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Board Members
Our Team
Breakfast Club Cats is supported by a leadership team of board members and executives who all know how to roll up their sleeves and get things done!
Our board and executive members are all volunteers who have been inspired by the incredible work and personal dedication that founder Alysia and husband Darrell have demonstrated over the past years. Each team member has personally witnessed Alysia's incredible work ethic, care, and dedication to helping the street cats of Baltimore.
Our board is led by Karen Reese who brings an incredible level of professional expertise in the areas of animal rescue and nonprofit operations. The board members have a diverse set of skills, experience, and backgrounds needed to tackle the operations, programs, events, and fundraising for BCC.
Karen Reese
Board Director
Karen has been an innovative and progressive nonprofit leader in Baltimore for decades, and is the co-founder and director of the nonprofit, Man Alive, Inc. Her awards and accomplishments associated with her lifetime of charitable work speak for themselves. She is a lifelong animal-welfare advocate, a nonprofit leader, and an incredible resource for Breakfast Club Cats!
Stacey McCoy
Board Member
Stacey first connected with Alysia several years ago when her daughter adopted a cat through her rescue. Later, when an elderly neighbor faced an overwhelming number of feral cats and kittens, Stacey reached out to Alysia for guidance. Under her mentorship, Stacey learned the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) process and together they successfully reduced the population through spay/neuter efforts and by finding homes for the kittens. Inspired by Alysia’s leadership and dedication, Stacey is proud to support her work as a board member and to contribute to the organization.
Darrell Witherington
Vice President
Together Darrell and Alysia have been saving cats for many years, starting BCC at their own home. He is the ultimate BCC handyman tackling everything from working events, fixing traps, delivering truckloads of building supplies, and was instrumental in site preparation and construction of the new shelter and "catio". He constantly keeps the Kat Kottage , Shelter, and Catio in good condition by adding improvements to ensure a great living space for the cats in his care.
Kim Shewell
Board Member
Kim holds a Liberal Arts in Technology degree from Villa Julie College, has 18 years experience in IT as a SAP Security Analyst and has owned fence installation and home renovation companies. As one of the newest members of the BCC Board of Directors, Kim is deeply honored that long-time friend Alysia has trusted her enough to invite her to be a part of her life's work. Kim is completely invested in the foundation's mission and is passionate about improving the lives of street cats through reliable access to food, medical care, and the chance to experience the love of a furever home.
Stacy Fields-Goldberg
Board Member
Stacy and Alysia met about 15 years ago through mutual friends. Their friendship grew even stronger after a tragic incident Stacy had with a pet. Stacy has always been a part of the rescue world. She started volunteering at "Rescue Well" where she reached out to people rehoming their pets via Craigslist, Facebook and other free advertising platforms. She offered them support by running background checks and vetting potential adopters. Over the years Stacy has fostered for various rescues and even adopted cats from Breakfast Club Cats, where she is now a Board Member.
Joe Gardill
Treasurer
Joe brings deep expertise in healthcare finance, technology, and research. Since retiring in 2021, he has continued consulting for leading medical technology firms and advancing life saving innovations. A lifelong Baltimore resident, he graduated from Calvert Hall, Towson University, and Loyola College. Inspired by Alysia’s rescue work, Joe helped to build a new shelter and "catio" for BCC, reflecting his commitment to animal welfare. As Treasurer of BCC, he leads the rollout of a modern accounting system and manages compliance—ensuring strong financial stewardship for the organization’s mission.
Edith Merindino Lanasa
Board Member
Edith has known Alysia since 1991 when the two of them were working together, friends for over 30 years! She has known for a long time that Alysia has a heart of gold and inspires so many people to show their love for the kitties. In fact, Edith herself was inspired to help Alysia, BCC, and the kitties by becoming a board member.
Alysia Witherington
Founder and President
Alysia is the reason the volunteer team members joined BCC! She truly is a one-woman cat rescue army. A life-long Baltimore native, she has worked in many local restaurants, and the BCC team thinks she possibly knows everyone in Baltimore. Alysia’s kindness, compassion, and work ethic for saving cats is legendary. Her grass-roots social network of supporters and donors continues to increase and includes strong relationships with other local TNR rescues and animal welfare groups.
Lisa Quinn
Secretary
Lisa started as a donor attending BCC events, but she gradually saw Alysia's amazing kindness and hard work firsthand - saving cats seven days a week! After retiring from 30 years in the IT field, Lisa is now the volunteer BCC Secretary helping to build and improve BCC recordkeeping, communications, outreach, and technology - and she also likes to help build catios!
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