Meet The Staff
Executive Director
Anna (She/Her)
Anna Johnson comes (back) to CCR with 16 years of experience in the animal welfare space, including having spent 8 years as CCR’s shelter manager from 2010 – 2018. In the intervening years, Anna has served as a director with another local rescue, working in nearly every capacity from medical and behavioral support, to placement and pathway management, to marketing and development. She loves creating partnerships to benefit animals in need, developing programs to support increased adoptions, and connecting with others in support of the human-animal bond.
Anna has a passion for promoting empathy without judgement in the animal welfare field, and treasures every opportunity to connect with the humans on the other end of the leash.
When she’s not dreaming up new ways to get dogs into homes, Anna can be found out for a run with one or two of her four dogs, at the barn with her horse, or enjoying live music with friends. She loves vegan junk food, thrifting, and a good book.
Shelter Director
Abby (She/Her)
Abby has been working in animal welfare since 2015 after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Parks and Protected Area Management. She started out working with wolves upon graduation – and never looked back!
Since then she has had the amazing opportunity to work with animals like lions, bears, jaguars, tigers and more! Though she has experience with a number of exotic animals, her favorite has always been working with companion animals. As a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator, she is an animal welfare data nerd and loves to study new ways to improve the lives of shelter animals in her free time.
Abby and her husband have 4 rescue pets of their own – one cat and 3 dogs – many of which have behavioral and/or medical special needs to keep them on their toes.
Assistant Shelter Manager
Maia (She/Them)
Maia was a dog sitter and walker for three years before joining the CCR team in February of 2022! She started as a kennel tech but during her first winter with us she expressed interest in expanding her responsibilities and focusing on canine enrichment – they have excelled as our Assistant Shelter Manager ever since!
She says that her favorite part of the job beside finding pups their perfect homes is spending time with and caring for our dogs! Plus, Maia is our resident tiny dog whisperer, and is always called upon to help with their vetting and intros!
Volunteer Coordinator
Donnalee (She/Her)
Donnalee started at CCR in 2024 as a Kennel Tech and has stepped up to the role of Volunteer Coordinator. As Volunteer Coordinator, she hopes to create a satisfisying and enriching community/program for all volunteers, dogs, and staff! Donnalee adopted her pup, Mabel, from CCR in 2021, and welcomed a kitty, Pomegranate, to her family in 2026. In her free time she enjoys reading fiction books, exploring Chicago neighborhoods, and collecting trinkets!
Senior Kennel Technician
Cece(She/Her)
Cece started working at CCR in January 2019. When she started she thought it would be a fun job to work with dogs! However, over the years she has been able to learn so much about what it takes to care for them and being able to see all the pups find their forever home is just one of the perks of working in a dog shelter! I’ve also enjoyed taking photos and videos of the pups for their adoption bio and CCR Instagram. She has 2 little pups at home, Bella (morkie) and Luna (terrier mix)! Luna was actually a foster fail from CCR and she is thriving!
Kennel Technician
Mariel (She/Her)
Mariel has been passionate about animal welfare and has recently joined the team at CCR. She has volunteered at shelters over the years and has also worked with wildlife rehabilitation. She loves being able to provide for dogs as they are able to find their forever homes. She has a border collie named Luna and two cats (Oji and Tiger Lily). She enjoys spending her free time with friends, finding new music, and collecting memorabilia.
Adoption & Foster Counselor
Melissa (She/Her)
Melissa is CCR’s Adoption & Foster Coordinator. Before stepping into this role, she worked as a Kennel Tech at CCR and previously spent over a year at another rescue organization. She has always been an animal lover and is passionate about continuing her journey helping fur babies find safe, loving homes.
Kennel Technician
Natalie (She/Her)
Natalie is excited to make a difference as she’s always had a strong love and obsession for dogs! Over the years she has been a dog walker, animal shelter volunteer and worked as a doggy daycare attendant. Natalie loves learning about all of the dog’s funny personalities and quirks while helping them shine and feel as safe and as loved as possible until they find their forever homes! At home, she has a senior pitbull named Zeus and a black lab named Atticus. Natalie enjoys spending her free time with her family and friends, trying new restaurants and breweries, traveling, hiking with her dogs, and going to comedy shows.
Kennel Technician
Koda (He/Him; They/Them)
Koda is a life long animal lover with over five years of professional animal care experience. From dog walking to grooming to daycare, Koda has done it all. And he is excited at his new start in animal rescue.
When they’re not at CCR, you can find Koda performing in drag on stages all across Chicago. A kennel tech by day and a drag king by night! At home, Koda spends his time cuddling his two cats (Arlo and Peri), creating art with friends, and baking sweet treats.
Kennel Technician
Lena (She/Her)
Lena has been working at CCR since December 2024. She feels incredibly fortunate to have a job where she can care for dogs. She always strives to make the CCR dogs feel loved and comfortable while they wait for their next home. She also adopted her dog, Cheezi, from CCR. They love going for long walks and exploring nature on hikes!