The Embrace Team
The reason we got into the pet insurance business was to change it. We couldn't do this without the outstanding team that makes Embrace, well, Embrace. Click on a name to read more.
Laura Bennett Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
Laura holds an honors mathematics degree from the University of Western Ontario, is a life and health actuary (FSA), and holds the chartered financial analyst designation (CFA). Laura received her MBA, with a concentration in Strategic and Entrepreneurship Management, from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where she graduated with several university and peer awards. She was also part of the team that won first prize in the Wharton Business Plan Competition in 2003 with a pet insurance company concept.
Prior to her MBA, she worked for The Canada Life Assurance Company in Toronto, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland, in a number of leadership roles, including asset-liability management, strategic planning, and business development. After graduating with her MBA and co-founding Embrace, she became the first pet insurance actuary in the US, bringing an integrative actuarial approach to a complex and undervalued product. Laura is in her third term as Chairman of the Board of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, promoting pet insurance awareness and education in the US, and a “Women in Insurance Leadership” winner in 2012 awarded by Insurance Networking News.
Laura is a wife and mother in her second job, and when she isn't thinking about family or pets, Laura delights in experiencing different cultures though food and travel and allowing others a view into her life through her multiple blogs.
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Alex Krooglik Chief Marketing Officer & Co-founder
Alex has over 8 years experience in the insurance industry, with roles in direct and internet marketing and product management, and 7 years in construction, where his roles included designing work flow and data mining systems for large, billion-dollar projects. His international experience is extensive and he has worked and lived in England, Chile, the United States, and Australia.
Alex holds an honors degree in chemical engineering from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in marketing. While at Wharton, Alex was part of a team that won first prize in the Wharton Business Plan Competition with an entry for a pet insurance company. Alex enjoys visiting unusual places around the world with his family and is easily swayed into buying the latest gadgets and digital toys.
Alex's family shares their home with a shelter kitty, Milla, who holds two local awards, one for largest amount of food eaten in one sitting and another for most number of mice brought to the back doorstep.
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Michael Butler Partner at NCT Ventures
Michael has extensive experience with business development and creating partnerships with other organizations. He spent the last 20 years with Nationwide Financial (the financial services arm of Nationwide Insurance) where he led numerous sales teams and was responsible for the distribution of a variety of financial products.
Michael has an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Ashland University, and he has earned the following designations; Certified Public Accountant, Charter Life Underwriter, Charter Financial Consultant, and Certified Fund Specialist. Michael and his wife are the proud owners of an Old English Mastiff, Baby (and an Embraced pet too).
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Dr. Rex Riggs, DVM Veterinary Advisor
Dr. Rex Riggs grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio, near Akron. Dr Riggs is co-owner of Best Friends Veterinary Hospital in Powell, Ohio. He is also on the board of the North Central Region of Canine Companions of Independence, a board member of The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Society and Small Animal Practitioner Advancement Board at The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Riggs lives in Lewis Center, OH with his wife Nancy, their dogs Maggie and Ossa, and cat Franklin. Outside of work, Dr. Riggs is an avid golfer and cyclist, and enjoys travel and photography.
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Shawn Brown Senior Analyst
Shawn has over 8 years experience in the auto insurance industry. Prior to joining Embrace, he worked at Progressive Insurance in various analytical roles including pricing, product development, and direct marketing.
Shawn holds a bachelors degree in mathematics from John Carroll University and minor in economics. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports and has endured many painful seasons in Cleveland.
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Laura Hay, CPA Controller
Laura graduated with both a bachelors and masters degree in Accounting from Miami University of Ohio. Since then, she has also earned her CPA. Laura used to work for a resort on Middle Bass Island called St. Hazard’s, but after finishing graduate school she worked for Plante & Moran, a regional public accounting firm, specializing in audits of mid-sized manufacturing and distribution companies. Now we are happy to have her on the team at Embrace!
Laura is an avid Indians fan and loves to travel. In the past few years she has been to Seoul, Beijing, Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Cozumel, Oahu, London, and Scotland.
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Melissa Ing Business Process Manager/Claims Manager
Melissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Akron. Prior to coming to Embrace, she worked for a global manufacturing company based in Solon, OH. She started there out of college as a Product Development Engineer, before moving to a role in Business Process.
Melissa is married with three kids. After losing their rescue mutt, Ella, they welcomed a four legged baby named June to their family. June is a Cavachon puppy that closely resembles a Muppet and has completely converted Melissa from a cat person to a dog person! In her free time, Melissa enjoys reading, camping, and her geeky hobby of geocaching.
