WHO ARE WE?
Krista Welder, Krista Welder, President, Founder and Board Member of K Kids, got her first dachshund in 1994 while she was a business executive in NYC financial management in NYC. Krista is a Chartered Financial Analyst and graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she was a Katherine Smith Reynolds Scholar. K Kids is named in memory of
her Kassie, Kody and Karly, and in honor of her current dachshunds Katy and Kacey. Her experience is rich and multifaceted, having spent years with another rescue organization and then starting K Kids. She has recruited and managed many fosters and has sent many many dachshunds to their forever home. She is relentless in her pursuit of whatever is good for the dachshunds. Krista and her husband Paul enjoy their miniature wire haired dachshunds in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley as Krista vows to make this rescue group…hard working…but fun!
Amanda Urban, Amanda Urban, Vice President and Board Member, is a veteran canine advocate. She has extensive experience in all aspects of rescue, evaluating and pulling dogs from shelters, recruiting foster homes, facilitated transports, conducted home visits, coordinated complex veterinary care, and placed dogs in forever homes. She and her husband have personally fostered a vast number of dogs with three “foster failures” joining them full-time. She is an expert on a variety of subjects including how to have children and foster dogs live in harmony. She is also a puppy expert. Amanda worked closely with Krista in their previous rescue organization. They agreed that K Kids was going to be different…and just right!
Jenny Kanieski, Vice President, Webmaster, Social Media Director and Board Member, is the station manager at WCUB/WLTU Radio in her home town of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She also handles programming and traffic for 4 other stations in the building. She is also a highly driven fitness instructor and a National Master Trainer for Rumble by R.I.P.P.E.D.. Jenny is is our web and social media guru, and she is also a dachshund rescue legend, having adopted not one but TWO blind dachshunds. Her current dachshund is Sparky.
Morgan Salmon, Secretary, Grant Strategist and Board Member, has loved dachshunds since she was sixteen and saw a dachshund puppy chasing a ball on the beach. Morgan has years of experience transporting and fostering rescue dachshunds. She currently writes grants to help raise funds for the K Kids team. Morgan and her husband have fostered many rescue dachshunds and they currently have three owned and loved dachshunds, Sophie, Jax and Loki. She also worked with Krista and Amanda previously in the same rescue group.
George Urban, Treasurer, is a successful business executive with two decades of strategic, operations, and financial experience across multiple industries. A recognized community leader, he was selected to the Lead Virginia class of 2017 and haS been elected to numerous leadership positions in civic and philanthropic organizations. He graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University, where he was a National Merit Scholar. An avid sports fan and dog lover, George resides in Albemarle Count with his wife, young daughter and their pack of forever and foster dogs.
Hillary Cook, DVM, CVA, CCRP,CVMMP and Board Member, is our veterinary specialist. She owns Animal Wellness Center, an integrative practice combining the best of traditional veterinary medicine, surgery and dentistry. She has a special interest in Chinese and Western herbal therapies and is dedicated to improving the life quality of her geriatric and terminal patients. She has helped many dachshunds walk who otherwise would have been paralyzed or euthanized. She lives in Crozet with her husband and two daughters, three dogs, two cats and eight pet chickens.
Linda Allard and Andrew Clarke co-founded K Kids with Krista. They continue to serve as Good Will Ambassadors. Linda’s creative and strategic thinking and Andrew’s consummate showmanship will always be an integral part of the K Kids legacy.
