President and Co-founder - Monica Rua currently shares her home with four rescue dogs from POMDR and AFRP (Animal Friends Rescue Project), and is usually fostering one or two POMDR foster dogs also.

Monica has devoted over 20 years of her life to animal rescue. She first worked with dog and cat rescue groups in the Bay Area. In 1998 she co-founded AFRP in Pacific Grove, where she served on the board for 11 years, with 8 of those years as Board President. Monica oversaw and actively participated in all aspects of the organization’s operations, including educating the public, fundraising, volunteer database management, animal tracking, and fostering many dogs and cats. She was also instrumental in helping foster families with dog behavior issues. Monica has been on the POMDR board since 2009 when she co-founded this organization with Carie Broecker.

Before launching into animal rescue, Monica was the Education Director of Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose. Prior to that, she worked as a software engineer for NASA Johnson Space Center, Lockheed, and Sun Microsystems.

Monica holds a Master of Science in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a minor in Philosophy.

Vice President - Elle Brookman currently shares her life with four wonderful canines. Elle adopted her first two rescue dogs, Loverboy and Annie, as youngsters during her 5-year tenure as a volunteer with AFRP in Pacific Grove. She transitioned easily to POMDR as a board member when the organization was formed in November of 2009, and it wasn’t long before rescue dogs Mayla and Mikey joined her little pack!

Prior to joining the animal rescue effort, Elle’s volunteer service included assisting in an elderly care facility for 6 years, and assisting foster youth as a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) for 7 years.

Before moving to the Monterey Peninsula and starting a staging/redesign business to assist local realtors, Elle spent her career in executive search for high tech companies, and in sales/business development for a major contract furniture company, both in the Silicon Valley. She was also a Western States Sales Manager for Steelcase, a leading furniture manufacturer.

Elle received her undergraduate degree at Katharine Gibbs College in New Jersey, and she completed her education at Syracuse University, where she majored in Sociology and Interior Design.

Treasurer - Kathy Henney shares her home with six Dachshunds, three of whom are rescues. In fact, she is what we lovingly refer to as a “foster failure,” because out of the seven POMDR dogs that Kathy has fostered, she has adopted three!

Kathy has a special interest in helping seniors and senior pets. Following her move to the Monterey Peninsula in 1996, she began her work for animals as a regular volunteer assistant to the off-site adoption coordinator at the SPCA for Monterey County. She was also a member of the St. Bernards, a group in Carmel that looks out for seniors in need of assistance. Kathy combined her desire to be of service to these two groups when she joined Peace of Mind Dog Rescue as a volunteer in April of 2010. Kathy joined the POMDR board in 2011 and became the Treasurer in 2012.

Kathy’s volunteer experience also includes serving four years with the City of Carmel on the Historic Resources Board and fourteen years with Pacific Repertory Theater. In her professional life, Kathy worked as a Registered Nurse, and she retired after a 40-year career in the operating room.

Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Secretary - Tracey Pepper has always adopted pets from shelters and rescue organizations. She currently shares her home with four POMDR canine companions: Nugget, Taiko, Sprocket and Luna.

Tracey became involved in POMDR in December of 2013 after she adopted her first POMDR dog, Nugget. Her volunteer contributions include staffing and leading adoption events, transporting dogs, conducting home checks, training foster families, and facilitating dog adoptions. Tracey graciously took on the role of Interim Dog Program Manager in 2015, and naturally transitioned to Board Member in April of 2016.

Now retired, Tracey enjoyed a 35-year career in Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, and Organizational Effectiveness for several Fortune 500 companies including MBNA America, Bank of America, and US Airways. Tracey began her career at the US Geological Survey, working in the groundwater division.

Tracey holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration/Management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography/Geology from Towson University in Maryland.

Board Member - Tracy Bellem started rescuing dogs on the country roads of Tennessee as a young girl. Some years later, after she and her husband had lost their 15- and 16-year-old dogs, both rescued from deplorable conditions in Tennessee, they moved to California, where they became POMDR foster parents to Barbie. Not a week later, they became her proud parents! Tiffany, a rescue dog from AFRP, has also joined Tracy’s little pack. Tracy became a POMDR board member in April of 2017.

When Tracy is not devoting her time and energy to animal rescue, she works as a State Farm insurance agent.

Prior to becoming a State Farm insurance agent, Tracy devoted 26 years to working with Easter Seals, a nationwide nonprofit for children and adults with disabilities. She worked 20 years with Easter Seals Tennessee and then six years with Easter Seals Central California, based in Aptos. During that time, Tracy was responsible for the organization’s fundraising and marketing, including support to help children and adults attend an overnight camp where they could enjoy assisted activities like horseback riding, swimming, sitting around a campfire, or going for a stroll in the woods, many for the very first time. During Tracy’s time at Easter Seals, she managed a capital campaign to build a school for children with special needs where they could go to pre-school side-by-side with their typically developing friends.

