Meet our Board of Directors
Denise AbelDenise Abel (President) lives in Eagle River with her husband, Greg Closter, and five adopted dogs and one cat. Denise started volunteering with ARVO in 2014 and joined clinics working as admin, making surgery packs, and assisting in recovery. She joined the board in 2016 and helped to organize some fundraisers, and food drives with Pet Zoo. Her role now includes acting as the board secretary, making flight reservations, making surgery packs, and purchasing and preparing food prior to each clinic. She also still joins the clinic team as admin when needed and arranges travel for dogs and puppies we bring back to Anchorage for rehoming.
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Dr. Becky SawyerBecky Sawyer (Medical Director) lives and works in Anchorage as a small animal veterinarian. She grew up in California, where she attended veterinary school at UC Davis before moving to Georgia to practice medicine. There, Becky worked part-time at a high quality, high volume spay and neuter clinic to help reduce the number of homeless pets in the Atlanta area. After 5 years in Georgia, Becky moved to Alaska and has been loving it ever since. She started volunteering with ARVO in 2024, putting her HQHVSN techniques into practice. Becky looks forward to helping address the large and growing need for access to veterinary care throughout Alaska through her volunteer work with ARVO.
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Christine WitzmannOriginally born and raised in Germany, Christine Witzmann (Helping Hands Coordinator) has spent the past 25 years in Alaska. While visiting remote Alaskan communities, Christine noticed that not only the people struggled due to poverty, but their animals struggled due to the limited resources available to them, such as proper food, shelter, and veterinary care. Too many unwanted puppies, too many hungry stray dogs were a reality everywhere. In 2012, Christine joined Alaska Rural Veterinary Outreach, Inc in order to support a tiny, but growing, non-profit organization with the mission to provide much-needed veterinary care, food, and shelter to dogs in bush Alaska. Throughout the years, Christine helped organize remote veterinary clinics, travelled to participate in some of these clinics, assisted with bringing injured dogs to Anchorage for veterinary care, and helped ARVO's founder, Sally Clampitt, to grow ARVO in order to reach out to a growing number of remote communities and animals in need of help. Christine will always be profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of ARVO, a small organization with big dreams.
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Susan OehlersSusan Oehlers (Treasurer), originally from Minnesota, has lived in the rural Alaska community of Yakutat, where she works as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service, since 2002. Susan has long advocated for veterinary care in her community, facilitating visiting veterinarians, and teaming up with ARVO starting in 2018. Susan joined the ARVO board in 2022, continuing her role in facilitating clinics in Yakutat, contributing to other ARVO planning needs, and seeking funding to support clinics and other ARVO programs.
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Lori KauffmanLori Kauffman, born and raised in Anchorage, where she lives with her 2 boys, 2 dogs and works as a Veterinary Technician at a small animal clinic. She began volunteering for ARVO in 2022, bringing her skills as a veterinary technician to our rural clinics. She brings fresh insight and her varied experience, including her role as president and founder of the non-profit Alaska Crocodilian Rescue, to support not only the continuity of ARVO’s programs, but also to help us grow and increase our efficiency. Lori continues to volunteer her time above and beyond her part-time ARVO position including contributing her expertise at almost every clinic since 2022.
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