TEAM
Laura Drinkwine
Laura is the Veterinarian-in-Charge at Richmond Animal League and Lead Vet/Director of the Loving Spay+Neuter Clinic (LSNC).
She has 16 years experience as a veterinarian, 13 as RAL's Veterinarian-in-Charge. She built up and opened the LSNC in February 2010.
Laura enjoys spending time with family, 3 kids and personal RAL alums. She is an amateur bird watcher, amateur naturalist, amateur gardener with a yellow thumb, and traveler with wanderlust. She loves pizza.
Dr. Kay Gross
Dr. Gross joined the RAL team in 2012 and has been thrilled to be part of this organization. She has worked in spay/neuter clinics for over 20 years and is passionate about helping to overcome pet animal overpopulation. She works toward a loving home for every dog and cat.
Dr. Gross has lived in Richmond for 30 years with her family (her two adult kids have left the nest). The beach in Maine is her happy place. She enjoys gardening, reading, walking and working on her scrapbook, and chocolate cake.
Elizabeth Whitby
Elizabeth Whitby is a vet assistant and LVT student at our Loving Spay+Neuter Clinic.
She started volunteering at RAL in 2012 and says, “they couldn’t get rid of me, so they decided to pay me.”
Whitby’s passions are cats and corgis.
Magic
Cate McManus
Cate is the Director of Veterinary Medicine and responsible for overseeing the daily veterinary care of our “animal guests.”
She has been a veterinarian for over 20 years. In that time, she completed a residency in Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, earned a Master of Public Health degree, and became a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator.
Cate’s passions are being a first responder for animals in need, teaching others about veterinary medicine, as well as animal sheltering and welfare, and working with others to remove obstacles to lifesaving and preserving the human-animal bond.
Lindsey Covington
Lindsey started at RAL in June of 2022 as an Animal Care Assistant. She then became the Assistant Shelter Director in September of 2022 and became the Director of Dog Lifesaving in October 2023.
She went to VCU and Majored in Health & Human Performance: Education K-12. Lindsey then spent 14 years in education, teaching Middle School Health & P.E. While teaching, Lindsey spent her free time in the animal welfare world, fostering, transporting, trapping, networking, doing whatever she could to help. This lead to the realization that her real passion is in animal welfare, prompting a change in career from teacher to RAL’s Assistant Kennel Director.
Lindsey loves animal welfare, spending time with friends and family, and the outdoors.
Mikey Stough
Mikey is the Senior Adoption Coordinator and matches people with their perfect pets.
He spent almost a decade working in film and television before deciding to switch his career to his lifelong passion of animal welfare.
His passions include art, coffee, and our fluffy friends!
Jason Lippy
Jason worked with animals at a family owned kennel during high school & college. Shortly after college, he enjoyed an 11 year career at CarMax Headquarters in Richmond before realizing he wanted to get back to his true passion. Jason is now thrilled to be a part of RAL’s Canine Lifesaving Team. He loves providing the daily care to our shelter pets, seeing dogs thrive in playgroups, working with our volunteers & assisting with the RAL Run Club.
In his free time, Jason enjoys running and spending time outdoors with his wife and their 3 dogs they adopted from RAL.
Megan Thrower
Megan joined our adoptions staff after volunteering and fostering through RAL. Her love for her late chihuahua Little Bit inspired her to get involved in animal welfare and every adoption she does is dedicated to her memory. Megan enjoys spending time with her pets (including her RAL alum, Rowdy), gaming, and advocating for community cats
Courtney Winters
Courtney joined the RAL team in October 2022 as our Director of Development.
Courtney comes to RAL with over 15 years of nonprofit development experience. A lifetime animal lover, Courtney started her own dog rescue while in college. She previously worked in Development for Communities In Schools of Richmond.
Courtney is an avid reader, lover of mountains, bluegrass & Broadway musicals. She resides in Hanover, VA with her husband, daughter, and a pile of rescued animals. In her free time, you can find Courtney baking and pawning baked goods off on unsuspecting friends & neighbors.
Allana Maiden
Allana joined the RAL team in August 2022 as Development & Communications Coordinator. Her goal is to tell RAL’s story to help spread the reach of the organization throughout our community.
Allana has worked in the animal welfare field for over 10 years, starting in the Richmond SPCA’s admissions department in 2012 and then serving as their Foster Coordinator from 2014 - 2022. Her educational background is in Communications, Journalism, and PR and she is excited to use those skills along with her animal welfare background to benefit RAL.
A small-town mountain girl at heart, Allana has been living in Richmond for 12 years and enjoys hiking, photoshopping animals into old paintings, going to concerts, and reading in her backyard hammock. She shares her home with 2 dogs, Dexter & Ruby, and husband Adam.
Larry Eason
Larry serves as Executive Director of Richmond Animal League, helping the organization chart an ambitious course, build a phenomenal team, and increase the reach and impact of its lifesaving work.
Larry has worked in the nonprofit and social impact sector for 38 years, building organizations and supporting cause leaders in nonprofits, startups, campaigns and foundations.
A frustrated landlocked CA surfer, but now trail runner, potter, and painter, Larry lives happily in Richmond with his wife Wendy, daughter Elise, and many many animals (Lily cat, pups Augie, Annie, and Pumpkin, and guinea pigs Chips, Archer, Casper and Pavel).
Pat White
Pat joined the RAL team in February 2018 as an administrative volunteer in the Loving Spay+Neuter Clinic and continued in that role until November 2019, when she joined the RAL staff as Finance Administrator. In addition to those responsibilities, in June 2022, she became a greeter and adoptions match maker in the RAL shelter.
Pat has a long work history in the world of finance, customer service, and banking. She also has a life-long love of animals, especially those of the feline persuasion. She is dedicated to using her skills and commitment to animal welfare to benefit RAL.
Pat is a native of Richmond who considers Vermont to be her second home. She now lives in Midlothian. Pat enjoys writing fictional novels, growing flowers, spending time in any water-related venue and she owns a cat-sitting business. She shares her home with four cats: a tortie diva and three very active tuxedo cats, all are RAL alums.
