The HSPCA staff is directed by an exceptional Board of Directors and Advisory Board. The merger of Animal Haven and No More Homeless Pets KC combines substantial experience in the animal welfare and non-profit sector. We are honored to have a strong and promising 70-person staff including a sound executive leadership team and directors at HSPCA.
Executive Leadership Team
Courtney Thomas is the HSPCA CEO/Executive Director. She is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA), one of only 79 in the country. CAWA is the highest level of professional designation for animal-welfare professionals, acknowledging excellence in leadership, management, public relations, fundraising, and animal care and treatment expertise. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and more than 20 years of professional and volunteer experience in the animal-welfare and veterinary fields. Before leading the merger to form HSPCA, Courtney spent eight years as a leader of a large Missouri humane society serving most of her time as the Director of Operations. During her tenure she was responsible for reducing the shelter’s euthanasia rate from nearly 70% to less than 8%. Courtney is a member of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators and serves on the Operations Committee. Additionally, she serves on the 2020 Vision Committee for the National Federation of Humane Societies, working towards enabling a no-kill country by 2020. She is passionate about transforming Kansas City into a no-kill community, with a more complete, progressive and innovative animal welfare system. Courtney feels privileged to love the work she does every day, and she is inspired and humbled by the passion, talent and dedication of the HSPCA staff. Courtney believes that every pet and person served by HSPCA makes a lasting imprint, and their stories become the true fabric of the organization. Courtney is the mom of two busy young boys, and loves photography, nature and playing with her dogs Lily, Marley and Simon. Courtney welcomes the opportunity to introduce individuals or groups to the great work being done at HSPCA through community-collaborative initiatives, donor opportunities, and speaking engagements. She can be reached at (913) 742-7307 or cthomas@heartlandspca.org.
Gail Longstaff is the Vice President of HSPCA. Prior to the merger, Gail served as the President of No More Homeless Pets KC for five years. She brings more than 30 years of business management, 14 years of animal welfare experience, seven years of animal welfare management and three years of vet tech experience to HSPCA. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management, has been a Certified Netware Administrator and a certified Professional of Human Resources. Her goal is to maximize the resources that HSPCA provides the animals of Greater Kansas City through the HSPCA Animal Medical Center. She feels passionately about building programs that focus on feral cats and cats with FIV or feline leukemia. She is happy to work in a field that has been her passion since getting her first cat when she was only five years old. She hopes to expand HSPCA resources to provide more options for animals in the community no matter their circumstances. Her favorite success story is that of William. William, a Feline Leukemia positive cat, was extremely ill after being transferred to HSPCA. He continuously fought his illness, overcame missing transfer opportunities and combated a difficult respiratory infection. He eventually made it to a sanctuary in Colorado, fully recovered from his infection and thriving despite his FeLV diagnosis. Pictures followed the Colorado transfer showing William plump, happy, and sitting on a window sill. When Gail is not working on benefiting the lives of animals, she enjoys playing golf, reading, going to the movies, and playing with her cats. Gail can be contacted at (913) 742-7303 or glongstaff@heartlandspca.org.
Melissa Reed is Chief Development Officer. Melissa holds an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal Studies from Brown Mackie College in Olathe, Kansas. Before joining HSPCA, Melissa spent 10 years at a children’s non-profit organization in Olathe, KS and was actively engaged in growing the organization through fundraising and donor relations. Melissa shares the same goals as her co-workers in wanting to advance the mission of HSPCA — to save, protect and improve the lives of animals, while strengthening the relationship between pets and their human companions. She hopes to bring her knowledge and experience to the team to help achieve HSPCA’s goals. Melissa is passionate about kids and pets! After a severe car accident in 2007 that left her hospital-bed bound at home for several months, Melissa’s husband Steve brought home a lovable companion to help her recover; an adorable Sheltie named Bear joined the family. Little did Melissa and her family know that Bear would help Melissa deal with the physical and emotional aspects of her accident and be an invaluable part of her recovery. Outside of HSPCA, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband, Steve, and their four children Victoria, Ethan, Izabel and Alexis. Contact Melissa Monday through Friday at (913) 742-7336 or at mreed@heartlandspca.org.