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Rich Hessinger CRM & Web Application Developer
Rich is a developer who has worked on projects both nationally and globally. His love of animals brought him to Embrace and his broad programming knowledge got him hired. Rich has a bachelor's degrees from Penn State University with majors in Computer Engineering and Software Engineering and a minor in Computer Science.
At home Rich has a variety of pets including a dog (Ginger), cat (Snap), guinea pig (Sonic) and turtle (Ralphie). In his free time, Rich enjoys computers, cars and music; he is currently learning how to play the guitar.
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Mike Webber CRM & Web Application Developer
Mike is a software developer who has worked on projects in both private industry and for the government. He has done work in robotics, web application development, distributed computing and his specialty at university was scientific computing. He received his bachelors and master’s degree in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University.
He has a daughter from a previous marriage and lives with his wife and her daughter in Strongsville. He has a dog (Wiley) and a cat (Bella) at home and, in his free time, he enjoys reading, computers, teaching himself to play the Mandolin and various outdoor activities with his family.
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Kate Zirkle Marketing Manager
Kate found her way to Embrace much in the same way that she started fostering dogs, by following her heart. After a harsh layoff, Kate decided to pursue a career with her lifelong love, animals. She honors the memory of her dog Solo each day by educating pet parents on the benefits of pet insurance. Kate now has a black cat named Midnight and a Doberman named Beau.
Kate has a Bachelors degree in Advertising with minors in Marketing and Psychology from Kent State University. She loves calling Cleveland home, listening to live music and playing volleyball.
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Sara Radak Community Engagement Coordinator
Sara had never had a pet before she adopted Henry, a 6-month old rescue Beagle mix, in 2009. Despite house training accidents, chewed up flip flops, and a few stinky skunk encounters, Henry wormed his way into her heart. Since then, she has become active in her local rescue- Secondhand Mutts- which led her to this opportunity at Embrace. Sara’s marketing background and love of social media made her a perfect fit for this position.
Sara holds degrees in Communication and Theatre from Capital University in Columbus, OH. She spends her free time as Board Secretary and foster parent for Secondhand Mutts and as a volunteer at Near West Theatre. She loves travel, Mexican food and a good book.
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Laura Leatherman Marketing Fulfillment Coordinator
Laura graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and minors in Management and Psychology. While searching for jobs, she stumbled upon Embrace and knew very quickly that this was where she would start her career.
Laura is a proud mama of her Greyhound/German Shepherd/Doberman/Lab mix, Jax Daniel. She and her boyfriend rescued Jax in February 2012 and have never been more in love with a pet. In her free time, Laura enjoys photography and singing. She has a strange obsession with pandas and loves The Lion King… Hakuna Matata.
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Katie Huneke Veterinary Territory Manager
Katie brings 10 years of animal health experience to Embrace. Her love for animals has always come natural and there were lots of pets in her home as a child ranging from fish turtles and birds to cats, dogs-even a goat and pig! Upon graduating from high school she became a technician at a surgical and referral practice and continued as tech for a year after graduating from college. Deciding to put her education to good use, she went off into the business world but made it her mission to stay in a field where animals were a part of her daily routine. She is passionate about pets and can be found in the NJ, NY or PA area educating hospitals and pet parents.
Katie holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and a Bachelors degree in Equine Science with a concentration in Business Management from Centenary College, NJ. She shares her home with her husband Matt and four legged feline son Stink. Stink also has an adorable poodle mix little brother Captain and feline sister Boo. Katie and Matt welcomed their first two-legged son, Grady, in August 2011.
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Chrissy McGregor Veterinary Account Rep
Chrissy’s love and passion for animals led her directly into the veterinary field right out of high school. She worked as a veterinary technician throughout college, where she studied pre-vet courses at Baldwin-Wallace College. Chrissy holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business Administration, with concentrations in Entrepreneurship. Right out of college, Chrissy began her career with a Biotech company where she gained over 3 years experience in customer and technical service serving the clinical, pharmaceutical and veterinary markets. She quickly realized that her dreams for making a difference in the care and lives of animals was not being completely fulfilled and that brought her to Embrace! While full time at Embrace, Chrissy still works part time as a technician – loving every minute of that hands-on experience.
Chrissy is the proud parent of a 9 year old Mastiff (and absolute best friend ever), Bruiser Woods, a 6 year old Boxer mix, Bella, and a 3 year old, Domestic Short Hair Cat, Ivy. She been accused of treating her pets better than most people treat their children!
