Michael Bricker, Chief Strategy Officer

Michael Bricker is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Director of CARE Centers. Michael will be developing organizational strategy and sustaining that through the management of all of our departments. As CARE Center Director, Michael will curate strategies for each CARE Center and develop a national model for workforce development that partners from the community up to local shelters to provide sustainable change and save more animals. We have had the pleasure of getting to know Mike for a few years now and we can’t think of a better human to join us and help us grow.

Michael comes to us as the former Director of Operations for the Shelter Embed program at Best Friends Animal Society. He spent most of his time in Texas, as Interim Executive Director at different shelters, where he used his compassion and talent to get to know the staff, put the time in to connect with the community, all while saving more animals. During his time in Texas, he was able to take PVAC from a 34% live release to 93%, and Abilene from 55% to 89%. Before Best Friends, Mike was the Director of Operations at Camden County Animal Shelter (CCAS). In addition to rewriting the shelter’s adoption policies, Mike helped to create a Lifesaving Department, launch CCAS’s community cat program, pioneer the Rent-A-Dog program and modernize the shelter’s medical operations. Quite a human, right! We are beyond grateful and we look forward to you all meeting him in person.

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

James Evans

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 ground breaking Gulf Spay/Neuter Campaign and HSUS’ Pets for Life, which helped reshape animal welfare, while simultaneously advocating for more diversity and inclusion throughout the field.

He has also played an integral part in AWO organization’s projects, including HSUS’ Adopters Welcome, Outdoor Cats Research, Stop Puppy Mills and Spayathon, as well as Best Friends Animal Society’s Outreach Action Team, Maddie’s Fund, and SPCA of Texas’ Let’s Fix This Campaign.

Jennifer Evans, Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Evans is the COO and Art Director for Illume Communications. As a highly organized logistics expert, she manages CARE’s staff and workflow. Jen studied studio art in school and has over 20 years experience in marketing and publishing as both a designer and Art Director. Aside from her visual communications and organizational skills, Jen brings an in-depth knowledge of social media marketing strategies. Much of her recent work within the animal welfare field has included innovative campaign strategies and production for large scale projects such as Breaking Bias for HSUS Expo 2019, Stop Puppy Mills Video campaign, Petstablished, Let’s Fix This, HSUS’ Spayathon, and HSUS’ Adopter’s Welcome toolkit.

Johanna Falber, Director of Operations

Johanna Falber

Johanna spent her professional career working for mid-size and Fortune 500 organizations in leadership positions managing operations, sales and customer support groups. While successful, the human connection felt missing to her. She found herself gravitating towards departments that would offer her the opportunity to work closely with customers and consumers to resolve high-level escalations, and bring dignity, empathy and respect to the interaction. It was when she adopted her first dog, that key realizations changed her course. She recognized that her business acumen could be useful in the animal advocacy sector; while volunteering in city animal shelters, the sad truth of the over population of pit bull type dogs was alarming, as well as the euthanasia of adoptable dogs; and she witnessed the difficulties people in marginalized groups faced with adopting dogs, and in having access to equitable resources. Her response was Stubby’s Heroes, the non-profit she founded primarily to promote and highlight the pit bull type dog in an effort to increase adoptions and stop the vilification and stigma of the dog.

After working closely with national large animal welfare organizations like the HSUS and Best Friends Animal Society to stop Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) from going statewide in all of Georgia, the organization became synonymous with community advocacy, pro bono counsel, outreach programs, and marketing campaigns showcasing canine and community.Jo has said that it has been a personal dream to be able to connect her experience in the corporate world with animal welfare, and her love of serving people and her community. “I really did not think that there was a place for me until now with C.A.R.E. I’m honored to serve our communities alongside such committed, vibrant and exceptional leadership and team members. I’m finally home.” CARE wants to Welcome Jo and Thank her for years of dedication and compassion. She joins CARE as the Director of Operations. She is going to amazing things!

Johnny Jenkins, Chief Research & Development Officer

Johnny Jenkins has twenty-five years of experience in grassroots community engagement and professional non-profit experience. His talents have been used to support mission-driven efforts across movements ranging from animal welfare and LGBTQ+ equality to racial equity, diversity and inclusion. He has had had the opportunity to provide leadership as an organizer, a non-profit board and program director, and a multi-million-dollar grant portfolio manager. As an experienced strategic grant-maker, Johnny has led philanthropic initiatives that support racial and economic Justice while also advancing social justice inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. Recently, he served as the adoption grants manager responsible for PetSmart Charities’ U.S. East Region to support shelters and rescues in finding homes for homeless pets.

