Meet the Waggle Team
We at Waggle care about pets. Our team is working together to create a future where cats and dogs live out their natural lives — their best lives — with their families, where they belong.
Waggle works with a network of independent contractors, consultants, and specialists. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, individuals listed on this page are independent contractors and are not employees of Waggle.
Steven Mornelli is Waggle’s only full-time employee.
Jen Baker
Operations Manager (Consultant)
Jen has lived in three states, having moved from New Jersey, where she grew up, to Florida to attend college, and finally to St. Paul, Minn., where she now lives with her two dogs and one cat. Her role at Waggle includes approving new campaigns, offering customer support, and providing link acquisition services. In her spare time, Jen enjoys anything involving animals, running, and snow days.
Megan Ballinger
Director of Animal Welfare and Creator Partnerships (Consultant)
Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of animals and people. After earning a dual degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, Megan embarked on a career that allowed her to use her communication skills to champion causes close to her heart. Initially entering her career in child dependency law, she later transitioned to the animal welfare sector, where she's spent over 5 years helping organizations grow and thrive. As Director of Animal Welfare and Creator Partnerships at Waggle, Megan is excited to leverage her background in advocacy, marketing, and fundraising to help rescues and shelters expand their reach and secure the resources necessary for their mission. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the At-Choo Foundation. Outside of work, she enjoys going traveling to new places and camping with her dogs (Hades, Tuna, and Breeze) as much as possible. She also fosters whenever possible–Nanny Hades reeeally loves the foster kittens!
Melanie Bang
Graphic Designer (Contractor)
Melanie has over nine years of experience in graphic design with a focus on branding, visual identity, packaging, and graphic asset creation. She is a multidisciplinary designer, having worked in the areas of graphic design, illustration, and calligraphy. Melanie believes that design with a purpose adds value, and living with a purpose inspires creativity in design. She earned a BFA Cum Laude in graphic design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She is a dog lover whose family always had dogs since her childhood, including Pony, a Pomeranian, and Honey, a Chihuahua.
Paul Branch
Developer (Consultant)
With a 20-year background in eCommerce technology, software development, and digital strategy, Paul has extensive experience leading the development of high-performance, scalable solutions for B2B and B2C brands. Specializing in Shopify eCommerce, custom software, and digital infrastructure, he focuses on building platforms that drive growth and adaptability. On behalf of Waggle, he leads a team of full-stack developers and eCommerce experts dedicated to delivering best-in-class digital solutions that enhance the experience of our partners and supporters.
Jacob Gibson
CFO (Fractional)
With a decade of experience in finance, Jacob has honed expertise in developing financial models and driving organizational growth. Transitioning into fundraising, Jacob has spent the past two years leveraging financial acumen to support animal welfare initiatives. Originally from Illinois, Jacob now resides in Southern California. An alum of Cal State Long Beach, he furthered his education with an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jacob is a dedicated pet owner, sharing a home with two dogs and five turtles.
Amanda Gray
Senior Fundraising Consultant
Amanda has always been deeply committed to animal welfare and community care. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science in Virginia, where she grew up, and later completed her M.S. in Ecology in upstate New York. After graduate school, she moved to Florida for work and has spent the past nine years there as a project manager, balancing a career in environmental science with a strong dedication to animal rescue. Amanda has volunteered with several animal rescue organizations across South Florida and has been especially active in TNVR efforts for community cats. She brings a unique blend of scientific training, nonprofit experience, and communication skills to her role at Waggle, where she supports fundraising and outreach for rescue organizations across the country. Amanda lives in Florida with her cat Poppy.
Bethany Holtz
Fundraising Consultant
Bethany obtained a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management with a focus on animal welfare after fostering her first shelter dog and experiencing the lack of resources that shelters and rescues face globally. From negotiating animal rights legislation with lawmakers to advocating for dogs at risk of euthanasia in shelters across the country, she has dedicated her career to championing animals in need. Having worked in nearly every role within the rescue community, she brings a deep understanding of the challenges, operations, and lifesaving impact of animal welfare organizations. Bethany also serves on the board of a vegan festival focused on promoting compassionate living, sustainability, and community education. In her free time, Bethany loves to travel and volunteers with animal welfare organizations around the world while exploring new countries and cultures.
