Meet our Team!

  

Kristina Hess - Founder/Executive Director

Kristina is the adoptive mommy of Lexi, a tri-colored Papillon, and the co-founder of Rescue Angels. She manages all activity in the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas. In 2007, after graduating in 3 years from the University of Massachusetts-Boston with a double-major in Theatre and Classical Studies, opportunities in modeling/dance and theatre brought Kristina to Washington DC this past February of 2008. Her passion for animals started at a very young age when she described her home as her own personal "petting zoo". She grew up with horses, cats, dogs, birds, fish, lizards, etc - and her love for animals never faded. The idea of starting a rescue organization was born by Oprah's Puppy Mills show. Once she relocated from Boston to DC, Kristina decided to take on this special mission herself. Through communications with several shelters around the country, she realized the cold truth about the high euthanasia rate and began working with shelters in North Carolina. Once in contact with them, she jumped right in and pulled a dog in hopes of finding him a home. And thus, Rescue Angels was born!
  

Vickie Hess - Founder/Treasurer

Vickie is a mother of two, a loving wife and an adoptive mom to three dogs - Max, a German Shepherd, and two Papillions, Sweetie & Beau. She is the co-founder of Rescue Angels and works in the New England area. Alongside her daughter, Vickie decided to take action in saving the lives of helpless dogs throughout the country, and began her focus within the Eastern U.S. territory. She works in the New England area and hopes to one day open a shelter in her area to help save more dogs
  

Bridgett Sircy - Operations Coordinator

After having a less than satisfactory experience with a different DC dog rescue, Bridgett jumped at the opportunity to help Rescue Angels grow and prosper. While growing up Bridgett owned 13 dogs (a number she does NOT find unlucky!) and after moving to DC found Rescue Angels to be her means to have dogs in her life without actually having one in her apartment (although that didn't last long!). Although she has only been with the rescue since January 2009, Bridgett currently keeps the Rescue Angels and Petfinder websites up to date, is one of our POCs at adoption day events, does transports when needed, and even provides a foster home for our Rescue Angels pups until they find their forever homes. As of September 2009, she had fostered over 20 dogs and is even one of our "failed fosters." She is the proud owner of a 7 month old German Shepherd mix- Milo- who was previously one of her foster pups!
  

Heather Morgan - Foster Coordinator

Heather never dreamed that she'd be a long term foster, never the less a Foster Coordinator. She graduated from college in May of 2008, and by January of 2009 decided that she was ready to add a little something to her life, in the form of a puppy of course. She began her fostering career with two little black puppies, about 11 lbs each. One of those puppies (Riley) is now a permanent fixture in Heather's life- at a whopping 90 lbs (and he's still growing!) Heather fell in love with the idea of fostering and the Rescue Angels organization and has since fostered over 20 dogs as of September 2009, and hopes to foster many more. She is responsible for the day to day foster coordination (who has what dog, how many dogs the organization can handle etc.) and wouldn't give it up for the world!
  

Melanie Rinzel - Foster Liaison & Behavioral Consultant

Melanie Rinzel was born an animal lover and has always had the ability to instantly create a special bond with them. At the age of 2 she was found (after a frantic search) under the kitchen table snuggling with "the killer neighborhood dog who hated all children." She currently claims a 5 year old female Pomeranian named Swiffer and a 13 year old black cat named Lexy as part of her family. She began with Rescue Angels as one of their first fosters and has fostered a large number of dogs to date, including acting as an all night "midwoof" to a large litter of Australian Shepherd puppies, and raising them until they were ready to be adopted. She is known as the resident "dog whisperer" of Rescue Angels. Unable to hide her obsessive need to organize everything with which she comes into contact, she was tapped by the Executive Director to help keep everyone on the same page and assist in developing the structure and procedures of Rescue Angels. She hopes to transition to an animal centric career sometime in the near future and is searching for the right area on which to focus. Cognitive Ethology and Animal Emotions are her current passion.
  

Erin Richter - Volunteer Coordinator

Erin starting volunteering with Rescue Angels in October of 2008 because she missed having her own pup but doesn't have the time to have her own right now.  She finds hanging out with 10-20 dogs every weekend at volunteer evens more than fills her dog needs :-) In early 2009 Erin because the organization's volunteer coordinator and ensures we have volunteer support at all our events.