Animal Welfare League of Arlington Senior Staff

Neil Trent, Executive Director

Neil has 30 years experience in promoting animal welfare. He began his career with the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in its Law Enforcement Division. He has also served as the Executive Director of Humane Society International and most recently has run shelters in California and Colorado. Neil is the proud guardian of two rescue dogs, Zac and Abby.

Susan Sherman, Deputy Executive Director

Susan has been with the League since 1996 in a number of roles including newsletter editor, Webmaster, and database manager. Her previous experience was as an editor and as an urban planner. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and has a Masters in Planning from the University of Virginia. She has shared her home with cats, a guinea pig, and rabbits and currently lives with her shelter graduate dog.

Lisa Kirschner, Manager of Development

Lisa joined the League in February of 2009. Previously she worked at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Lisa has her undergraduate degree from Boston University and a MBA in Non-Profit Management from The George Washington University. She lives with two cats.

Ronny Shafer, Manager of Finance and Administration

Ronny has worked at the League for over 18 years starting as an Animal Care Technician. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Management. Over the years, she has shared her home with dogs, cats and a hamster. Currently, her home is ruled by two cats.

Rebecca Yoo, Manager of Adoptions

Rebecca has been with the League since 2004. She first started as an adoptions counselor to pursue her longstanding interest in animal welfare. As adoptions manager, she and her staff are responsible for helping match shelter animals with their forever homes as well as proving follow-up support to adopters. Rebecca graduated from James Madison University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She and her husband currently share their home with their wonderful senior pets - a Black Lab named Albert and a brown tabby named Reese.

Alice Burton, Chief of Animal Control

Alice grew up in Maryland in a large family with lots of family pets. She joined the The Animal Welfare League of Arlington 10 years ago. Alice was rescued by a Lab/Rottweiler mix named Geraldine and also by a brown tabby named Tessie, who coincidentally rules the roost.

Jennifer Newman, Manager of Humane Education, Community Services, and Volunteer Programs

Jennifer provides humane education lessons to schools and community groups, summer kids' month programs, and shelter tours. She also manages several League programs, including the League's volunteer, fostering, and community services programs. Jennifer is a 1998 graduate of West Virginia University, where she majored in Biology. She served as a Peace Corps Agriculture/Forestry volunteer in Panama from 1999-2001 and is fluent in Spanish. Jennifer has been with the League since 2003. She is a lifelong lover of all animals but is partial to dogs and birds.

Edward Maher, LVT, MBA, Manager of Animal Care

Prior to joining the League in January 2011, Ed worked in the Specialty Veterinary Field as Inventory Manager and Patient Services Supervisor for a large Specialty Emergency Veterinary Center in Virginia. Ed has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician for over 16 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and an MBA in Business Management. During his free time Ed volunteers as the Vice Chair for Bird Clubs of Virginia and the Virginia State Representative for the American Federation of Aviculture. Ed and his partner currently share their home with their two Pugs named Mona and Millie, their cat that adopted them named Dr. Isis and several African Greys, Macaws, and African Brown Headed Parrots.