Tracy received an MBA in 2010.

Executive Director and Co-founder - Carie Broecker shares her life with five lucky senior dogs, and is usually fostering multiple POMDR dogs, too.

Carie co-founded POMDR with Monica Rua in 2009. Upon its inception, she worked full time running POMDR as Board President, and in 2010 Carie won the American Red Cross Animal Rescue Hero Award for her role in starting POMDR. In 2012 she was hired as Executive Director, POMDR’s first paid staff person.

Prior to co-founding POMDR, Carie was one of the first volunteers for AFRP in Pacific Grove. She joined the AFRP board in 1999, and served for 12 years as Treasurer and unsalaried Executive Director. 

Carie and her husband Scott are the publishers of Coastal Canine magazine. Carie’s other career achievements include working as a bookkeeper and accountant for several businesses. She also worked as the Client Services Director for the Monterey County AIDS Project, where her work earned her the 1994 Monterey County Outstanding Woman of the Year award.

Carie graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, minoring in Business Economics with a concentration in Accounting.

Operations/Volunteer Manager - Allison Souza currently shares her life with an amazing, loving, big-hearted, hilarious Border Collie mix named Jackson, whom she rescued from Manteca Animal Control in 2010 after knowing him for a mere 60 seconds!

Allison attributes her love for animals to the fact that she was brought up in a family with a long history of adopting rescue dogs and cats. The family “zoo” also included horses, rats, hamsters and birds. As a kid, Allison volunteered with the SPCA, and, later, with Hope, Horses and Kids, an equine learning program that focuses on helping children, particularly those with special needs, build confidence through working with horses. This experience helped Allison realize that her true passion lay in working with animals and people, rather than in corporate management. Soon after, in May 2015, she joined the staff of POMDR. Allison did indeed find her niche, as after just two years she was promoted to Operations/Volunteer Manager overseeing all aspects of POMDR programs!

Allison’s career includes a decade in retail management with Starbucks Coffee Company, and experience working as an Educational Outreach Coordinator for the Los Padres Forest Association. She is also passionate about international politics, travel and meeting new people (and their dogs).

Allison is conversationally bilingual in Spanish, and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from San Francisco State University.

Intake/Foster Manager - Angela Preston had already rescued three young strays, Ricco, Forrest and Teller, from the streets and SPCAs of Oakland and Monterey, whom she fondly refers to as her “Hoodrat Dog Pack,” before joining the staff of POMDR as Dog Program Manager in October of 2015.

Angela’s budding career is already packed with vast experience, care and concern for animals both wild and domestic. While working on her undergraduate degree, she volunteered/interned at SLEWTHS (Science Learning and Exploration With The Help of Sea Lions), for three years, working her way up to Assistant Trainer, and overseeing the care of five California Sea Lions and two pigeons, as well as educating the public on the importance of marine conservation and recycling. Upon graduation, Angela gained valuable experience working at the SPCA for Monterey County as an animal care technician and Customer Service Representative for a year and a half. Meanwhile, she also brings her 2015 Dog Trainer Certification from Animal Behavior College, and her related work experience training adoptable dogs at the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue of Northern California, to Peace of Mind Dog Rescue!

Angela graduated from Cal State University, Monterey Bay in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science Technology and Policy with a concentration in Marine and Coastal Ecology.

Adoption Manager - Bryan Van Loh adopted Kenji from POMDR in August 2017. He first became involved with POMDR in July of 2015 as a Helping Paw Brigade dog-walker and a fundraising volunteer. Bryan joined the staff of POMDR in May of 2017.

Bryan’s volunteer experience includes working with The Marine Mammal Center, where he is still active in all aspects of the operation from sea lion, elephant and harbor seal rescue to re-release into the wild.

Before joining the POMDR staff, Bryan worked in guest services at the Santa Lucia Preserve. In addition, he taught high school English in Okinoshima, Japan, and acted as an ambassador for American/foreign culture in a special education school.

Bryan graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, minoring in Japanese.

Helping Paw Coordinator - Alyssa Celaya has been involved in rescuing animals since she was a young girl. Presently, she shares her home with five dogs from a menagerie of rescues and shelters.

Alyssa has been a foster parent for puppies and dogs for three years. She became involved with POMDR when she fostered a Shih Tzu in 2016, and joined the POMDR staff as Helping Paw Coordinator in October of 2017.

Always striving to do more for animals, Alyssa became pet CPR certified. She worked as a groomer for two years, specializing in terriers and earning a certificate in senior pet grooming.

Currently, Alyssa also manages a women’s boutique in Monterey, where her duties include hiring and training staff, creating employee handbooks, purchasing merchandise, planning and executing floor changes, payroll, and planning monthly events. She is also enrolled as a part-time student at Monterey Peninsula College and is working towards a degree in Sociology.