Staff Spotlight

Name: Savannah Baller Position: Shelter Manager Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background before joining ARL: Growing up I knew I wanted a career that made a difference as I had always been drawn to helping both people and animals. With the...

Name: Brooke Brenner Position: Animal Care Supervisor How long have you worked in animal welfare: I just passed my 12yr anniversary in animal welfare! August of 2013 is when I was hired here full time, but I was also a volunteer dog walker before I applied to work...

Name: Stacey Cole Position: Chief Development Officer What were you doing before joining the ARL: I have been working in fundraising and development for over 10 years, most recently with the Reading Hospital Foundation and previously with Alvernia University and other...

In April, we announced the appointment of Dr. Sarah Rivera as Chief Medical Officer at the ARL. We sat with her and talked about her background, inspiration, vision for ARL medical services and more. What is your academic background? I went to Gettysburg College for...

Name: Ellamay Cassidy Position: Lifesaving Programs Lead What I was doing before ARL: In college, getting my bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in environmental studies Pets at home: Ollie (cat), 3 years old, Odin (cat), 1 year old Tell us about some of the...

Name:  SashaPosition: Medical technician/Surgery technician What were you doing before you came to ARL? Caregiver at an assisted living facility.  Pets at home:  Zoey a 4 year old lab/pit mix and Lola a 3 year old pit mix.  Tell us about some of the roles you and your...

Name:  Penny HummelPosition: Donor Advisor What you were doing before you came to ARL:  I’ve been privileged to work in non-profits and education for most of my adult life.  There’s something wonderful about knowing that even on the hardest of days, that I’ve made a...

Name:  RachelPosition: Humane Society Police Officer What you were doing before you came to ARL:  I have worked in multiple animal related fields before the position I am now in. I worked as a veterinary assistant, an adoption counselor and kennel tech...

Name: Maddy Marker Position: Medical Technician What were you doing before ARL? I worked at a different shelter, where I started as a Kennel Technician and worked my way up to Medical. Then, I was at the PA SPCA as a Surgical Nurse. Pets at home? Zeus (8 y.o.) a...

Name: Autumn Sebastian Position: Animal Care Lead What you were doing before you came to ARL: Before I came to the ARL, I was working at a campground as a groundskeeper, activities assistant, and housekeeper. On my free time I was rescuing animals out of my own home...

Name: Alyssa Budock Position: Social Media & Outreach Specialist What you were doing before you came to ARL: Before coming to the ARL, I was an assistant wedding photographer with a few random jobs! I graduated with a communications degree in 2020. Pets at home: I...

Lisa (left) and Amara (right) In the heart of Berks County, the Animal Rescue League is experiencing an era of compassion and dedication under the leadership of Lisa Malkin as Medical Director and Amara Cordero leading the shelter operations. Amara, Shelter Director,...