Michelle served more than 26 years at Iredell Parks and Recreation. Michelle is passionate about the environment and creating opportunities for education and growth which led her to the Ranch. She loves to spend time outdoors camping, paddling, and hiking with her husband David and rescued pup Darla. 

Nici began her journey with Rescue Ranch as a volunteer alongside her daughter, quickly growing into a deeper role within the organization. With a background in relationship-building, customer service, and project management, she developed her community engagement and development skills at the Ranch and now leads partnerships and donor relations.

A lifelong animal lover, Nici is passionate about connecting people to Rescue Ranch’s mission of education, empathy, and animal welfare.

Danielle has a deep fondness for animals that started from a very early age. She majored in environmental science with a focus on animal conservation in college and has been eager to find a place where she can work with animals and help nurture others love for animals too. 
Rescue Ranch has felt like a home away from home from day one.  In her free time she loves to read, spend time with her family and pets, garden, and write.

Cheryl has always loved animals, especially her rescue dog Hank, 3 rescue cats, Moe, Rosie & Mae and her many chickens.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, going to the beach, gardening and spoiling her grandkids.

Maddie grew up with all different kinds of pets and has rescued dogs her entire life so working at the ranch has been the perfect fit! She lives on a farm with a variety of animals and has two dogs, two cats, four rats and an eclectus parrot! Her favorite animals to work with are the rats and the birds and in her free time she loves to read, watch movies, and go to concerts!

Whitney’s love for animals started early, which makes Rescue Ranch feel right at home. She’s passionate about making a difference for animals and the people who love them. Outside of work, life is full and fun with her husband, two kids, and six furbabies—plus a growing stack of books she’s always working through.

Allie Miller is a fine arts student who has always been fascinated by animals (reptiles especially!). She started at the ranch as a junior counselor, then joined the education department to continue teaching the community about animal welfare. 

Leslie grew up with Lions, Tigers and Bears so it was natural for her to go to school for Zoology. Leslie is the backbone of the Ranch and pretty much lives here. In her free time she loves traveling, hanging with her three Dachshunds and her husband, Matt.

Jenn grew up with animals of all kinds and always wanted to work with them. She started as a volunteer at Rescue Ranch in 2020 and was soon after hired as a humane education instructor. She followed her dreams and went back to school to earn her degree in Zoo Science. Her passion for supporting our mission shows through our humane education programs. Her hobbies include video games and hanging out with her scaly and furry kids. She has a love for all reptiles, insects, and sharks!

Since she was a little girl, Krissie Newman has always had a passion for animal welfare and educating society on responsible pet ownership. When she's not at the Ranch, you can find her with her two beautiful girls or deploying with Code 3 Associates and IFAW rescuing animals from natural disasters.