Yvonne Bodley
Before moving to Texas in 2012 and joining AAR in April 2013, Yvonne worked for Comerica Bank for 20+ years. With a background in banking and finance, she will be invaluable for her role as Executive Director in guiding AAR’s fundraising and finances. She also volunteered for Leader Dog for the Blind in Michigan as a puppy trainer/raiser.
After deciding that she was tired of the corporate world, she found AAR and the rest is history. Yvonne has adopted 6 dogs (Hank, Lola, Redford, Ryder, Yuki and Mister) from AAR over the last 10 years and also has 2 cats (Mini and WeeOne).
Expanding the volunteer base and volunteer development is a priority for Yvonne. She wants to “develop an internal plan to help volunteers gain new experience throughout and within the shelter”.
Yvonne is passionate about AAR and all of its amazing volunteers. When not volunteering, she enjoys walking her dogs, reading and spending time with her family.
Marla McNeilly
Marla McNeilly joined AAR in 2013 as a once-a-week volunteer as a dog runner, but her love of the shelter and the interaction with the dogs turned into a two-day-a-week commitment and becoming a shift leader.
Marla is a lifelong animal lover, who has been a “fur mom” to both dogs and cats, including permanently fostering one of AAR’s own, Bliss, along with her two rescue dogs, two cats, and one horse. She works primarily with the small/medium dogs and has a particular fondness for those that are a little ornery and need some extra patience.
One of her tasks at AAR is to learn the personality of new intake dogs and inputting the information AAR adoption page to help applicants match up with the dogs that might be the best fit for their lifestyle.
Outside of her shelter work, Marla is an 18-year real estate agent with RE/MAX Vintage, where she uses her large Houston metro area network to spread awareness of AAR and the benefits of adopting shelter dogs.
Cindy Boyd
Cindy started working the in the veterinary field in 1992 and quickly realized this was her passion. She received her Associate degree in Applied Science in 1995 from Tomball College and became an LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician). Over her 24 years as an LVT she worked in general practices, at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists with the oncology department and the longest at Veterinary Dental Services where she passed her board exam and became a Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS-Dentistry).
Cindy has served on 2 boards previously: AVDS (American Veterinary Dental Society) and AVDT (Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians).
In 2015 Cindy changed careers and became a Realtor with RE/MAX Signature where she has been a top producer every year. In 2018 she was in the top 250 individual RE/MAX agents in all of Texas.
In 2017 Cindy adopted Petey and Parker, 2 kittens from AAR. She attended several AAR fundraisers and felt her calling was to come back to the veterinary field and volunteer with animals.
Cindy started at AAR in the Spring of 2018 and quickly got asked to help as the technician and with cat intakes. She is also the liaison to the volunteer Veterinarian. Cindy was elected to the Board in September 2019.
Dr. Jessica Quillivan
Dr. Jessica Quillivan has been volunteering at AAR on and off since 2013. After retiring from owning 2 hospitals in the Magnolia area, she is glad to be more available to help with animals at AAR. She has served animals and the veterinary profession in many ways including serving on the Board of Directors for the American Animal Hospital Association, alternate delegate for the AVMA Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee, and Presiding Officer of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Dr. Quillivan also visits the TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine regularly to help with student discussion regarding ethics in veterinary practice as well as rules of the TBVME.
Dr. Q lives here in Magnolia with her family, 3 dogs, 3 horses, and 4 cats. She enjoys riding horses, jogging with dogs, and family time.
Erica Flores
Erica cannot remember a time when four-legged friends were not a part of her life. She has no bias: dogs, cats, cows, goats, rabbits; she loves them all.
Erica started volunteering with AAR in 2017 as a way to engage with her two kids in philanthropic activities. Her family started with Cattery care which led to cat fostering, and then she was well and truly hooked on helping. She signed on as Cat Foster Coordinator in 2019 and is now the Cat Team lead helping with cat intakes, adoptions, and everything in between.
Erica shares her passion for animals with the love of her life whom she married in 1998, and they have passed their love of animals to their grown children. Erica and her husband Joe spend time involved with AAR and generally pursuing the best things in life. In a former life, Erica owned her own boutique business for fifteen years which taught her the importance of maintaining good relationships and a solid reputation.
