Our Stray Team

Patricia O.

Patricia has been a manager and administrator in various industries since 1997. Those skills, combined with her love of dogs, make her an invaluable part of our Stray Team. Patricia is a highly experienced, devoted adoption counselor who has spent countless hours finding loving homes for our Strays. She also assists with our Facebook and Petfinder sites, as well as the day-to-day operations of Stray from the Heart. In addition, she works closely with our Compassion in Action volunteers to coordinate the transport of Satos to their forever homes. Patricia joined the Stray Team in 2006 after reading about our international rescue and adoption program in the New York Daily News. Patricia lives in Manhattan with her dogs, Oliver and Pumpkin.

Jamie & Rob Schutz

Jamie and Rob joined our Stray Team in 2008. Three years later, they adopted Ernie, a Stray from the Heart rescue who walked down the aisle at their wedding in 2012. Jamie is a clinical social worker with an M.S.W. from Cornell University. She oversees our volunteer program and serves as an adoption counselor, assisting individuals and families with their search for a canine companion. Rob is an entrepreneur skilled in marketing strategy, brand development, e-commerce and social media. He is currently the head of user acquisition marketing at Bark Box & Co. As our online marketing consultant, Rob plays a major role in event promotion and outreach. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in management information systems. Jamie, Rob, their daughter, Jessica Ann, and Ernie live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Jenny Cheuk

Jenny is a graduate of Bernard College with a degree in business administration. She has extensive experience in the banking and financial investment industry. She now serves as a financial planner and administrator for a local animal welfare organization in New York City. Jenny joined our team in 2012, raising much needed funds for our Strays. She is also an adoption counselor, committed to finding the perfect home for every dog under her wing. Jenny lives in Queens with her husband, Andy, their son, Julian, and their handsome Pomeranian, Dexter.

Chris O'Sullivan

Chris has been a dog trainer on our Stray Team since 2004. He has devoted two decades of his life to the social rehabilitation of abused and neglected dogs and cats. Chris has also worked as an animal handler for major on-stage production companies. His love and passion are teaching humans how to understand companion animals. He spends countless hours coaching adoptive parents on how to address social and behavioral issues common in newly adopted dogs. His substantial experience rescuing, handling and caring for homeless dogs has taught him a lot about the inner workings of their minds and how they see the world. Chris lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with several dogs and cats.

Kristin Flagg

Kristin joined our team in 2017 as an adoption counselor. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and a presidential scholar with a Master in Science from Walden University in New York. Professionally, she is a very talented and popular 8th grade teacher, mentor and team leader. She loves interacting with her students and enjoys her role as mentor to new teachers, guiding and helping them develop effective teaching techniques. She is also a very good dog adoption student, quickly learning how to identify and match the right home for our dogs. She is a team player truly committed to promoting and applying our high adoption standards. Kristin lives in Manhattan with her husband Scott and Dolly, a Sato she and Scott adopted from Stray from the Heart.

Alina Hauptman

Alina joined the Stray from the Heart team in 2016 where she has steadily grown our social media presence. She has held senior positions in public relations and communications, and is now applying that experience to help promote Stray from the Heart’s mission. She is fully invested in helping to gain awareness for all of our adorable adoptable dogs through social media, where she helps us reach a larger audience.
Alina graduated from George Washington University and lives in New York City with her 10 year old pup, Kugel.

Andy Lu

Andy is our Webmaster. He is a technologist in the internet industry with over a decade of experience in various aspects of web development and software engineering. He holds a B.A. in Computer Information Systems from Baruch College. He joined our team in 2017, volunteering his expertise with the many technical aspects of running and maintaining our website. Andy lives in Port Washington, Long Island, with his wife Jenny, a Stray team member, their children Julian and Adrien, and their dog Dexter.

Emily DeTomaso

Emily joined our team in 2019 as an adoption counselor, ensuring that each of our Strays is perfectly matched with a forever home. One of her first successful adoptions was Rocky, a sweet and handsome Shephard/Collie mix adopted by her very own family. Emily graduated cum laude from Binghamton University with a degree in mathematics and is currently an account administrator for a high-volume, multi-service health clinic. She lives with her parents, her brother and Rocky in Salem, NY.

Brad Morgan

Brad joined our Stray Team in 2007. He is currently employed in the field of financial services and management consulting. Brad’s strength and knowledge in economics and investment planning are vital for our business development, strategic planning and fundraising efforts. He is a graduate of Emory University with a degree in economics. Brad lives in Manhattan with his dog, Kyla, a Stray from the Heart rescue.

Kristy Whitwell

Kristy is an event planner and fashion marketing specialist with a B.B.A. in fashion marketing from LIM College. She has organized and hosted VIP events for major celebrities and formed lasting relationships with event venues throughout the city. Kristy joined our Stray Team in the spring of 2014 when she organized our first annual Alumni Picnic. This initiative was her first Stray from the Heart event. Kristy lives in Astoria, Queens with her husband and Lainey, a beautiful Sato adopted from Stray from the Heart in 2013, and their cats, Puddy and Newman.

Arina Hinzen

Arina joined our Stray Team in 2005 after adopting Ramona, a Sato from Puerto Rico. She is a life-long animal lover who has fostered many special needs dogs. Arina also enjoys coordinating special events and fundraisers. She is the founder and president of the Urban Wildlife Alliance, which rescues and rehabilitates abused and injured wildlife, specifically birds and small mammals, found in New York City. Arina has a Master’s degree in viticulture and enology from the University of Wiesvaden in Germany. She lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Central Park, where you will often find her rescuing injured wildlife.

Jennifer Sandberg

Jennifer, a life-long dog lover, has been a part of the Stray Team since 2007. Along with her devotion as a foster care volunteer, Jennifer helps with adoption and fundraising events. Professionally, she is a research specialist who has supported several major public relations firms. She received a Bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the University of South Florida and also holds a Master’s degree in library and information science from the City University of New York at Queens College. In addition, she is certified as a health coach from the Institute of Integration Nutrition. Jennifer lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Peter Karamitas

Peter joined our Stray Team in 2014. He coordinates the pick up and delivery of transport kennels and donated dog supplies to our volunteer partners in Puerto Rico. He is a graduate of Rowan University with a B.A. in communications. He has been a successful manager in the restaurant and hospitality industry for more than a decade. Peter and his girlfriend, Laura, live with their dogs, Nicky and Henry, in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan.

Pyul Holbert

Pyul is an advertising executive with a degree in psychology from the University of Michigan. In 2007, she adopted Dino, a Stray from the Heart rescue from Ecuador, who inspired her to join our Stray Team. Pyul focuses on our international rescue and adoption program and is a large part of our foster home network. She helps with the physical and emotional rehabilitation of dogs under her care, conducts pre-adoption home visits and assists with adoptions. Pyul recently adopted Lacey, a Stray from Puerto Rico. She lives in Putnam Valley with her husband, Oliver, and their three dogs, Bridget, Dino and Lacey.

Abhipri Chowdhury

Abhipri joined the Stray team as an adoption counselor in 2021. She holds a deep passion for helping animals since she grew up surrounded by wildlife. When she’s not working on finding our Strays a loving home, she can be found buried in a novel or invested in true crime tv shows. She is currently a student at Fordham University working towards her bachelors in International Studies. Abhipri lives in New York City, a couple hundred miles away from her two golden retrievers Freyja and Milo.