Board Members
Judith Price: Executive Director
Judith Price has been tirelessly giving her time, energy, and financial support to help homeless dogs and cats for over 15 years. In 1999, she founded a non-profit, no-kill shelter and added an annex to her home to accommodate 20-25 homeless pets. Since 1999, she has personally grown the organization, Atlanta Pet Rescue, into the biggest, most highly-regarded rescue group in the Atlanta area. Her endless energy, compassion and motivation to reduce the number of homeless pets in the metro- Atlanta area has engaged the respect and following of a large group of dedicated and loyal foster families and volunteers.
The organization has now rescued over 9,000 dogs and cats, and has grown to accommodate over 80 dogs and 20 cats at once. Judith has each pet spayed and neutered, and requires a strict, in-person interview before a family is approved to adopt. She works seven days a week, 365 days a year, towards the goal of rescuing animals on death row at outlying animal control facilities, getting them vetted, tested for heartworms, treated for any curable disease or ailment, washed, groomed, and loved until she finds them the perfect home for their specific disposition and needs.
But her work isn’t exclusively with dogs and cats, she also spends countless hours educating potential adopters about dog and cat guardianship in the hopes of preparing them for a happy, permanent relationship together.
Laura Pate: Chairman of the Board
Laura Pate has worked with Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption since 2003. She was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in May of 2009. Laura has served on other non-profit boards, including a term as Vice President of Gilda’s Club (named for comedienne Gilda Radner of Saturday Night Live fame) a national cancer support organization. Her background in sales, promotions, events, fundraising and on-air experience has proved invaluable to our organization. Laura serves as a media spokesperson for Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption and appears monthly on WAGA-TV/Fox 5′s “Good Day Xtra” morning show to present the “Pet of the Week.” Laura also founded and directs Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption’s very popular and successful community outreach program, “Pet Pals,” in which both human and canine Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption Volunteers provide therapeutic visits to senior homes and foster care children’s facilities. Laura has utilized her diverse and extensive network of professional and personal acquaintances in Atlanta and beyond to expand the audience of Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption supporters in our community. Laura lives in Morningside with her three four legged babies, Titan (a Chow Chow), Daisy (a Beagle/Blue Tick mix) and ZuZu (a Miniature Dachshund).Gigi Gould: Secretary
Gigi Gould has been involved with Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption since its inception, but her love of animals has been an integral part of her life from the moment, as a little girl, she enticed a stray kitten to follow her home. Since then, she has been hooked on four-legged creatures and heartbroken whenever one is hurt or in need of help. Consequently, her rescue work started at a young age and has continued ever since. Gigi’s professional expertise in space planning and facilities relocation management and her organizational skills have afforded her many opportunities to be integrally involved with Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. She has assumed a number of responsibilities, from fostering to volunteering, from designing the current 14th Street shelter to managing APRA’S financial responsibilities for three years. She is currently assisting with the selection and design of our anticipated future shelter facility and, of course, continues fostering in addition to caring for her own pack of dogs and cats.
Kelly Ward: Treasurer
Kelly Ward has a professional background which includes financial positions of increasing responsibilities with employers such as Citicorp, the US Treasury Department and the accounting firms of Ernst & Young and KPMG. She is presently employed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Since 2003, she has been a member of the board of directors for the Georgia Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners. She currently serves as the Vice President after four terms as Treasurer. Her nonprofit experience includes: completion of two consulting engagements for the Board of Directors of Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety and Brain Injury Resource Foundation through the Community Consulting Team of Atlanta, completion of the 10-week United Way Board of Directors Training class, and 2008 FRB Charity Parity Board of Directors and Co-chair for the Charity Parity United Way Campaign.
Laura Sellers
Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Ms. Sellers has lived in the Atlanta area for over 20 years. She has been employed in the non-profit industry since 1987. During that time, as Vice President of Information Management at Inner Harbour, a children’s psychiatric facility, Ms. Sellers managed information technology and regulatory compliance. Currently she is employed at Skyland Trail, a nonprofit, community-based residential and day mental health treatment facility for adults with serious mental illness. Here she is responsible for the day to day operations of the organization. Ms. Sellers makes her home in Smyrna, Georgia with her husband, Jason, and their menagerie of dogs and cats.
Scott Farrow is a partner with Troutman Sanders LLP in Atlanta, having practiced law with the firm for twenty-five years. He brings a broad base of legal experience to Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. He joined the Board in September 2010 after becoming familiar with the organization through the adoption of a dog. His family has had two dogs that were adopted through rescue organizations. He is also the founder and president of Atlanta Flames Fastpitch, Inc., a nonprofit that supports girls’ fastpitch travel softball. Scott resides in Dunwoody with his wife, Susan, and two children, Andrew and Emily.