Mr. Jenkins holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Western Michigan University, and is currently pursuing a graduate level degree from Arizona State University. His research interest includes organizing strategies, coalition-building, cooperative economics, leadership development (community wisdom), racial equity and social justice. He draws from lived experiences to engage people and communities to promote equity and access to opportunities that improve the quality of life for marginalized families and their pets.

Johnny has an extensive record of service in the LGBTQ+ and Detroit communities which has resulted in multiple community awards. In addition to his many community accomplishments, Johnny is also an accomplished spoken word artist who has produced and served as Slam Master for two national Detroit Poetry Slam Teams. In addition, he is a proud co-founder and former producer of one the oldest Black LGBT pride celebrations in North America – Detroit’s Hotter Than July (1996) which continues to operate today.

He is grateful for the opportunity to share his lived experiences and expertise to increase racial equity, diversity and inclusion in animal welfare. This is shared through his service as Co-Lead of PetSmart Charities’ Racial Equity Advisory, Steering Committee Member of PetSmart’s MOSAIC Associate Resource Group, Vice President of PetSmart’s Pride At Work (PAW) Associate Resource Group, and as a Co-Chair of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) DEI Committee. 

Kenny Lamberti, Chief Engagement Officer

Kenny Lamberti has spent his entire professional career being of service.  In 1993 after college Kenny took his first professional position as a parent advocate with the Head Start program in his hometown of Boston.  For more than a decade Kenny worked vigilantly on behalf of families living in underserved communities.  Kenny worked as a counselor at a residential home for adolescent boys transitioning from the juvenile legal system, as a youth director for the Cambridge YMCA and organizer for a program called Gang Peace where he worked to broker community peace and positive alternatives for gang involved young people. It was in these early days of Kenny’s professional journey that he began infusing his love for animals specifically pit-bull dogs into his work with communities.  

Kenny started bringing his own dog to work and saw how it created a bridge to engage young people who shared the same love for pets.  While working in the Boston Public Schools his love for dogs and community truly crystalized.  Like most teachers Kenny needed a summer job, thus began his journey to become a dog trainer.  Kenny began offering free dog training in specific economically depressed areas of his beloved Boston and the animal welfare industry started to notice.  

Kenny began his animal welfare career working for renowned behaviorist Dr. Amy Marder which lead him to Animal Farm Foundation in upstate New York. The HSUS identified Kenny’s unique skill set and passion for community-based work and recruited him to run their Philadelphia end dog fighting program. This is the moment Kenny’s career went national and he along with CARE CEO James Evans played an integral leadership role in the creation of the Pets for Life program.  

Kenny went on to become Vice President of companion animals as HSUS and in 2017 came to Best Friends Animal Society to spear head their effort to mobilize the public to achieve the lofty goal of a No Kill Nation.  Kenny’s vision, dynamic leadership, and passion for community gave birth to something called the 2025 action team which in a little over a year has more than 30,000 advocate members representing all 50 states.  

Kenny Lamberti has played a key role and been a leading voice in shifting the animal welfare industry to be a more human focused, diverse, and equitable movement.  With the founding of CARE Kenny finally has a true home and vehicle to use all his experience, passion, and expertise to fight for people and communities that to this day of no fault of their own still exist on the margins of the animal welfare movement.  CARE has been a long time coming and is poised to disrupt and reshape the way this nation addresses the needs of not only dogs and cats, but more importantly the people across all boundaries who share their lives with them. Kenny Lamberti joining his long-time friend and colleague James Evans and the entire CARE family was written into existence long before now, but now that it is a reality the magic can finally be fully realized. 

Mueni Rudd, Senior Director of Research & Development

Mueni is a Kenyan American scholar advocate with years of experience in racial justice, social activism, and evaluative research. She graduated from Huston-Tillotson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Then went on to earn a Master of Social Work graduate degree from Texas State University. She has a consistent history of membership and participation in professional academic associations and service organizations. She is a published writer and proud TEDx speaker committed to filling the gaps of current Western training and approaches that avoid issues of racial diversity and ethnic cultural differences. She prioritizes Black and other historically marginalized group liberation in all her professional and community contributions. Her focus on accountability can be seen in her efforts to acknowledge systemic and institutional oppression by centering these populations. Mueni is always willing to dive deeply into literature and lived experiences to suggest equity centered and research informed recommendations. Her work amplifies historically oppressed communities, promotes authentic multicultural dialogue, and creates cross-cultural communication which fosters awareness and healing.