Ashlynn
Founder/Executive Director
Driven to help vulnerable and “unwanted” populations of animals, Ashlynn founded Paws and Claws in 2020. She wakes up every day excited to face the challenges of directing an organization that so perfectly focuses on the one thing in life she cares about most. A wearer of many hats, Ashlynn is often spotted viciously cleaning with her head in a cat carrier or in the driver's seat of a van packed with screaming cats —constantly doing whatever she can to improve the lives of the animals in our care while they wait to be matched with their forever homes. She believes strongly in community and strives to push Paws and Claws to grow while maintaining the close-knit feel of a small supportive organization.
Catherine
President of Rescue Relations: Board Member
An animal lover at heart, Catherine has always been interested in the healing power of the human animal bond. Too scared to be a veterinarian, but enthralled by her relationship with her canine best friend, Nikki, Catherine knew from a young age that she wanted to help animals and people live their best lives together. Catherine is Executive Director of Evanston Counseling, a clinic that offers counseling and pet therapy. She is delighted to be part of Paws and Claws, finally combining her passion for helping both people and animals.
Shanti
Director of Development
Joining Paws and Claws was unexpected and serendipitous. Working as a nonprofit development consultant, Shanti was looking for an organization to partner with in Evanston. While standing in line at the Target on Howard, she came across a listing by Paws and Claws. Taking action immediately, Shanti and Ashlynn connected and the rest is now history in the making. Now, as Director of Development, Shanti is eager to bridge her love for animals with her passion for seeing community-centered organizations be uplifted.
There has never been a time that animals were not a part of Shanti’s life. She’s always loved animals and the natural world. As a toddler, she was occasionally found crawling beneath picnic benches, petting the bees. To this day she has never been stung. Since that time, Shanti and her family have loved and welcomed cats, dogs, fish and horses as kindred.
Shanti’s personal and professional experiences weave together a unique tapestry of leadership and engagement in both nonprofit and business sectors. She has worked across diverse fields including arts, education, equity, community designed projects, culturally driven initiatives, and student-family centered advocacy. Shanti brings a broad range of skills developed through a background in fundraising and development, organizational strategy and advancement, research and advocacy, community building and engagement, events, merchandising and designing, business-to-business partnerships, hospitality, and retail team leadership.
Creativity, connection and relationship being at the heart of Shanti’s collaborative leadership style, she is a strong advocate for unity in diversity, equity, access, and representation. She believes every one has a story that is necessary and deserving of being known, and is thrilled to now have the opportunity to bridge this with the amplification of animal welfare.
As an artist and dancer, dance instructor and choreographer for the greater portion of her life, Shanti is now the mother of an artist, loves to cook and cultivate welcoming spaces. She resides in Evanston with her daughter, Siberian Husky and rescue cat.
Sean
Shelter Operations Director
As our Shelter Operations Director, Sean runs the rescue's physical space in Evanston and manages the invaluable volunteer program. He holds a B.S. in Human Services from Colorado State University, coupled with nearly ten years of veterinary experience. A fascination with nature and animals has been central to Sean's life since he was an inquisitive and often poison ivy-covered kid growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. He could always be found cataloging woodland bugs, feeding stray cats in the neighborhood, or nursing sick animals back to health. This compassion for animals and their welfare has only grown with time, and he could not be more proud and motivated to help develop a rescue as meaningful as Paws and Claws.
Outside of the rescue, Sean is an avid runner and cyclist, completing his first 100-mile ride last summer! He spends his time exploring Chicago and beyond (occasional run-ins with poison ivy still included) with his partner McKinzie, his running buddy Piper the beagle, and three wonderful rescue cats Margot, Rene, and Herriot.
Dr. Youn
Veterinarian
It was a pleasant coincidence how Dr. Youn joined Paws and Claws. She had an extra bedroom available in her house, so she was looking to foster cats in need. She submitted an application to be a foster, was going through an interview process with Ashlynn, and found out Paws and Claws was looking for a spay and neuter veterinarian! She was very thrilled for the opportunity, as shelter medicine was the reason she decided to go to veterinary school.
Dr. Youn is originally from Seoul, South Korea. She moved to the US in 2001 and grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. She discovered she wanted to be a veterinarian during her junior year in college while volunteering at the local humane society. She switched her college program, earning her bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She moved to the greater Chicago area upon graduating veterinary school in 2018.
Outside of Paws and Claws, she is working as a full time emergency veterinarian. She loves reading manga, watching anime and playing video games with her husband Jongmin, and her 2 dogs (Pomie, Teddy) and 3 cats (Kuro, Miso and Bori - in picture, Paws and Claws alumnus!)
Hayley
Communications/Event Coordinator
Hayley’s role at Paws and Claws merges her passion for communications with her ambition to rescue every cat she encounters. With a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently pursuing her master's degree in Mass Communication, Public Interest Communication from the University of Florida, Hayley is dedicated to raising awareness for animal welfare and advocating for cats in need.