Erica looks forward to growing her knowledge of AAR activities and animal rescue in general through service on the AAR Board. She loves to learn new things and believes that through teamwork, flexibility, and listening to one another we will be even more successful in positively changing the lives for the cats and dogs in our care.
Jacqui Smith
Jacqui Smith joined Abandoned Animal Rescue in 2006.
Along with her husband David, and sons Michael and Bradley, they have worked in almost all areas of the shelter operations. After many years of working in Finance and Accounting, Jacqui decided to follow her heart, as animals are her true passion.
Jacqui’s family also includes a yellow Lab, Weston, and a golden retriever, Cooper, who was an Adoptee from AAR.
Originally from Australia, Jacqui was involved with the AKC and dog training in her spare time.
Megan Mata
Megan started volunteering with AAR in January of 2020. She quickly fell in love with AAR’s dedication to the welfare of all animals in our community. Her admiration for how AAR treats each animal in our care inspires her to do all she can to help us grow and to raise awareness of AAR’s mission in the community. Her commitment to AAR includes being the Cattery Volunteer Coordinator and a cat/kitten foster.
After a year of volunteering, Megan became more involved with AARfundraising events. She chaired the Art, Wine & Wags event in 2022 and is chairing it again in 2023. She also participated twice in A Night In The Dog House as one of only two Cattery volunteers who slept in a kennel with a dog!
Outside of her volunteering, Megan works as an Operations Manager for a heat exchange company in Houston. She is happily married to her husband, Chris, who is also an AAR volunteer. They have one child, Laurel, who keeps them busy with competitive dancing.
Julie Devlin
Julie started volunteering with AAR in 2018 as a small dog volunteer. She fell in love with a little senior girl name Beth and realized her passion was for these sweet seniors (especially those with medical issues). She has fostered numerous seniors for AAR as well as other rescues. She currently has four of her own seniors at home (Chip, Bruno-AAR alum, Tex and Olive). She is also the Training Coordinator and is on the Dog Adoption Team.
Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to Virginia and worked for Bon Secours healthcare system for their Foundation and Marketing Department. Julie moved to the Houston area, saw an AAR billboard and has been a passionate volunteer ever since.
Outside of the shelter, Julie is the Executive Director for her family foundation and works as a photo assistant for a well-known photographer. Wherever she is and whoever will listen, Julie is always spreading the word about AAR which she refers to as “The Greatest Place on Earth!”
Katie Summerford
Katie was born in Chicago, raised in New Mexico, but moved to Texas as quick as she could in 1999 to follow career advancements for both her and her husband, Dan. She joined AAR in November 2021 to honor the passing of her first rescue pup, Hurley in August of that year.
Katie spent most of her career in commercial lending with various financial institutions. After 18 + years, she left the financial arena, to own her own business, a small ceramics studio in Cypress. After five years, she sold her studio to focus on her family, which consists of her husband, kids (Clay and Sami), two dogs (Charlie and Chewie), and a rabbit named Binky. Katie has always loved animals. She has loved and owned dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, turtles, and fish.
Her time at the shelter has been more than rewarding. She has trained in small dogs, cats, quiet room, and transport. Looking to make a broader impact with her volunteer hours, she reached out to be on the board. She is eager to merge her love of animals and her outside skills to best support the AAR effort.
Melinda Goodwin
Melinda started volunteering with AAR in the summer of 2014. Her youngest daughter (age 14) needed service hours for high school and a parent was required to volunteer with her. Melinda just stayed and never left. She started as a small dog volunteer and became a large dog volunteer in 2018. She says she has the best of both worlds getting to work each week with both the small (shift leader) and large dogs (senior handler).
Melinda was the scheduler for our public spay/neuter clinic (at our old location) and then became the vet assistance coordinator to help provide financial assistance for low-income pet owners in our community. She joined the dog adoption team in 2021 and became the coordinator in 2022. She'll tell anyone that AAR is her happy place!
Outside of volunteering, Melinda enjoys spending time with her family (including 3 large dogs). She’s an avid Houston sports fan and enjoys going to the Aggie games. Gig’em!