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Alison Anderson Veterinary Account Rep
Alison's love for animals inspired her to pursue a career in the veterinary industry from a young age. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Technology. While studying as an undergraduate, she worked at a small animal general practice. Upon graduation she relocated to Maryland and continued her career in a large surgical referral practice establishing relationships with veterinarians and clients. She is a avid believer in providing the best care possible for our four legged friends! Alison shares her home with husband, Chris, and Labrador, Boulder - nicknamed Bean (due to his petite size!).
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Kaitlyn Stone Veterinary Account Rep
Kaitlyn grew up with animals, big and small. As a child her family included cats, dogs, geckos, fish, and horses. She brings over 5 years of experience working in a small animal hospital to Embrace. Her passion for helping animals and their people is what motivated her to pursue a career where she can utilize her academic and professional background and make a difference in the lives of animals.
Kaitlyn holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Animal Science and a Masters in Business Administration, all from the University of New Hampshire. She shares her home with a small zoo, including her Golden Retriever named Oliver and a Lab cross named Annie, and three cats: Mama, Paisley, and Titus.
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Jessica Stern Veterinary Account Rep
Jessica has had a lifelong passion for animals. She grew up riding and showing horses at a hunter/jumper farm and always had numerous pets. While attending Ohio University, she worked at an equine rescue both training adult horses and caring for orphan foals. After graduating from O.U. in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Managerial Communications and a minor in Equine Studies, she started her career as a vet tech working for both an equine and small animal veterinarian.
After working as a claims administrator at Embrace for the past 2 years, Jessica recently made the transition to the marketing department where she is currently working as a veterinary account representative, serving the Denver, Colorado area.
Jessica currently has 2 lovable, rescued dogs – Dubs, a Boxer, and Gracie, a Miniature Dachshund. In her spare time, she enjoys riding horses. She loves to be outdoors, camping or at the beach.
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Christopher Hagesfeld Contact Center Manager
Chris has spent the last several years answering people's questions which is what brought him to Embrace. If he was going to answer questions, it might as well be about something he loves. And, even though Amadeus (a Collie-Shepherd mix named after the popular 80s song his brother was singing on the way to adopt her) is gone, he's looking forward to the day he takes his daughter and sons to pick out their new 4-legged family member.
Before joining Embrace, Chris studied sociology at The Ohio State University. He then worked in a call center for one of the largest manufacturers of promotional products in the country.
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Lea Jaratz Customer Care Embracer
It's often said that you don't find a pet, a pet finds you. Little did Lea know that finding Lyger, her Lab mix, in the street during a thunderstorm would change her career. Lea started her career studying animal nutrition and behavior. She served in area animal shelters as a foster care coordinator, later helping develop foster programs nationally.
Her passion for pets expanded into a role that gives Lea the opportunity to educate pet parents about pet health care and she shares info about trendy pet products through the Embrace Pet Community blog. While she started with Embrace in a full-time role, Lea now splits her time between Embrace and her Early Childhood Learning degree studies. Lea enjoys Lake Erie, the local music scene, and Mexican restaurants she finds with her husband, and she also loves to hear about your pets.
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Mike Lambert Customer Care Embracer
Mike has worked in Customer Service and Sales for 20+ years. He is an avid fan of pets and is very passionate about helping pet owners insure and protect their pets. Mike is a pet parent to two very active Airedale Terrier named Finnegan and Sullivan. Mike always loves to hear stories about pets and he occasionally shares some of the antics of Finnegan & Sullivan.
Before joining Embrace, Mike spent 16+ years in the printing business and then another 5+ years in sales for a nursery company located in Ohio. Mike has degrees in Graphic Arts and Business Administration from Baldwin Wallace College.
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Lisa Geraghty Customer Care Embracer
Lisa brings a diverse background in Customer Service, Warehouse Duties and Receptionist Capabilities to Embrace. She is also fluent in insurance speak, having previously worked Progressive. Lisa has three cats: 2 blacks cats named Cirrus and Ebony and a gorgeous Siamese/Himalayan mix named Chloe. She has been around animals her entire life, having cats, dogs, a boa constrictor and even a squirrel!
In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching anything and everything on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and hanging out with her friends and family.
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Lindsey Schmidt Customer Care Embracer
Lindsey graduated from Bowling Green State University with degrees in Psychology and Sociology. She has had pets of all shapes and sizes from the very beginning, and currently has a black lab named Brutus, whose biography would probably be much more interesting than this one!
