Meet the dedicated staff at AWA
Our staff oversees award-winning and innovative programs including Adoptions, Foster Care, Spay/Neuter Clinic, and Pet Re-homing that help more than 15,000 community pets in South Jersey. Our team of dedicated staff is headed up by the following senior staff.
Senior Staff
Maya Richmond, Executive Director
Maya Richmond was Director of Operations and Program Development for the Maryland SPCA in Baltimore before coming to AWA. She enjoys designing innovative programs like, high-volume spay/neuter clinic, earned income ventures, staff development, building new spaces, and helping shelters develop sustainable programs and fundraising so they can will also be able to do more for the community’s needy pets. She shares her home with 2 cats, 2 dogs, an understanding husband, their young daughter and her elderly mother.
Joan Powell, Director of Finance and Administration
Joan Powell has served as AWA Director of Finance and Adminstation since 2011. Her work strengthens the administrative and financial functions with AWA's core mission. Her extensive accounting and financial background have been in the education and financial services sectors. She earned a B.S. in Accounting from Drexel University. The variety and diverse nature of the work, the people, and the Organization's mission provide her with stimulating challenges. "It's something different every day," says Powell.
Dr. Veronica Lye, Shelter Veterinarian
AWA welcomes our new staff veterinarian, Dr. Veronica Lye, this year to the clinic. She says that when an opening for staff veterinarian came about in early 2013, an invitation to join the AWA team was a welcome one. "To serve those animals and people most in need is compelling," says Dr. Lye-McElroy, "and it is an interesting challenge to deliver effective and compassionate healthcare in the most cost-efficient way possible." 
Prior to AWA, Dr. Lye spent five years in general practice with Banfield and three years in administration with Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. She received her bachelor in music and veterinary degree from University of Florida ("Go Gators!"). At AWA, she will head the largest low-cost spay/neuter clinic in South Jersey.
In her free time Dr. Lye pursues low level eventing with her equine partner Dan, an off the track thoroughbred. She is dedicated to her husband John, children Jack and Maria, and three cats - Black Jack, Annie, and Sophia.
she was Hospital Manager/ Regional Trainer for Vetcor Clementon Animal Hospital where she was responsible for establishing and maintaining numerous relationships with the public, non-profit organizations, multiple doctors, and staff.
Tricia Goldstein-Greaney is Director of Shelter Services
Tricia Goldstein-Greaney is Director of Shelter Services. Prior to AWA, she was Hospital Manager/ Regional Trainer for Vetcor Clementon Animal Hospital where she established and maintained working relations with the public, non-profit organizations, multiple doctors, and staff. Her more than twenty years in the veterinary field, include managing a no-kill shelter in Princeton, New Jersey, She is a registered veterinary technician and loves to be “out and hands on” working alongside her staff.
She is excited by the work AWA does and its commitment to program growth and pet care.
Judi Russo, Clinic Manager
Judi Russo, our Clinic Manager, began her career with the AWA clinic in 1984 after receiving her degree from Camden County College’s Veterinary Technology program. She oversees the spay/neuter clinic operations and community pet medicine. At AWA, Russo loves the freedom of working with many different kinds of people and their pets. Her wealth of clinical experience and people-skills puts all our animals and pet-owners in expert hands.
Christie Rogero, Targeted Spay/Neuter Manager
Christie Rogero, our Targeted Spay/Neuter Manager, runs AWA’s trap-neuter-return (TNR) program for feral cats—a program that leads animal welfare in the area for advancement and innovation. She works with pet owners to help them access affordable spay/neuter for their pets, trains groups of potential community cat caretakers to do TNR and much more.
“I like knowing that each day I am helping to save or improve the lives of animals in need,” Rogero says, “I’m excited to be part of the new, life-saving programs as well as organizational partnerships that can save thousands of lives. That is tremendously rewarding.”
Christie is a true cat-lover. She and her husband have six indoor-only cats and two semi-feral community cats: Merlyn, Elrond, Kitty, Tasha, Jadzia, O'Neill, Little Miss and Mr. Big. Follow the adventures of Little Miss and Mr. Big in AWA blog posts about community cats.
Nicole DuBois, Assistant Director of Shelter Services
Nicole is the Assistant Director of Shelter Services. Prior to this posittion she had been the AWA's Adoptions and Volunteer Manager since 2010. She manages the Adoption Program to ensure quality customer service, prompt and effective service, and adoption protocol is followed. Our adoption program has expanded and increased every year.Additionally, she manages the Volunteer Program and is in charge of recruitment, training and retention of our volunteers. She identifies areas of the shelter that need for volunteer assistance, develops volunteer jobs in coordination with the staff and fills those jobs with volunteers. The volunteer program has expanded greatly over the last year.
One of Nicole’s recent noteworthy successes was organizing AWA’s first Mega Adoption Event in Oct. 2012 where we found homes for 282 happy pets.
Nicole came to AWA from a small arts and business non-profit in Burlington, Vermont.
John Whitehead- Community Outreach Coordinator
John Whitehead joined AWA’s team in 2012 as our Community Outreach Coordinator. He manages the Humane Education and Pet Therapy programs and coordinates the outreach programs.
Prior to AWA, John was a Senior Customer Service Representative at Commerce/ TD Bank where he developed community outreach and retail entertainment events and worked with area schools. Prior to this, John was a Program Educator for the Bryson Institute of Philadelphia where he developed and presented diversity awareness workshops for Philadelphia and Bucks County schools. He has a B.S. from Delaware Valley College.
John enjoys working with schools and youth programs that educate students about pet ownership and the amazing human-animal connection. A life-long animal lover, John feels he's found a home at AWA where he can make a positive impact on families and homeless pets in the community.