Michael & Janine Broe
Michael Broe Co-Founder
Janine Broe Co-Founder & Foster/Adoption Coordinator
Michael and Janine have been involved in rescue for nearly 10 years. Having actively volunteered and held leadership positions with two other rescues, they decided to start their own in late 2019 Change a Life Dog Rescue officially became a registered 501c3 in early 2020. They both grew up with large breed dogs in the family and currently have six resident dogs; Mia (Rottie Mix), Huxley (GSD/Husky Mix), Lucy (Akbash), Nala (Berner), Cherokee (Anatolian/GP Mix) and Olivia (GSD), all are rescues. They have a passion for the herding and working breeds, but Change a Life is an all-breed rescue that will help any dog where they can
Sharon McCurry
Board Member and Systems Administrator
Sharon has been blessed to have shared her life with dogs from the time she was born. Through the years has had 18 dogs, and 4 cats - all but two of which have been rescues. Sharon started volunteering with animal rescues almost seven years ago and began fostering for rescue organizations six years ago. Her current situation will not allow her to foster, however she is
still a big contributor to the success of Change A Life Dog, by being a Member of the Board and the Systems Administrator
Sharon has been employed in the non-profit field for sixteen years, first with an organization that worked to empower persons that had disabilities and now with an organization with the mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace and justice. They also operate one of the largest Domestic Violence Shelters in Tennessee.
Current Resident Dogs – (Photo above) Top Left: Zorro; age 6, Top Right: Maggie; age 5, Bottom Left: Luke; age 8 and Bottom Right: RoseZ; age 7
Melanie Kolek
Board member/supporter
Melanie has always supported rescue animals and more recently in the last few years with the adoption of their two rescue girls. She believes It is
critical that we have smart, dedicated people who have the time and energy to support this important cause. She is legal counsel for the Connecticut Education Association and have been practicing labor and employment law since 2005 and school law since 2011.
Current Resident Dogs - Roxy age 2, rescue and Hope, age 2, rescue
Martha Vaughn
Board Member and Treasurer
Martha Vaughn currently works as the Director of Business & Personnel for a public school system. Martha has worked in the public schools since graduating from Quinnipiac University with her Bachelors many years ago. Martha also earned her MBA from Quinnipiac University
while working full time and raising her three children. Martha and her husband Rich started volunteering in 1998 with a Rottweiler Rescue and have continued with several rescues through the years. Through her many years of volunteering, Martha has touched the lives of many dogs lives through educating others, transports, home visits, fostering, fundraising and concession work. Outside of work and rescue, family is very important to Martha. Martha enjoys cooking and baking, loves to plan vacations and travel, taking walks or hiking, football and most of all spending time with family and friends. In addition to her children, Martha has 4 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats
Jenn Cassella
Adoption/Foster Coordinator
Once upon a time…..JENN LOVES DOGS……The End
Jenn has been obsessed with dogs since she was a toddler. Her first dog was made of wood and had a spring for a tail and wheels for legs. She thought every dog wandering about the neighborhood back in the old days was lost and needed rescuing. In the early 1990s before Rescues were
widely established, she was saving and rehoming dogs on her own in North Carolina. The crazy thing was she wasn’t out looking for them…but somehow, they all found her.
In 2002 while living in Rhode Island she was bitten by the Animal Planet bug and became addicted to watching all of the rescue programs. She made her way to the RISPCA to volunteer, and as they say, the rest is history!
Over the years of volunteering for numerous shelters and rescue organizations she played the roles of Dog Walker, Foster Mom which included birthing litters of puppies, Volunteer Coordinator and Trainer, Adoption Counselor, Foster Coordinator, and her greatest achievement was being a Behavior Assistant in charge of assessing dogs for adoptability and determining the type of home needed. She learned how to train dogs and counter condition fear-based behaviors.
With all of this training and experience under her belt she knew that being an adoption/foster coordinator with Change A Life Rescue is the opportunity for which she had been looking. This unusual and exceptional relationship of humans and dogs is the oldest of all the animal bonds. To pair a dog with a loving home is the greatest and most honorable work she can do, and she looks forward to helping adopters meet the love of their lives.