HSPCA Directors
Dr. Bonnie Dechant is the veterinarian for HSPCA Intake and Adoption Centers. Dr. Dechant has 14 years of clinical experience including five years at a feline specialty clinic, four years of veterinary mission work in Mexico and volunteer veterinary work at NMHPKC. She strives to always gain more knowledge in shelter medicine and makes sure that every pet leaves with great medical care. Dr. Dechant was most inspired while working at HSPCA when 22 Shih-Tzu dogs were brought in from a hoarding situation. Their hair was overgrown and matted to the point that some of them could not walk. Dr. Dechant, her vet team, and volunteers spent three days shaving them and starting medical treatment. One dog is particular was in such bad condition that he could not stand and would not eat. They worked with him for three weeks, hand feeding him and working to gain his confidence. The dog successfully recovered and found a wonderful home! Outside of HSPCA, Bonnie loves to work out, ride horses, and is always trying to keep up with her seven-year old son! Contact Dr. Bonnie Dechant at (913) 742-7355 or bdechant@heartlandspca.org.
Dr. Trent Eddy is the Medical Director for HSPCA ‘s Animal Medical Center. Dr. Eddy received his degree from Kansas State’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006 and spent four years in private practice before joining HSPCA. Working at HSPCA allows Dr. Eddy to make a positive impact on the local community and the animals he serves. He is interested in challenging medical cases and soft-tissue surgery, but his main goal is always providing top-quality care regardless of the client’s ability to pay. One of his more memorable cases involved surgically removing a stick from the side of a Beagle. After discussion with the owner, it was determined that the dog has ingested a corn dog (stick included) and over time the stick had migrated through the stomach and protruded out the patient’s side. Luckily, the patient fully recovered! When Trent is not in surgery, he enjoys spending time with his two Dobermans, Bert and Ernie. In addition, he is sports fanatic, rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals and of course the Kansas State Wildcats. Trent would like to invite the community to contact the HSPCA Animal Medical Center at (913) 831-SPCA (7722) to schedule medical appointments/surgeries, tour the facility or learn more about HSPCA medical services. Dr. Trent Eddy can be reached at (913) 742-7302 or teddy@heartlandspca.org.
Joe Hinkle is the Director of Shelter Operations. Joe contributes his wide range of skills including five years of shelter experience, eight years of animal welfare experience, disaster response training and experience and animal behavior training and experience. He is a member of the National Animal Control Association, the Missouri Animal Control Association and the Kansas Animal Control Association. Animals have always been a part of Joe’s life. He is passionate about giving them a voice and driving the change to make the lives of animals the best they can be. He hopes to help HSPCA become the best and most innovative shelter and organization in the country. Joe especially has a soft spot for dogs with behavioral issues who are often overlooked, and he has dedicated his time working with them to become more adoptable. Outside of HSPCA, Joe enjoys playing soccer, reading and cooking, as well as watching some Notre Dame football! Contact Joe Sunday through Thursday at (913) 742-7323 or jhinkle@heartlandspca.org.
Rachel Hodgson is the Director of Marketing and Communications. Rachel is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in Strategic Communications and minor in Business. Prior to HSPCA, she was Manager of Integrated Marketing at Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, a nonprofit human services agency. Rachel’s passion for both animals and communications make her well suited to promote the mission of HSPCA. She is thrilled to join this team and help the organization make an impact in Kansas City and on a national level. She believes that animals’ welfare is one of the world’s greatest causes, as they cannot speak for themselves and need caring advocates. A couple years ago, Rachel and her husband John rescued Lola, a terrier/dachshund mix, who was sectioned off at a shelter due to anxiety and aggression issues. She has won their hearts and loves acting as guard dog as well as the baby of the family. Rachel loves spending her days outside with John, Lola and her wonderful family. She enjoys traveling overseas and watching the Royals, Chiefs and Jayhawks basketball. Contact Rachel Monday through Friday at rhodgson@heartlandspca.org or (913) 742-7319.