Originally from Toledo, Lindsey moved to Cleveland in 2006, and has loved every minute of it. She enjoys finding new things to do in the area – with or without Brutus – and spending time with friends and family. She has spent the past 7+ years working in social services and customer service, and is excited to use her skills and knowledge toward helping pets and their parents!
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Ryan "Mac" MacLennan Customer Care Embracer
Ryan is elated to be a part of the Embrace team. He has had many dogs and a few cats in his younger, more formative years and looks forward to moving into a place that will allow a dog to become part of his very small family (his girlfriend, Sarah, and an albino Catfish named “Edgar Winter;” yes like the musician who is, of course, also albino). Ryan is a volunteer in two local charities near his home: the Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter and the Stark County Humane Society.
Having recently graduated from Mount Union College with dual degrees in Writing and Philosophy, he looks forward to continuing his education in the coming years. While at Mount Union he was the editor of the literary and arts journal and worked in the college’s writing center, tutoring students on the craft. He has also written for Cleveland Scene Magazine as a music journalist. Since graduation, Ryan has worked as a retail manager and enjoyed his time interacting with customers. He is passionate about music and all the forms of communication, and is eagerly awaiting your calls and emails.
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Darcy Lindner Customer Care Embracer
Darcy is very happy to be here! After a wonderful 4 years at Notre Dame College of Ohio (Psychology), Darcy went to work in the bookstore world at Half Price Books. 12 years, and an enormous book collection later, she decided to pursue a career that doesn’t involve lifting 50 pound boxes of books every day. A lifelong devotion to animals led her to Embrace. Darcy is owned by a 20 pound feline named Sabrina Von Squishy, who is the snuggliest cat ever, when she is not plotting world domination. Darcy also has a temporary dog, Pallie, who she really hopes becomes permanent. In addition to petting every animal she comes across, Darcy loves reading and hoarding books, all things theater, and attempting to keep up a blog (very sporadically).
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Brian Lavrich Customer Care Embracer
Brian is a proud graduate of Kent State where he majored in journalism. He worked in the newspaper business, wearing many different hats (with his main focus being sports writing), for about 10 years. Brian continues to correspond for the Sun Newspapers on the weekend. He has two black Labs, Gladys and Nittany, that keep him busy. When not at Embrace, you can find Brian with his two children at the zoo or the library where they all love to read.
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Christine Wrona Senior Claims Adjuster
Chris is the emulation of the true meaning of Embrace. Last time she was at a dog show, she had as much "fuzz" on her clothes from "Embracing" all of the pets that came near her as the dogs themselves. Chris's passion is veterinary medicine, and animals and their care have consumed her world for over 15 years. With 3 dogs, one guinea pig and much volunteer work at a horse farm, it is hard to imagine she has time for Embrace; however, she is continually reading and learning more about how this industry grows and helps animals in ways it could not 10 years ago.
She has a 2-year certificate in an animal care program, experience in grooming and boarding kennels, and was a veterinary technician for over 6 years in areas ranging from emergency medicine to Internal Medicine. Prior to Embrace, Chris most recently worked in a vet technician role at the Shaker Animal Clinic.
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Adrienne Schlott Senior Claims Adjuster
Adrienne has 18 years of experience as a veterinary technician, predominantly in emergency and specialty medicine with a focus on soft tissue and orthopedic conditions. She also worked in Processing Solutions for 3 years at Fifth Third Bank.
Adrienne has been involved in Search and Rescue for 10 years. She has a trained SAR dog and is now a training officer for her SAR group, helping to train dogs and their owners to find missing persons. Adrienne is the proud owner of a Pomeranian therapy dog named Andre, and she is an avid photographer and an outdoor enthusiast.
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Sandra "Sam" Adkins, RVT Claims Embracer
Sam is a Registered Veterinary Technician with over 13 years of experience in a wide variety of settings including 6 years working in emergency and referral practices. Always believing in doing what was best for her patients, she continues her strong belief in patient advocacy here at Embrace.
Sam attended school at the Bel-Rea Institute in Denver, Colorado, obtaining an associate degree in veterinary technology. She shares her home with her ever patient husband Tom, three mixed breed dogs; Einstein, Maxwell and Zippopatomus, two cats; Oliver and Puck, and two Spanish Mustangs; Rita and BoGo who we are training to pull a cart in addition to be riding horses. She also finds time to combine science and art in her life, and her illustrations have been published in text books, periodicals and presentation materials for veterinarians and doctors.
