Our Staff

 
Rachael and her dog Shyla

Rachael Ziering (she/her)

Founding Executive Director
A former public school music teacher and Broadway pianist, Rachael took a roundabout road to get to the wild and wonderful world of animal welfare. While originally from the Boston area, Rachael’s New York life led her to volunteer with a dog rescue in her free time. She realized this was where she was meant to be, so she shifted her entire career and founded Muddy Paws Rescue in 2015.

Since then, Rachael has fostered hundreds of pups (including those who needed some extra time and care before finding a family), been a featured speaker at national animal welfare conferences, and appeared on The TODAY Show and The Wildest. Beyond these accomplishments, Rachael is most proud of creating a one-of-a-kind community of dog lovers — better known as the Muddy Paws Pack.

Rachael lives in New Jersey with her MPR alums Shyla, Emmy and Hoss (plus their dad). She enjoys fostering, finding new ways to use technology to improve the MPR community experience, and ice cream.

rachael@muddypawsrescue.org

 
Lisa Blum and her two dogs

Lisa Blum (she/her)

Development Director
After studying journalism at the University of Iowa, Lisa pursued a career in grant writing and adopted her rescue pups Chloe and Gizmo. She long dreamed of finding a way to join her experience in fundraising with a love for animals and joined the team in early 2019. Lisa is super excited to talk to you about all the ways that your support can help change the lives of homeless pets in NYC.

lisab@muddypawsrescue.org

Mallory Kerley and her dog

MALLORY KERLEY (she/her)

Marketing Director
Mallory’s entire career has been in communications, and she caught the non-profit bug pretty early. It wasn’t until her first position at a national animal welfare organization that she knew she was meant to combine her marketing background with her love for animal rescue. As Marketing Director, Mallory spearheads our corporate partnerships, oversees our social media and online presence, secures and executes earned media opportunities and works with the wider team to expand Muddy Paws’ foster, adoption, and volunteer programs utilizing the power of public awareness. She lives on Long Island with her husband, identical twin sons and rescue dog Bauer.

malloryk@muddypawsrescue.org

EmilyTrost.jpg

EmiLY tROST (she/her)

Programs Director
Although an animal lover her whole life, it took Emily a few years of working in the corporate world, followed by a 3 month cross-country trip, where she rescued a stray puppy along the way, to realize that animal welfare was her true calling. Shortly after, she assisted in building a rescue organization from the ground up. After two years of acting as Vice President and rescuing close to 2,000 dogs, Emily relocated to NYC with her two rescue pups, Montana and Max. As the Programs Director, she is excited to continue getting pups into loving homes.

emilyt@muddypawsrescue.org

Juliette Mazza and a puppy

JULIETTE MAZZA (she/her)

Donor Relations & Events Manager
Juliette always knew working with animals was her calling. She earned her degree in Animal Sciences from Purdue University, and since 2018, Juliette held various roles within MPR before finding her place in fundraising and development. Currently serving as the Donor Relations and Events Manager, Juliette channels her passion and enthusiasm for Muddy Paws' mission while engaging with donors and companies that support their vital work. Living in Astoria, Juliette is the proud owner of a 100+ lb Muddy Paws alumna (who she definitely did not adopt her first week working there), and a rescue cat named Mamas. She enjoys playing golf, figure skating, watching stand-up comedy, and cheering for the NY Rangers.

juliettem@muddypawsrescue.org

Hillary Miller (she/her)

Senior Foster Program Manager
After seven years in the veterinary field (and a lifetime of animal experience), Hillary joined the Muddy Paws staff in 2022 as the Senior Foster Program Manager. Like many dogs who pass through Muddy Paws' care, Hillary is originally from Kentucky. She feels lucky to work for an organization that allows her to make a difference for animals in her home state by combining her medical knowledge with her passion for animal welfare. Her apartment is home to a revolving door of foster animals, as well as her cast of permanent residents: two cats, a pitbull, and a toothless chihuahua.

hillarym@muddypawsrescue.org

Jenna Bonarrigo (she/her)

Senior Adoptions Program Manager
Since childhood, Jenna has known that helping animals is her life’s calling. She has always taken in strays and injured wildlife that came across her path, but did not think it was in the cards for her to pursue animal welfare as a career. After leaving her job in HR in 2019, Jenna decided that she would not settle for another job she was not passionate about. She started volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary, walking dogs, and pet sitting. From there, Jenna began working for Animal Care Centers of NYC, and is now part of the Muddy Paws team. Jenna lives in Staten Island with her two cats, Scampi and Artichoke, and two rescue dogs, Lua and Bruce.

jennab@muddypawsrescue.org

Heather Darley (she/her)

Volunteer Program Manager
With over seven years in outdoor nonprofits working in a variety of roles from volunteer coordinator and program director to hiking guide, Heather joined the Muddy Paws staff in 2023 as the Volunteer Program Manager. She is so excited to turn her lifelong love of dogs into making a difference within the animal welfare community. Heather lives in Jersey City with her partner and two rescue dogs, Flint and Onyx. In her free time, you can find Heather hiking and camping with her dogs or talking to her friends about fostering and adopting!

heatherd@muddypawsrescue.org

Corynne Pedrosa (she/her)

Adoptions Program Manager
Corynne has always loved animals - since she was young, her home consistently had a resident animal that was considered a family member and not just a pet. She began her journey in the animal welfare field at the ASPCA, where she spent six years as an Animal Care Technician in their Adoptions Department. During her time there, she assisted with hands-on animal care, behavior training, and matchmaking. In search of more animal medical knowledge, Corynne started working at a vet clinic where she built strong client relations and gained helpful insight into the world of veterinary medicine. She soon realized that animal welfare was where she truly belonged and began her journey with Muddy Paws! Corynne is from The Bronx, where she lives with her 2 FeLV+ rescue cats named Leche and Liddle Cat.

corynnep@muddypawsrescue.org

Dr. Matt Miller (he/him)

Veterinarian
Dr. Matt Miller joined Muddy Paws after spending much of his life involved in shelter and rescue work. As a teenager in Kentucky, he started volunteering at the local humane society; walking dogs and feeding animals at first, but eventually helping with medical care. These experiences led him to study pre-veterinary medicine in college, where he continued to work with shelter animals in a medical capacity. He enjoys the reward of helping animals recover from painful or chronic conditions, and of educating people on the medical and welfare needs of animals to promote responsible pet ownership.

drmiller@muddypawsrescue.org

 
 

 

Our Board

Photo of Dr. Stephanie Liff

DR. STEPHANIE LIFF

Board Member
Pure Paws Veterinary

MEGHAN DANAHER

Board Chair
Siguler Guff

Liz Remington

Board Secretary
Microsoft

Photo of Teddy McBride

TEDDY MCBRIDE

Board Member
Schulte, Roth, & Zabel, LLP

Mike Wimsatt

Board Member
Independent Consultant

Meghan Catucci

Board Member
Muck Rack

Jai Seth

Board Member
Preqin

Photo of Adrian Köstli and his dog

Adrian Köstli

Board Member
Credit Suisse

Blue pawprint placeholder for Kate Goerke's photo

Kate Goerke

Board Treasurer
EY LLP

 
 

Our Volunteers

Adoptions Team


Foster TEAM


Volunteer Team


MARKETING TEAM


DEVELOPMENT TEAM


Design & Tech


 
 

A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO our amazing volunteer photographers

Alexandra Lloyd, Cortnee Daley, Chelsea Schizzano, Elizabeth Capreol, Meredith Zinner

 
 

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