House Rabbit Society Staff and Board
Meet the House Rabbit Society Team! In addition to the core team, we rely heavily on our dedicated volunteers and receive advice from a variety of outside advisers to help us develop best practices that can be replicated at a national level.

Amber Tadena
Programs Manager and Interim Executive Director
Amber began volunteering with House Rabbit Society in 2016 bagging hay for the Hop Shop. Over the years, she has worn many hats, from Animal Caregiving, to Volunteer Management to Programs. She is currently serving as Interim Executive Director.
Amber’s goal with House Rabbit Society is to help educate people about rabbit companionship, reduce the amount of dumped/strayed pet rabbits, and, of course, have all the shelter rabbits adopted.

Larissa Church
Communications Manager
Larissa fell in love with rabbits at a young age, but due to family allergies wasn’t able to have one of her own until much later in life. She adopted her first pair of rabbits, Tuna and Margaux, from one of House Rabbit Society’s chapters in Southern California, BunnyLuv Rabbit Resource Center in Los Angeles.
After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Larissa started volunteering at House Rabbit Society as an adoption counselor where she helped with adoptions, grooming, Hop Shop sales, and more. In 2019 she took on the role of Communication Manager and uses her time and skills to do what she can to help educate people about rabbits, how special they are, and the kind of care they need.

Anna Reynoso
Shelter Manager
In the fall of 2023, Anna became the shelter manager at House Rabbit Society, after many years of dedicated volunteering. Her journey at HRS started in 2019 as a weekly administrative and Hop Shop volunteer, and then she volunteered as an adoption counselor, class instructor, bonding support specialist, and foster coordinator. She’s done it all!
Anna received her bachelor’s degree from Chico State University and previously worked in sales at technology companies for many years before embracing her love for rabbits full-time.

Sharea Giger
Animal Care Coordinator
A lifelong lover of animals, Sharea’s dream job growing up was working with animals. And since 2018, she has been an Animal Care Coordinator with House Rabbit Society’s Richmond, California shelter where she trains volunteers and staff on rabbit care, feeding, and medicating.
She wants people to know that rabbits can be very affectionate and to learn more about what wonderful pets they can make. Mushu is her current rabbit.

Dr. Christine Austin
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
After volunteering her time at HRS for several months, Dr. Austin was officially hired in June 2022 as the HRS staff veterinarian. She brings with her a wealth of experience in rescue work. A lifelong lover of rabbits, Dr. Austin grew up with rabbits and has volunteered with multiple rabbit rescues for more than 10 years. It was this love of lagomorphs and knowing how challenging it is to find quality veterinary care for them that inspired her to become a veterinarian.
Dr. Austin received her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and her DVM from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Grace Marie Santos
Registered Veterinary Technician
Grace always knew she would have a career working with animals. And in 1987 she passed the state and national boards to become a registered veterinary technician making her dream come true. She continues to keep up with her training and is involved with numerous veterinary organizations. She started with HRS in 2018 and is currently the resident anesthesia and surgical tech. She also helps train volunteers to help with veterinary assistance.
At home, Grace currently has one dog, a rat terrier named Boneca, and a rescue lionhead rabbit named Pixie.

Micayla Flashner
Animal Caregiver
Micayla is one of the Animal Care Team Members here at House Rabbit Society and is currently in school working towards a career in Veterinary Medicine. They are working hard to get as much nuanced animal care skills as they can before applying to veterinary school.

Joselyn Almanza
Animal Caregiver
Joselyn is the newest addition to the House Rabbit Society Animal Care Team. She loves creatures both big and small. She is currently in school working towards becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician. In her spare time, she helps find stray kittens loving homes.
House Rabbit Society Board of Directors
- President: Chris Beafore
An IT specialist, Chris is based in Ohio. He’s also the chapter manager for Dayton House Rabbit Society. - Treasurer and Secretary: Cecille Caterson
She has decades of nonprofit expertise and was most recently part of the California State Parks Foundation. Cecille is based in California. - Director: Beth Woolbright
Both a founding and current board member, Beth’s background is in working with philanthropic foundations and other nonprofits. She’s based in California. - Director: Pilar Mendoza
Pilar recently joined the House Rabbit Board of Directors. She is a consultant with experience partnering with nonprofits, public agencies, and foundations to advance equity and social justice initiatives. She is longtime volunteer with our organization in California. - Director: James Nalivka
Another new board member, James is also a longtime California volunteer with House Rabbit Society. - Director Emerita: Marinell Harriman
Marinell founded House Rabbit Society in 1988 and was the long-time HRS president and executive director. Her philosophy on the value and treatment of animals and the importance of rabbits living IN the house underscores every action by HRS. She lives in California and continues to work with HRS as an advisor, foster parent, and educator.