Our Experience. Your Success.
We are a dedicated collective of animal welfare professionals committed to elevating global shelter standards through strategic consulting and operational excellence.
Founder, Lead Consultant & Board Member
Theresa Ockaskis
Theresa Ockaskis is an international animal welfare advocate with more than 30 years of business development experience and an MBA in Leadership and Managing Organizational Change.
A lifelong animal lover, Theresa has fostered animals with complex medical needs, served on the advisory boards of rescue organizations in Honduras, Turkey, and the United States and been a powerful voice for animals with appearing in 60+ television segments to promote adoptable animals and share inspiring rescue stories. She has also volunteered in South Africa, Laos, Guatemala and Sri Lanka helping to care for wild animals and providing community enrichment.
Through ShelterAid International, Theresa blends her professional expertise with global volunteer work to drive meaningful change, partnering with shelters that advocate for vulnerable animals in underserved communities around the world.
Consultant & Board Member
Michele Schaut
Michele Schaut is a lifelong animal advocate with nearly three decades of hands-on experience in animal rescue and rehabilitation. As the founder of Michele’s Rescue, established in 1997, she has helped save more than 10,000 animals, with a special focus on the most challenging medical and behavioral cases.
Michele works closely with veterinarians, surgeons, trainers, and foster families to give animals facing euthanasia, severe illness, or complex rehabilitation needs a second chance at life. Her rescue efforts span across the United States and internationally, including Mexico, Canada, and Honduras.
Driven by compassion, determination, and an unwavering commitment to every animal she saves, Michele continues to dedicate her life to rescuing those who need it most.
Consultant & Board Member
Angie Carlisle
Angie’s journey in animal rescue began at age six, when she brought home her first cat. Decades later, that childhood calling became a mission.
In 2022, while living in Roatán, Honduras, Angie founded Flight Angels of Roatán to help cats with nowhere else to turn. Starting with just six cats, she built a rescue network that has now helped more than 550 cats find safety, including approximately 460 transported to the U.S. and Canada for adoption.
Now living in Key West, Florida, Angie continues her mission with Flight Angels of Key West: when there seems to be no way, create one.
Consultant & Advisory Board Member
Chloé Saimpert
Chloé Saimpert is a French international nonprofit leader based in Budapest, Hungary, with over 20 years of experience, including senior roles within the United Nations across more than ten countries and diverse operational contexts, from stable environments to humanitarian emergencies. She specializes in strategy, organizational development, leadership, crisis response, and change management.
Alongside her international career, Chloé brings nearly two decades of hands-on animal rescue experience, including helping build and manage a grassroots rescue organization in Turkey. At ShelterAid International, she combines her global perspective and practical rescue experience to strengthen grassroots organizations through tailored tools and sustainable systems that keep animals at the heart of their mission.
Consultant & Advisory Board Member
Mia Rake
Mia is an American animal rescuer based in Istanbul, Türkiye, with nearly 10 years of experience in animal welfare and rescue. Her work has included fostering, shelter volunteering, rescuing abandoned and abused animals, coordinating veterinary care, supporting adoption placements, and international outreach.
Alongside her hands-on rescue experience, Mia has a professional background in project management and marketing, with experience in operations, communications, organization, and strategy.
As an Advisory Board member, Mia brings these two worlds together to support animal rescues internationally. She is passionate about helping smaller and struggling organizations strengthen their operations, improve their visibility, and develop sustainable systems that allow them to focus on what matters most: saving animals.
Dr. Diana Roberts, DVM, has had a lifelong love for animals which led to earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University in 1994. With more than 32 years of veterinary experience in small animal medicine across New York, Colorado, and Vermont, along with volunteer work in Honduras, she brings extensive medical knowledge, practical expertise, and a deep compassion for animals in need.
Diana is dedicated to helping animals receive the best possible care, especially in challenging circumstances. A creative and resourceful problem solver, she approaches every situation with empathy, determination, and the belief that there is always a way to help.