Ruth Katz
Director, Media & PR (Fractional)
Having been with Waggle since its founding, Ruth has an extensive background in communications and editorial services. Her name has appeared on the mastheads of top-tier Hearst and Meredith publications, and she has written extensively for New York magazine and The New York Times’s consumer pages. She also spent six years as an on-air consumer reporter for a New York City TV station. As a strategic consultant to major public relations firms, Ruth has crafted messaging for MasterCard, AT&T, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and many other corporate clients. However, Ruth and her Golden Retrievers, Violet and Austin, are most proud of her 10 years spent lobbying for one of Manhattan’s first dog runs.
Isha Kipp-Cook
Content Creator (Consultant)
Isha lives in Huntington Beach, California. Her heart thrives when she is at the beach, doing photography, and fostering animals. She loves volunteering where she can make a difference in the lives of people or animals.
Steven Mornelli
CEO and Founder
In addition to being an ardent animal lover his entire life, Steve has led international teams in diverse fields, including data science, engineering, and institutional research. His experience leading advanced behavioral-based analytics as a partner for the big data firm Teradata brings critical insight on social and business network dynamics to Waggle's crowdfunding platform. Before founding Waggle, Steve was a senior vice president at Sanford C. Bernstein (New York) and Brown Brothers Harriman (London) in the fields of macroeconomic and quantitative research.
Bridget Pelrine
Animal Welfare & Marketing Coordinator (Consultant)
After earning her B.S. Finance from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, Bridget moved to Chicago and began working in hedge fund administration. A year later, after rescuing Apollo, she became deeply involved in animal welfare—volunteering and fostering through a local animal shelter. Keen to balance her finance career with this growing passion, Bridget joined the Waggle team, combining her excellent communication and organization skills with her love of animals to support Waggle's life-saving mission. When Bridget's not working, she enjoys meeting up with friends for book club, running along the lakefront trail, and spending time on the beach with Apollo.
Conner Pettit
Fundraising Consultant
Having grown up in Colorado surrounded by nature and wildlife, Conner has spent 4+ years fundraising across environmental, animal welfare, and community education causes. Holding degrees in Ecology from CU Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Long Beach, California, with his goldendoodle, Theo. As a fundraising consultant at Waggle, Conner supports campaign development, outreach, and project management—helping Waggle's animal welfare partners raise the funds needed to give the sick and injured animals in their care a chance to thrive. Outside of work, Conner enjoys nature photography, swimming, and volunteering with marine mammals in Laguna Beach.
Vivienne Singer
Director of Marketing (Fractional)
Vivienne is a freelance writer and marketer with 20+ years of experience crafting compelling words on behalf of nonprofits, corporations, agencies and small businesses. When she's not supporting Team Waggle, she's helping other clients inform pet guardians about the importance of preventative medicines. Raised in London, England, Viv resides in Toronto, but goes wherever the mood strikes (have laptop will travel). She is especially driven when the destination in question has pets on site, as it often does given her part-time pet-sitting passion. Viv will shamelessly stop anyone, anywhere, anytime, if they have a puppy that she wants to pet.
Lisa Toy
Fundraising Consultant
Lisa has spent 10+ years creating and managing programs that support environmental education, sustainability, and community engagement. In 2009, she volunteered in the Tortuguero Rainforest, studying the migratory patterns and life cycles of endangered leatherback sea turtles. Today, she supports Waggle’s rescue partners with fundraising strategy and campaign development to help at-risk animals receive critical care. Lisa has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from American University in Washington, D.C., and studied Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at the United Nations–mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and loves the calm feeling just before a rainstorm, which is her favorite kind of weather.
Danielle Walinski
Fundraising Consultant
When Danielle made the move from Wisconsin to sunny South Florida, she brought with her a lifelong love for animals. Having grown up with pets, her passion deepened through the special bond she shares with her soul cat, Gigi. That connection inspired her to become more involved in animal welfare and volunteering, where she enjoys making a meaningful difference in the lives of animals in need.
In Memory of Gracie
In loving memory
Director of Barketing (2009 - 2023)