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Sonya Harris Senior Claims Administrator
Sonya started her career in the nursing field as a S.T.N.A. and later changed her career to coaching girls’ basketball, softball, and volleyball. Sonya loves dogs and hopes to adopt a Bichon Frise puppy very soon.
Sonya is an avid bowler who has bowled a high game of 299, so close but the ten pin denied her. She is very athletic and is on a semi-pro softball team that travels to different states for tournaments. In her spare time she loves being active and watching her daughter be a “mini” her.
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Cynthia Hokes Claims Administrator
Cynthia has always been a life-long dog lover. She is passionate about pets and has a 6 year old Aussie named Logan and a 3 year old Domestic Short Hair named Yopi. She also takes a special interest in dog training and behavior. Cynthia works with a trainer in the evenings and on weekends teaching basic obedience, agility and play behavior. She competes in Rally Obedience with Logan and has helped Logan achieve his Level 1 title.
Cynthia has a Bachelors degree in Agriculture from The Ohio State University with a concentration in Animal Science. She also enjoys thoroughbred racing and the breeding industry.
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Joy Wrona Claims Coding Embracer
Joy has been with Embrace for quite some time now. A detailed and diligent worker, Joy's background lies in graphic arts. She loves to read and watch movies and has a passion for travel. Joy spent most of her time homeschooling her son and daughter, a rewarding and enriching experience. Joy also helps run her husband's computer business.
Joy is an avid dog lover and has two dogs of her own, a Miniature Schnauzer and a Miniature Dachshund. Her dogs may be miniature but the bond they all share is anything but.
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Jennifer Doering Claims Embracer
Jennifer has a wonderful, well-rounded background and brings a lot to the Embrace family. She has a degree in Economics from the University of Akron and also graduated from Cuyahoga Community College's Veterinary Technician program in 2003. Jennifer has worked in both specialty and private practice clinics and has a general love of animals. In her spare time, she enjoys photography.
Jennifer has quite the handsome Standard Wirehaired Dachshund appropriately named Frank and also two cats, a Domestic Shorthair named Elmer and a Tonkinese named Tyler.
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Jenna Mahan Claims Embracer
Jenna has an extensive background in the veterinary community and she brings this knowledge and experience to Embrace daily. She graduated from Cuyahoga Community College in 2002 with an associates of applied science in Veterinary Technology and also studied Biology, Chemistry and Theatre at Bowling Green State University. Jenna has previously worked at the Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Teaching Hospital ICU in Philly and has spent the vast majority of her career in emergency medicine. She takes a special interest in pet nutrition and allergies.
Jenna has the pleasure of sharing her life with one pup named Hazel and two kitties named Harry and Peggy. She is also the co-owner of a professional photography business and in her spare time enjoys jewelry making.
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Megan Isom Claims Embracer
Megan is so excited to be part of the Embrace family! She’s been honored to work in the veterinary community for the last few years, having graduated from Columbus State Community College with her vet tech degree in 2009. She also has a degree in Special Education from The Ohio State University – and still plans to use that in a volunteer capacity down the road. Megan has been a registered veterinary technician in a general practice clinic in Columbus, OH as well as an oncology tech at a specialty hospital here in Cleveland – with a little bit of emergency medicine experience thrown in for good measure. Besides spending time with her wonderful family and friends, she enjoys hiking, reading and Zumba, and is trying hard to get her Co-Embracers to join her for some “Just Dance” gaming on the Wii! Megan is thrilled to belong to the world’s two most beautiful and perfect cats – Gilligan and Otto. She’d love to have a French Bulldog someday, but thus far the cats have said NO.
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Karen Giardina Claims Coding Embracer
Karen has degrees in Biology and Chemistry and spent most of her career doing neuroscience research, DNA sequencing and embryology. She has lived in Alaska and Colorado but moved back to Ohio to be near family. Karen has been married for 21 years and has 5 fur children- two cats (Ditto, Moxie & Buddy), one dog (Gordy), and one horse (Kismet). She loves to travel and enjoys great outdoors activities such as fishing, hiking and camping.
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Anna Knapp Claims Administrator
Anna has always had a love of animals. When she was younger she used to bring home every stray she could find and then convince her family and friends to adopt them. Now, as an adult, Anna fosters dogs and puppies from high kill pounds and the Ohio Great Dane rescue. She fell in love with Danes and currently owns a 10 month old female named Tallulah. Anna is proud to say she has only adopted one of her foster animals, a Newfoundland mix named Hemi. She followed her passion, completed school to become a Registered Technician and has worked in a small animal practice for 2 years. Anna brings her love of animals and her passion to make their lives better to the Embrace team.
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