Board of Directors

Officers

President

Kim Boggs was elected Board President in November 2019. She became committed to Safe Humane Chicago’s mission while volunteering as an adult facilitator in Safe Humane’s Youth Leaders Program. She witnessed first-hand the empathy born and human connection formed when young people and adults connect through mutual care and concern for Chicago’s animals. Kim has served on the Board since 2010, using her B.S. in Business Administration from Marquette University and J.D. from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law to assist with board governance and policymaking. She has been hands-on with programs, fundraising and special events, even chaperoning a group of Safe Humane Youth Leaders to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, in 2009. Kim works as a trusted advisor to businesses in the Midwest advising them and conducting webinars on compliant employee benefit program design and administration.

Kim has fostered almost 20 cats for a CACC-approved Homeward Bound rescue and manages a “House of Black Cats” with her current crew - three foster successes named Rikki Barbie, Dietz the Dwarf Cat and Gracie Lou.

Secretary

Lynsey Sloan was elected Board Secretary in January 2021. She is a social worker who has worked in foster care and adoption in Illinois for nearly 15 years. As the Associate Vice President of Statewide Foster Care at a local non-profit, she oversees foster care programs in the Southern, Northern, and Metro Chicago regions of Illinois. Lynsey works with funders, the courts and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to ensure children are safe and in loving homes. Lynsey has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in social work from Illinois State University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Lynsey loves animals, and grew up with dogs, cats and fish as family pets.

Currently, Lynsey has a cat, who she rescued at 5 weeks old in 2008, and a dog Jasper she adopted from Chicago Animal Care & Control in 2018. She fully supports Safe Humane's mission of creating safe and humane communities for people and animals, and she loves that it fits with the social work tenets of social justice and caring for the vulnerable and oppressed.

Treasurer

Ed Wang was elected Board Treasurer in January 2024. Since 2018, he has dedicated his time to volunteering at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), where he currently leads the Dog Agility and Nose Work Enrichment Program. Fueled by a profound dedication to animal welfare and enrichment, Ed is a life-long learner, regularly attending conferences and workshops to stay abreast of the latest innovation and shelter practices. With a professional background anchored in data analysis and nonprofit program management, he monitors and analyzes both CACC's monthly public data releases and the origins of displaced dogs from Chicago city neighborhoods. Currently employed by the Alternative Schools Network, a consortium of 20 community-based alternative high schools focused on providing life skills and education to students who have dropped out of the Chicago Public Schools, Ed recognizes the interconnectedness between poverty, joblessness, and community violence with the number of displaced dogs sheltered at CACC. He envisions a promising opportunity to expand Safe Humane Chicago's Lifetime Bonds initiative through the network's extensive platform, and he believes that the true solution to rescuing at-risk dogs in Chicago is in rescuing at-risk people. 

Past President, CEO

Cynthia Bathurst serves as Chief Executive Officer. As CEO and Past President, she is a voting member of the Board. Cynthia co-founded D.A.W.G. in 2000 and then reorganized it as Safe Humane Chicago in 2007. She worked with the Board to make Safe Humane® the organization's legal name and registered trademark in 2013. Cynthia received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. from The University of Iowa. After teaching college-level rhetoric and working as a mathematics consultant, she became involved in community policing and organizing in Chicago. She says her real education came from working with neighborhood groups on community issues, including sharing public spaces wisely with people and companion animals. She joined with others to build an extensive alliance of partners and collaborators, all working toward creating safe and humane communities for people and animals by engaging them in developing programs to help and heal each other in their own communities. Along with her work with other organizations, Cynthia also serves on the board of Animal Farm Foundation and is an advisor to its National Canine Research Council, and she serves as the appointed chair of Chicago’s Commission on Animal Care and Control.

Cynthia claims the 1,407 Safe Humane Court Case Dogs who are our legacy and the program dogs (PALs) as part of her family and currently shares her home and her life with two big tabby cats, Charles and Timothy.

Directors

Director

J.B. Bruederle, DVM, is an active Chicago veterinarian and is passionate about the relationship between young people and animals. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991, and he is currently a practicing veterinarian in a Chicago suburb. He has served as President of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, as American Animal Hospital Association Liaison to the students at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and as the President of the College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association. He was very involved in Alderman Schulter's animal task force that prevented the implementation of dangerous breed legislation to Chicago’s City Council. Dr. Bruederle also served on the Animal Care and Control Task Force that dealt with the distemper outbreak of 2004 and as a member of Chicago’s Commission on Animal Care and Control. He volunteers with other Safe Humane volunteers at Chicago Animal Care and Control.

Director

Zack Keller is a software developer who has lived in Chicago for 10 years. He became involved with Safe Humane after his friend invited him to a “Diamonds in the Ruff” gala. He was won over by the mission of Safe Humane and the generosity of the attendees (and the many friendly, adorable dogs didn't hurt either, he adds). He grew up on a farm and has been around animals his entire life. He developed his love for animals from his family, who rescued many dogs as he grew up. He is excited for the opportunity to give back to the Chicagoland community that has given so much to him.

Advisors

Treasurer

Founding Director

Stacey Hawk is a Founding Director of D.A.W.G. and Safe Humane Chicago. She is the owner of Hawk City K9 and specializes in Agility and Scent Detection Training. She has been involved with Safe Humane Chicago programming since its inception. Because of her specialized day job, Stacey is positioned to promote the Safe Humane mission to thousands of dog guardians in the Chicago area. She also co-leads Dog and Handler Team Assessments, which is responsible for selecting Safe Humane Ambassador Dogs, and led the community outreach Kids, Animals and Kindness efforts. Stacey received her Bachelor’s Degree in Administration of Justice, Child and Family from Southern Illinois University. She is the co-founder and chair of the Wiggly Field Advisory Committee and Director of the Wrightwood Neighborhood Association. She serves as a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the National Association of Canine Scent Work and the National Dock Dogs Association. Stacey shares her life with German Shepherds Journey and Blitz.