Her passion for cats began at an early age, when her grandfather, a veterinarian in Miami, gave her and her twin sister two kittens who were abandoned in a box at his clinic. Her love for cats has only grown since.
Hayley moved to Chicago in 2023 with her partner, Tim, and their two cats, Eloise (pictured) and Einstein. When she’s not writing postcards to Paw Print Club members or crafting content for the rescue’s community, she can be found engrossed in a new book or binge-watching her current favorite TV show. Hayley is driven by a deep love for cats and a commitment to making a positive impact on their lives through her work.
Julia
Adoption Center Operations Coordinator
Unlike the rest of the Paws and Claws team, Julia did not grow up surrounded by animals. This, however, did not stop her from developing a love for them, and she was often found relishing time with her friends’ pets (or dragging her family to museums to hold snakes). Towards the end of Julia’s time at Northwestern University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she began volunteering at Paws and Claws as a way to unwind and get her cat fix. Very quickly, this evolved into a passion for animal rescue and a growing interest in veterinary medicine.
In her position as Adoption Center Operations Coordinator she combines these passions and interests with a lifelong knack for organization and quick thinking, making sure daily operations run smoothly. Julia is so excited to continue to serve the organization and community that she has come to love. When she is not at Paws and Claws, she loves to learn new pieces on any of the musical instruments she knows how to play, fall into a new (or old favorite) book, or join her mom in baking a new treat!
Scout
Foster Coordinator
Scout finds so much joy in being a professional cat lady. As a lifelong friend of both animals and the folks who love them, she is proud to be a fierce advocate for the most vulnerable felines in her community, and is dedicated to helping them find their forever home. Scout believes that every animal--no matter how big or small, young or old, healthy or sick--is deserving of being treated with kindness, dignity, and compassion.
After spending the last four years working and volunteering with several animal welfare organizations, including feline-only shelters and foster-based rescues, Scout is delighted to now be part of the Paws & Claws team as Foster Coordinator.
As a foster parent herself, she is especially passionate about the care of neonatal kittens. Scout is from Denver, Colorado and moved to the Chicago area in 2025. When she is not busy herding cats, Scout can be found either reading, practicing embroidery, or rewatching her favorite Jane Austen adaptations.
Jeffrey
Adoption Coordinator
With firsthand experience living with cats and working in an Evanston pet store, Jeffrey is dedicated as the Cat Adoption Coordinator to finding the perfect forever homes for our adorable kitties. He holds a B.A. in Humanities from Shimer College. His passion for knowledge has always been paired with a cat curled up next to him. Always ready to provide cat advice to the community, Jeffrey has been the go-to expert in helping find the right solutions to behavioral issues and cat nutrition for everyone in his social circle.
Outside of Paws and Claws, Jeffrey spends his time with his library of books and records, playing role-playing games, and going to films with his partner Liz. Jeffrey loves to travel and always looks for the best pour-over coffees to drink while cozying up with his cats, C'ne and Z.
Connie
Adoption Application Screener: Volunteer
Connie has had pets since the day she was born. From the toughest mutt, to the meanest Siamese, to the sweetest Jack Russell Terriers, pets have always been in her life and she hopes always will be. Although slightly partial to cats, her husband is allergic, so they've had dogs for the past 32 years. After retiring 8 years ago, Connie decided it was time to get cats back in her life, so she began volunteering with organizations such as PAWS Chicago and Orphans of the Storm and has been both an adoption counselor and cat socializer at various shelters. Paws and Claws has provided the purrfect opportunity for Connie to work with both cats and people, connecting them to each other through adoption counseling—truly her passion.
Amanda
Adoption Application Screener: Volunteer
Amanda grew up with cats and dogs in rural Kentucky, helping take care of new litters and finding them homes. Since moving to Chicago, she has worked in non-profits in a variety of roles, most recently data management. She got involved in the cat rescue community in 2022 when she started fostering and ended up adopting a FeLV+ cat. She has a soft spot for FeLV, FIV, elderly, and grumpy cats. Aside from obsessing over cats, Amanda runs a writing group in Chicago and loves exploring museums.
Emma
Membership Program Intern
Although Emma grew up around dogs (and is currently a dedicated pet parent to Maze, pictured), she is thrilled to have the opportunity to work as a Membership Program Intern in service of Paws and Claws Cat Rescue’s resident felines. She hopes to be able to positively contribute to this organization’s mission, bit by bit, with each successive email, phone call, and spreadsheet draft.
In her free time, Emma enjoys playing basketball, tending to her (growing) indoor plant collection, and reading (anything and everything, especially within the genres of history and sociology). Emma speaks Spanish and Italian, holds a B.A. in Romance Languages from New York University and an MPhil in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, and is currently based in Chicago.