Barbara Ross is the SASSY Program Director. She brings to HSPCA 25 years of non-profit management experience. She has served as a Volunteer Director, Development Director and Senior Program Director in the healthcare industry. Most recently, Barbara was the Director of Working Solutions Retention Specialists, an award winning employee development program affiliated with Cornerstones of Care. In this capacity, she provided staff and leadership training for local and regional for-profit and non-profit organizations representing all industries. Barbara strongly believes that humor is an integral part of the learning process. Barbara has a soft spot for older shelter pets and has adopted four of her own. She calls herself “the old lady with all the dogs” and loves the forever home that they have created together. She invites everyone considering adoption to think about an older companion. Contact Barbara Ross at (913) 742-7318 or bross@heartlandspca.org to learn more about the SASSY Program!
Skip Daiger is the Manager of Behavior and Training. He is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Skip serves as a professional mentor trainer for the Animal Behavior College, and he is also a founding member of the Heartland Positive Training Alliance here in Kansas City. Skip completed his BA at the University of Maryland and graduate work at Pennsylvania State University. Continued education and learning have always been topmost professional priorities. Thus, Skip has attended a full range of educational conferences and professional seminars in pursuit of his love of ethology and canine behavior. After 30+ years in the corporate world in sales management and marketing roles, Skip returned to his passion for teaching by opening Daiger Dog Training, LLC with his wife, Kay. They have been teaching public classes, working with shelter animals and their owners after adoption and doing private behavior consultations for more than five years. They have also successfully and joyfully fostered many dogs that were not doing well at the shelter and helped rehabilitate them and find them forever homes. Skip’s focus is on positive training and teamwork between people and their pets. He feels that relationship is a key component to training a pet and living happily with a pet. He often talks about emotionally ‘dancing with your dog’. Skip plans to bring that positive orientation to HSPCA through public classes, staff and volunteer training, behavioral support to adopted dogs and enrichment programs for all canine residents and the people who care for them. Skip can be reached at (913) 742-7308 or sdaiger@heartlandspca.org.
HSPCA Leaders
Amy Atha is the Special Events Manager. Amy is a graduate of The University of Tennessee with a degree in Communications. She has more than four years of experience in the non-profit and for profit sectors planning events throughout the country. Amy is passionate about our community and wants to provide awareness and funds for animal welfare through the events at HSPCA. Animal welfare is a cause often overlooked, and she hopes through the events at HSPCA the mission to save, protect and improve the lives of animals will be achieved and become a conscience effort of people in Kansas City. Outside of HSPCA, Amy enjoys being with her husband and black lab, cooking, and yoga! Contact her Monday through Friday at aatha@heartlandspca.org or (913) 742-7335.
Jennifer McAdam is Manager of Community Events. She graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree is Sports/Entertainment and Event Management and has a minor is Sales/Meetings. Jennifer has had a love for animals here whole life, even more so after rescuing her two Pit Bulls Roxy and Champ. Now she wants to make a difference for not just Pit Bulls but for all animals as well. Joining the HSPCA team, she hopes can help make a difference for families and their pets. As the Manager of Community Events she will bring more awareness and education to the community about animal welfare. Jennifer is excited to have the opportunity to create change within the Kansas City area while combining her passion for animals with her love of event planning. When not at work, Jennifer loves being outside, playing sports and taking her dogs to the dog park. She also spends her extra time during the summer at her lake house doing all her favorite water sports such as slalom skiing, tubing and wakeboarding with her family. Her family is on the east coast and she has lived in over 4 states throughout her life. Jennifer wants to help change lives! Contact Jennifer Monday through Friday at (913)-742-7345 or email jmcadam@heartlandSPCA.org
