Susan Leisure, President
Susan is one of the founding members of AARF. She came to Atlanta in 1996 to pursue her graduate education, and she decided to stay. She has always been active in animal welfare activities, and is passionate about AARF's mission of ending pet overpopulation.

 
 

Brooke Martin, VP of Operations
Brooke has been involved with AARF since 2002 when she adopted her beloved dog, Beasley. She was so impressed with AARF's mission and vision that she decided to come on board as the web tech and eventually a more substantial role.
 

 
Melanie Wiggins, VP of Volunteer Services
Melanie began her animal rescue experience being adopted by one, then another cat, followed by sibling dogs. After spending some time fostering and volunteering at Athens Humane Society, Melanie moved to Atlanta where she found AARF and quickly fell into the fold. After serving as Director of Special Events for nearly a year, she is now VP of Volunteer Services. In Melanie's spare time away from AARF, she is QC Lab Supervisor at Airgas Specialty Products.
   

 
Gwen Sparling, VP of Animal Services
Gwen joined AARF as a foster in 2005. A year and four foster dogs later, she's now a board member and serves as AARF's VP of Animal Services. She has two mischievous lab mix dogs who are going to give her gray hairs before her time, but make everyday a happy day.
   

 
India Powell, Director of Education and Public Relations
India has been a writer and editor for Atlanta-area newspapers and magazines for 12 years. Her passion is using her talent for writing to spread awareness about the importance of animal welfare and compassion for all beings. She lives with her husband, Rusty, and their 3-year-old bulldog, Reese.
   

 
Amy Anderson, Director of Marketing and Client Services
Amy started as a volunteer for AARF in early 2003, helping out with adoption days and checking voice mail. Shortly after, she started running the foster care program. After a year hiatus while starting her master’s degree, she is very excited to be back in a new role! When she’s not working full time, going to school or volunteering with AARF, she’s caring for two pugs, an aussie mix and her husband Jason up in Forsyth County.