbreaking Gulf Spay/Neuter Campaign and HSUS’ Pets for Life. He has also played an integral role in HSUS’ Adopters Welcome, Outdoor Cats Research, Stop Puppy Mills, and HSUS’ Spayathon, as well as Best Friends Animal Society’s Outreach Action Team.

In 2019, inspired by Chetana Mirle and supported by Spring Point’s Life of Riley, James founded Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity [C.A.R.E.].

James is a husband, a proud father of five children [two four-legged], a brother, and part of a great group of friends, family, and colleagues.

Winner of the 2022 Maddie’s Fund Avanzino Leadership Award
Saul Zaentz Film Fellow 2024

Amber Acuña, CLL Administrative Assistant

Hello I’m Amber Acuña and I’m honored to be working with you all at CARE!

I’m also honored to be the single mother of the kindest 10 year old therian wild-child I’ve ever seen. We live with our three cats Holly, Victor, and Onyx who all found us as abandoned kittens. I’m currently working to complete my English BA now that my son is older. My son has been my biggest cheerleader and they’re always telling me how proud of me they are! My favorite color is pink and I love exploring all forms of art. The farthest away I’ve ever traveled was to the Philippines when my titas took my sister and I to our family mausoleum to reconnect and reunite.

I really look forward to working with everyone on this mission for caring reformation!